Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)

Subject: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Carl
Date: 01 Sep 97 - 04:40 PM

Anybody, who knows the english lyrics sung by Sting on the Chieftains album ? I already have the gaelic ones.
Thanks, Carl

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Carl
Date: 13 Sep 97 - 10:02 AM

Really no one who has this record and understands all the words ? I can recommend this album, it´s one of my favourites of samplers with irish music. It´s really interesting, especially The Stones playing the Rocky Road to Dublin.
So long, Carl

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Sep 97 - 07:21 PM

Which Chieftains album is it, Carl? I thought I had most of the recent Chieftains albums, but couldn't find this song.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: alison
Date: 14 Sep 97 - 06:04 AM

HI

It's on "The long black veil". In casse you haven't heard of it, it's an album where variuos famous singers murder Irish & popular songs accompanied by the Chieftains. some of the tracks are better than others, but Tom Jones doing the Tennessee Waltz...... yuck!!!!

slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Sep 97 - 11:59 PM

Thanks, Alison - I have a rather large CD collection, and sometimes I lose track. I have it.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Harold
Date: 18 Sep 97 - 11:55 AM

Hi alison
concerning Tom Jones I agree completely, but I can´t see Sinead O´Connor ´murdering´ the Foggy Dew. Do you know anybody else singing it with such an emotion?
I also think that Sting´s doing a good job on that CD although he sings most of it in english.
Slan gó foill, Harald

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: alison
Date: 19 Sep 97 - 03:43 AM

Hi

Couldn't agree more. In my view the "Foggy Dew" track is the best I have heard it done, bit of a comparison with the Marianne Faithful song.

slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: dulcimer
Date: 19 Sep 97 - 08:19 PM

Yes, but does anyone have the English lyrics? The Gaelic lyrics posted a few weeks ago don't fit the Sting version on the CD.

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Carl
Date: 21 Sep 97 - 02:14 PM

Yep, that´s what I was talking about...

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Wolfgang (Hell)
Date: 22 Sep 97 - 05:50 AM

you can find part of the English lyrics here

Wolfgang

Subject: Lyr Add: MO GHILE MEAR (In English)
From: Kevin McCormick
Date: 22 Sep 97 - 12:03 PM

There are several artists who have rendered Mo Ghile Mear - I looked for the English translation and found one at [e-mail]

This is a Jacobite song in which Ireland is depicted as a woman lamenting her love, Prince Charles Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) who is far away. There is a more complete version in Filíocht na nGael, ed. P Ó Canainn, 1940. Written by Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill.

Once I was a gentle maiden
Now I'm a feeble worn widow
My spouse boldly ploughing the waves
Over the hills and far away.

Refrain :
He is my hero my Gile Mear
He is my Caesar my Gile Mear
Sleep or happiness I have not
Since my Gile Mear has gone away.

I am in grief each day
Crying lamentable and weeping sore
Since my lively boy was sent away
And sadly no word of him is known.

Refrain

There is no pleasure in the sweetest midday cuckoo
The finest of the nobility have little sport
The poets and scholars are troubled and in sorrow
Since my lively boy has left me.

Refrain

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Carl
Date: 22 Sep 97 - 12:35 PM

Thanks to both of you for answering.
Kevin, the lyrics you sent are the translation of the gaelic ones I already have. Your comment on the song is very interesting.
The site Wolfgang mentioned contains (parts of) the text I´m looking for. Unfortionately it contains the same gaps as the one I got myself from the record. So I´m still "on air" with my request.
By the way, I´d like to say at this point how interesting all these requests for lyrics are. Not only for getting the lyrics itself but for getting all the background-information on the songs. I remember the request for "Nelson´s Farewell" which was extremely interesting with it´s insights in irish history.

All the best to you all from Carl

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Wolfgang
Date: 07 Oct 97 - 07:35 AM

Carl, do you remember this request? I found a new site with more complete, perhaps even correct, lyrics. I've posted a link to all the lyrics from the Chieftains CD in the Long Black Veil thread.

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Carl
Date: 07 Oct 97 - 04:48 PM

Yeah, great! That´s it! At last I got it. Gave up any hope to get those lyrics at all.
How did you find that? I searched the whole net for that song.
Thanks a lot, greetings, Carl

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: dulcimer
Date: 07 Oct 97 - 06:27 PM

Wolfgang--where is the link or site for the English lyrics?

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Wolfgang
Date: 08 Oct 97 - 04:56 AM

Carl,
"by using the dogpile search machine" is the qick but not very informative answer. Actually I knew that site existed since I had found it when I was searching for "Changing your demeanour". When I first saw your request for "Mo Ghile Mear" it tried Dogpile for I knew there was a site with all the lyrics from the Chieftains CD and found nothing but the link I displayed in my former mail. Yesterday I refound it by chance when I was looking for "Long black veil".

Dulcimer, there is a request for "Long black veil". In there, you'll find the link.

Wolfgang

Subject: Lyr Add: MO GHILE MEAR (in English and Irish)
From:
Date: 19 Dec 01 - 12:32 PM

She Malech mo ghile mear
she ma cesar glile mear
sun na shen ni forers fain
o cuegg igain mo ghile mar

Grief and pain are all I know
my heart is sore my tears aflow
we saw him go our buchal beau
no word we know of him och on

A proud and gallant chevalier
a high man's scian of gentle mien
a fiery blade engaged to reap
he'd break the bravest in the field

come sing his praise as sweet harps play
and proudly toast his noble frame
with spirit and with mind aflame
so wish him strenght and lenght of day



(line breaks added by mudelf)

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,chrisj
Date: 22 Dec 01 - 01:18 AM

negrosoft85, the first verse you quote above is..er..unusual to say the least. Is it meant to be a phonetic rendering of the Irish? BTW I have seen the title spelled 'Mo Ghiolla Mear'on occasions. Speaking of Sting's version of 'Mo Ghile Mear' with 'The Chieftains', some of these crossovers were more successful than others. IMO Kate Bush's 'Mná na hÉireann' was the best.

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 22 Dec 01 - 05:01 AM

The Irish language chorus -which negrosoft85 tried to render phonetically - is properly spelled:
'Sé mo laoch, mo ghille mear,
'Sé mo Shaesar, gille mear!
Ní bhfuaireas féin aon tsuan ar séan,
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo ghille mear!

If you search the archives - I used "mear" as my keyword - you'll find several other relevant threads. Including ... mo ghile mear
It's okay to write "giolla" as that would be the nearest present day Irish equivalent of "gille", a lad. It's more common to nowadays to use "gile", brightness, in transcribing the lyrics, though that's a feminine noun so it would normally be "gile mhear". Other forums have had long debates about gile vs gille. The word/spelling "gille" is still found in contemporary Scottish Gaelic.

Subject: Origins: Mo Ghile mor
From: Malachy
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 08:58 PM

Can anyone tell me about the Mary Black version? Is it Scotish or Irish gaelic? My knowledge of gaelic ended when I was 9 years old and transported to Liverpool. I have played it to my my neighbour who is 74 y/o ...and Irish. But she says she can only understand a few of the words...as do I.
Is it in a particular dialect maybe ?
Mal

---

I moved this message here from another thread on the same topic.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Brían
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 11:10 PM

A LINK TO MARY BLACK'S VERSION shows a lot of typos, but it seems to be Irish gaelic.

Brían

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Declan
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 10:37 AM

I think most of the typos are where vowels with fadas on them have been interpreted as different letters. For example é seems to have come out as an i. Its definitely Irish rather than Scottish, but it would be better to get a cleaner text if you're trying to learn to sing it.

Incidentally Mary's family are originally from Rathlin Island off the coast of County Antrim, which is pretty close to the Scottish coast, and from what I can gather some of the Gaelic spoken there is a hybrid of the two forms.

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 11:57 AM

Annraoi typed out the long version in another thread and I recall identifying which verses were sung by a few different singers, including Mary Black. Anyway, you can compare the verses given in Brian's link to Annraoi's transcription in order to get correct spelling

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 12:06 PM

for the 11 verses from Annraoi in 1998 click on the "Altan version..." thread at the top of the page. You'll find his message quite near the top of the thread.

(No, I don't think Altan ever recorded Mo Ghille Mear)

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: leprechaun
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 09:50 PM

I thought this looked familiar. There are only few things I can remember from back in 1997, but there I am.

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 21 Dec 02 - 03:14 PM

It's an Irish song - the Irish Jacobites had plenty of songs that used Bonnie Prince Charlie - expressed as "an buachaill beo" - "the living lad", "Mac an Ceannaire" (the Merchant's Son) and so on, as the saviour to come. This is one of them, eulogising him as a hero, as Caesar and so on.

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: Big Mick
Date: 22 Dec 02 - 01:44 AM

I miss Annraoi's scholarship. God be good to him.

Mick

Subject: Lyr Add: MO GHILE MEAR (in English)
From: maire-aine
Date: 22 Dec 02 - 11:21 PM

I made a couple changes based on the lyrics in the Chieftains' Long Black Veil Songbook:

Grief and pain are all I know
my heart is sore my tears aflow
we saw him go our buachaill beo
no word we know of him och on

A proud and gallant chevalier
a high born scion of gentle mien
a fiery blade engaged to lead
he'd break the bravest in the field

Then we'll sing his praise as sweet harps play
and proudly toast his noble frame
with spirit and with mind aflame
so wish him strength and length of day

Subject: Lyr Add: MO GHILE MEAR (in English and Irish)
From: GUEST,Seamus
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 12:01 AM

I think the song goes a bit like this:

Sé mo laoch, mo Ghile Mear
Sé mo Chaesar Gile Mear
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear


Grief and pain are all I know
my heart is sore my tears aflow
we saw him go our buachaill beo
no word we know of him och on

Sé mo laoch, mo Ghile Mear
Sé mo Chaesar Gile Mear
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear

A proud and gallant chevalier
a high born scion of gentle mien
a fiery blade engaged to lead
he'd break the bravest in the field

Sé mo laoch, mo Ghile Mear
Sé mo Chaesar Gile Mear
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear

Then we'll sing his praise as sweet harps play
and proudly toast his noble fame
with spirit and with mind aflame
so wish him strength and length of day

Sé mo laoch, mo Ghile Mear
Sé mo Chaesar Gile Mear
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear (Repeated)

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,saor-duine
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 02:05 AM

a charaidh,

The gentleman who refers to this as a paen to Prince Charles Edward is correct. It is by Sean Clarach mac Dhomhnuill, the great Munster bard, written in 1745 to incite the Irish to rise and join the Jacobite cause.

The name refers to the "shining darling" (as I received the tune in Cul aodh from Sean Dineen some 20 years ago).

Though Phillipa's thoughts are not wrong per se - I follow her reasoning - it is just that in the original, the words were gile and mear, def. not gille or any variation thereof.

I had all 40 verses once, but they were in a briefcase that was stolen. I have assembled some more recently, though not all. I believe they are all in "Love Songs of Connaught" by Douglas Hyde.

The Sting version, (no disrespect to him per se, or anyone who likes him) is frankly bloody awful. Not only is his rendition wrong, but his verses have almost nothing to do with the Gaelic. Micheal O Dhomhnaill did a far superior version, but I can't recall which recording - I believe it was compiled on The Celts Will Rise Again.

The longish Gaelic version shown somewhere in this thread is correct barring some spelling errors that may be a function of "reading" the diacritical characters wrong as also discussed elsewhere.

However, i have the verses correctly rendered, minus the diacritical marks - I have not gone through and re-worked them, as I don't need them myself, and hate the "front/back-slash" convention used in some places - but I would be happy to give them to anyone whon wants them as is - perhaps someone who has time and/or a proper type-set can enter them.

Tioreadh.

S

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,duine-saor
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 02:11 AM

Just noticed Murphy's post - this chap has many of the lyrics - a few typos - i'll get busy revising for those that want it.

S

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,archivist
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 01:55 PM

see the related threads at the top of the page
one of them refers to Altan, though I don't think that group has recorded the song
you'll find 11 verses there, which will go some way to replace your loss

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,duine-saor
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 01:27 PM

a charaidh,

A PS to my earlier postings re: this song. Perhaps those among you who have done comparative music have already noticed this, but this song is also the basis of several later tunes - a Jacobite song in English; "When First he Landed on Our Strand" (which I have a few verses to), and Caroline Oliphant (Lady Nairne)'s famed retro-Jacobite song "Over the Sea to Skye."It is also the air to the Gaelic and English versions of "Mairi's Wedding."

S

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,duine-saor
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 01:31 PM

PPS:

Sorry! I forgot one other thing - I have compliled a fairly accurate and complete version of this song for any who may want it - still wants a few diacritical marks, and I have to translate a few verses yet, but it is the most complete I have seen since my original copy was stolen.

Anyone who wants a copy, E me: [e-mail]

If someone wants to post it to this site whoi is familiar wiith the process, feel free.
I also have a slew of others - write for details.

S

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: ard mhacha
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 03:53 PM

Sean O`Baoill, notes on O`Riada`s Farewell LP, " this lament for Prince Charlie was written by Sean Clarach Mac Donaill [1691-1754] to the air of An Cnota Ban. In MacDonaill`s time all bard and ryhmers were "without the law", but in spite of this the Gaelic Poets assembled at his farm in Cill Tuathaigh, County Cork, under his presidency.
The parallel between Mac Donaill`s work for Gaelic poetry and his own work for Gaelic music must have been very clear to Sean O`Riada.
Before Sean died he asked that this tune be played at his funeral, by his former colleagues of Ceoltoiri Chualann.
An Buchaill Beo is another name for this song". Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,a long time searcher
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 09:03 PM

It appears that you can find anything on the internet. Recently my father and I listened to some Gaelic music and it was wonderful. Since then I've tried to track down lyrics to some of his favorite songs so I can match his voice when he's singing along. I am very thankful that I found this site. Thank you to all who contribute.

Subject: RE: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,Oisín Mac Fionn
Date: 25 Jul 04 - 04:45 PM

Just for interest sake - this is usually referred to in Corca Dhuibhne as 'Mo Ghiolla m'Fhear' (mo fhear - 'my man')

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear
From: GUEST,Zinnia
Date: 18 Dec 04 - 05:00 PM

I believe these are the lyrics of the Sting version on the Chieftan's album "Long Black Veil" and they are quite similar to those posted by Seamus but for the last line of one verse.

Grief and pain are all I know
My heart is sore
My tears a'flow
We saw him go
Our buachaill beo (lively boy)
No word we know of him, ma chroi (my love)

Chorus

A proud and gallant cavalier
A high born scion of gentle mien
A fiery blade engaged to wield
He'd break the bravest in the field
Chorus

Come sing his praise as sweet harps play
And proudly toast his noble fame
With spirit and with mind aflame
So wish him strength and length of day
Chorus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)
From: GUEST,Becky
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 11:36 PM

For what I think is a pretty good translation, PLUS Gaelic lyrics
for several verses, go here:

www.celticartscenter.com/Songs/Irish/MoGhileMear/html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)
From: GUEST,Douglas
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 03:36 AM

Thanks for the link, Becky. Fix for a typo in it:
www.celticartscenter.com/Songs/Irish/MoGhileMear.html
(.html).

Last week, I heard a version by Celtic Woman, which they entitled Mo Ghile Mear. The verses were in english and don't match any of the english translations that I have found posted elsewhere. Does anyone recognize them as some of the other verses that duine-saor mentioned, above, or are they from one of the derivative songs that he also mentioned, or did Celtic Woman write new words?

Here's my best-effort transcription of their verses (the last verse had a lot of people singing counterpoint in the background, so was very hard to understand):

Can you feel the river run?
Waves are dancing to the sun.
Take the tide and face the sea,
And find a way to follow me.

Leave the field and leave the fire,
And find the flame of your desire.
Set your heart on this far shore
And sing you dream to me once more.

CHORUS

Now the time has come to leave,
Keep the flame and still believe.
Know that love will shine through darkness --
One bright star to light the way.

CHORUS

Lift your voice and raise the sail,
Know that love will never fail.
Know that I will sing to you
Each night as I dream of you.

CHORUS

Ghile mear(1) the wind and sun
The sweetness of our dream is done
To lose the west where ??(2)
To mo ghile mear(3) ??(4) the day we met(5)

CHORUS

Notes
-----
(1) this is my best guess
(2) probably either "I have set" or "it has set"
(3) this is my best guess
(4) I haven't a clue, even how many words here
(5) this is my best guess

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 05:12 AM

Philippa, the 'gile' vs 'ghile' quarrel is easily resolved. In Irish, when you use the word 'mo' (meaning 'my'), the first letter of the word after it is softened, the pronunciation changed. In modern Irish spelling this is rendered by adding an 'h' after the letter.

So it's croí (heart) but mo chroí, and so on. Adjectives are also softened in this way. The grammatical term is either lenition or ellision - I can never remember which is which.

(In our grandparents' day this was done by putting a 'buailte' over the letter - a dot - which was a survival of a kind of shorthand invented by the Irish poets who were thrown into the life of a labourer by the seizure of their patrons' lands. They spent their nights, after a long day's labouring for some etiolated think-skinned poet, writing out the poetry that had been many thousands of years in the culture. But because they were scribing by rushlight and in a state of exhaustion, they used a shorthand they invented and agreed. The 'buailte' replacing the earlier 'h' was part of this, and survived into the early 20th century.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)
From: michaelr
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 04:45 PM

Douglas --

that sounds like a new-agey re-write. Typical for those odious "Celtic" women... Blechh!

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)
From: GUEST,Douglas
Date: 27 Dec 06 - 11:26 PM

I was afraid of that. It's unfortunate that they chose to break with the traditional meaning and history of the song. Now that I've researched the context of the original, I understand at least some of it.

Treating their rewrite as an entirely separate song, it's not bad, but I think I would be a lot more satisfied with it if I could put it in context -- too bad it has none.

Douglas

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)
From: GUEST,extra0stout!
Date: 25 Jul 07 - 06:06 AM

oh great. now i'm suffering from terrible internal conflict.
somebody above mentioned "nelson's farewell." i googled/read it, and, well, thank you, it was very insightful. i'm actually descended from Lord Admiral Horatio Viscount Nelson (as is his full and proper title), making me British, AND i'm Irish AND scottish. the half of me that's German has taken to the sidelines and frankly seems not to give a rat's ass about expressing a single gene in my body. really i only resemble the Irish blood in my family.
thank you much for bringing this to my attention, my ma will get a great laugh from it. as proud of my Irish blood as i am, i really have no idea about Irish history, nor their internal struggle as well as conflicts with britain and scotland, and this is a bit of an eye-opener. britain actually forced them to have a statue of Nelson in Dublin, and some of the local boys decided to blast it? oh ho ho i'm proud of my brethren, i knew there was a reason i'm such a hard-headed radical. now i know it's 'cos i'm Irish.
a pint to all of them! and to all of you, for helping explain this song...which...come to think of it, was the whole reason i was on this site.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 10:07 AM

Colleen in Sarasota. Just a quick thank you for everyone years ago who blogged this site. I sing the song tomorrow at the Kirk of Dunedin in Dunedin, FL and I finally cleared up some of the words I didn't understand.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)
From: Mr Happy
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 07:38 AM

'er indoors is learning fiddle & this is one've the tunes in her tutor book.

Its a great melody, 'though when I first heard it, was reminded of some other tunes.

'Maries Wedding', 'Will yo no come back again', & snatches of 'Over the hills and far away'

Any real connection between these or just coincidence?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 07:40 AM

IIRC, it's a version of a Jacobite tune "The White Cockade" - so the Scottish accent is no accident!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mo Ghile Mear (from Sting/Chieftains)
From: GUEST,Larry
Date: 09 Nov 08 - 02:39 AM

Ghile mear(1) the wind and sun
The sweetness of our dream is done
To lose the west where ??(2)
To mo ghile mear(3) ??(4) the day we met(5)

Ghile Mear the wind and sun
the sleep is over dream is done
to-oo the west where fire sets
To the Ghile Mear the day begun

A few changes for the part where the multiple parts are confusing.

In regard to the new version of the Celtic Woman album, and whether it stands as a legitimate voice of the Irish people, I sense a sea change in the mood of the Irish people as they establish their own vision of their future that comes from their history, but is now growing again as oppression is overcome, and they want to give this new spirit a voice that declares that they are moving forward to all the world; A New Journey, indeed.
Now they need to take the English lyrics and bring them to life in Gaeilge. Then there can be no mistake that their bondage to the past is finished.

This song is an expression of many things by many people. It reflects their lives and passions in ways that go deeper than words. Check www.youtube.com for a variety of versions. I first heard the song played by the group Relativity, live in Pullman, Washington. I have been working on learning it phonetically. I am now discovering that trying to "learn" this song is like trying to catch the wind! : )

Thanks for all the bits of history and lore in this string.

Regards,
Larry
Sacramento, California