Lyr Req: The Ballad of O'Bruadair

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Ballad of O'Bruadair
From: GUEST,Lox
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 11:43 AM

Brill, thank you everyone! Sorry for late reply, posted one day then spent the next two stuck on trains with no internet access, only just unpacked everything and sat down at my pee-sea.

Much appreciated!
Lox

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Ballad of O'Bruadair
From: Fergie
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 05:16 AM

Thank you

Fergus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Ballad of O'Bruadair
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 02:51 AM

Fergie

Depends on exactly how you organise things but basically:
- scan in the text with your OCR software
- copy it into MS Word (or equivalent)
- Select all
- go to Change case in the Format menu
- select Sentence Case
- tidy up first letter of line where necessary.

You could deal with the line starts more elegantly with Search/Replace but it's hardly worth it with a short piece like this unless you're used to handling non-printing characters.

Best wishes

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Ballad of O'Bruadair
From: Fergie
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 07:42 PM

Yo hey Mudelf

Thanks Mudelf, you've got to explain to me how I can do that nice little trick.

Fergus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Ballad of O'Bruadair
From: Fergie
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 02:31 PM

Hi Lox

I've scanned the sleevenotes for the the wonderful Barry Gleeson's superb CD;
I Heard A Bird At Dawn. This is available at Góilín

Sorry the text is all uppercase, but that is how it is in the sleevenotes.

Pronounce BRUADAIR    brew - dar

Fergus

When O'Bruadair, the captain
Shook a sword across the sea,
Rollin' glory on the ocean
I had a mind o'bruadair
Would make an earl of me.
Rollin' glory on the ocean
So I shut my eyes on women,
Forgot their sturdy hips,
And yet I stuffed my pockets
By playing on their lips,
But before i'd give them bundles,
I quickly took to ships.
Rollin' glory on the ocean

Out there we fought with cutlass.
With blunderbus and gun;
Rollin' glory on the ocean
With boarding and with broadside,
We made the dutchmen run.
Rollin' glory on the ocean
Then down among the captains
In their green skin shoes,
I sought for Hugh O'Bruadair
And got but little news,
Till i shook him by the hand
In the bay of Santa Cruz.
Rollin' glory on the ocean

O'Bruadair said kindly'
"You're a fresh blade from mayo."
Rollin' glory on the ocean
"So come among my captains,
To achill back we go."
Rollin' glory on the ocean
"Although those spanish beauties
Are dark and not so dear,
I'd rather taste in Mayo,
With april on the air,
One bracing tender female;
So swing your canvas here:
rollin' glory on the ocean

"There's no man," said a stranger,
"whose hand i'd sooner grip:
Rollin' glory on the ocean
"Well. I'm your man," said bruadair,
"and you're aboard my ship."
Rollin' glory on the ocean
They drank to deeper friendship
In ocean roguery,
They rolled ashore together,
But between yourself and me,
We found O'Bruadair danglin'
Within an airy tree.
Ghosting glory from the ocean

words: f. R. Higgins music: trad - arthur duff acc: gerry cullen, phil callery jim macfarland, tom crean, antaine ó'farachain

source: Broadsides (the Cuala Press, 1935). This song seems to be about micheal o'bruadair, a 17th century pirate and smuggler, who was born in cong, co. Mayo. He was hanged in Santa Cruz after a life of high adventure.

Frederick Robert Higgins (1896-1941) was born in Foxford, Co. Mayo. He grew up mainly in Ballivor, Co. Meath and spent most of his adult life in Dublin. A poet and theatre dlrector, he was on the board of the Abbey Theatre from 1935 until his death.

Arthur Duff (1899-1956) was a composer, musician and conductor from dublin. He was the first irish-born bandmaster in the Irish Army School of Music and was musical editor of the first volume of Broadsides (1935). In 1945, he was made assistant musical director at Radio éireann.

----------------- cases tidied up (somewhat!). Mudelf------------

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Ballad of O'Bruadair
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 12:47 PM

broo-(u)-dir

In Irish it would be pronounced as three syllables - with the middle one as a weak "eh" sound. The last syllable has a short i.

In English, the weak syllable pretty well disappears and the last becomes more of a short u sound as in Ugh!

So when singing, you can make it two or three syllables to suit!

p.s. Dan pops into Mudcat now and then and may help with the words. Otherwise, make a rough transcription and I'll proof it for you.

Subject: Lyr Req: The Ballad of O'Bruadair
From: GUEST,Lox
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 12:22 PM

Hello,

I picked up Dan Milner's Irish Pirate Ballads and Songs of the Sea on a recent holiday, and I've really fallen in love with this song, and I'd like to learn it. Can anyone help? There are some that I can't make out from listening to the CD, and I'm not 100% sure on the pronunciation of "Bruadair"

The album is discussed here if anyone is interested.

Many thanks Lox