Lyr Add: Gillean Alasdair

Subject: Gillean Alasdair
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 22 May 02 - 01:34 PM

ORAN GILLEAN ALASDAIR MHOIR
Sarah MacDonald MacArthur

Moch 's a' mhaduinn Di-Luain,
Air an turus gun buaidh,
Dh'fhalbh na h-àilleagain bhuam air bhòidse.

Dòmhnull donn nan sùl blàth,
Agus Ruairi chùil bhàin,
Iad sin agus Alasdair Óg.

Righ, bu bhòidheach bhur sgrìob,
An àm togail bho thìr,
Air an turus nach d'fthill na seòid.

Shìl 'us shèid i le stoirm,
Dh'fhàs an oidhche cho doirbh.
Bha mo chall-sa air lorg ro là.

Dòmhnull Donn nan rosg mall,
Righ na cruinne - mo chall,
Thù bhi 'd laighe gun fonn, gun deò.

Tha sibh uile air chall
, Chan eil aon agaibh ann,
An àm togail nan crann 's na seòl.

Och! Och! Mo sgeul cruaidh,
'S ann a tha sibh 's a' chuan,
A Righ, nan tonn uaine is gorm.

Gu'm bu bhòidheach bhur sgrìob, 'Nuair a dh'fhalbh i bho thìr, Air an turus nach d'thill na seòid.

From Mary Jane Lamond's album "Bho Thìr nan Craobh", R& R Enterprises, Cape Breton, Canada. (I think the Rankin Family may also have recorded this song. Can someone confirm or otherwise?). The following translation and notes are from Mary Jane Lamond's album notes. This CD, and her later ones I believe, comes with printed lyrics for all the songs. Some sound samples and many of the lyrics are also available on-line. ( http://www.ibiblio.org/gaelic/Comhlan/mairisine.html and http://www.maryjanelamond.com/audio/audio.html) Although "Màiri Sìne" is a Gaelic learner, not a native speaker, I have only come across Gaelic language songs on her recordings, mostly songs as collected in Cape Breton rather than Scotland.

SONG TO THE SONS OF BIG ALASDAIR

Early on Monday morning
On the luckless journey,
The precious ones sailed on a voyage.

Brown-haired Donald of the warm eyes,
And Roderick of the blond hair,
They and young Alasdair.

O God, how beautiful their rowing stroke,
At the time of sailing
On the voyage from which the heroes did not return.

It was pouring and windy in the storm;
The night grew so wild,
My loss was known before morning.

Brown-haired Donald of the calm eyes,
O King of the World, my loss,
Lying with no life or breath.

You are all lost,
Not one of you remains
To raise the masts and the sails.

Och! Och! My difficult story,
It is that you are in the sea;
O God, [the sea] of green and blue waves.

Your rowing stroke was so beautiful
As you sailed from the land,
On the voyage from which the heroes did not return.

"This song was written by Sarah (MacDonald) MacArthur of Broad Cove, in memory of her two brothers, Donald & Alasdair, who were drowned in 1848 along with a companion Roderick MacKinnon, while fishing off Cape Mabou in Cape Breton. The Alasdair Mòr of the title, was their father, a MacDonald of Kinlochmoidart, who emigrated to Prince Edward Island around 1800 & came shortly afterwards to the west side of Cape Breton. The song is sung in Cape Breton to the tune of Laoidh Cholumcille, the St. Columba Hymn, believed to be a very old Gaelic tune."

In another thread Hymn: King of LoveAnimaterra gives a link to the hymn saying it is to the tune of St.Columba; the cyberhymnal site calls this an "ancient Irish melody".