Lyr Add: Gardai an Ri - the King's guards

Subject: DTAdd: Gardai an Ri - the King's guards
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 12 May 03 - 07:11 AM

Sources: Liam Hart's webpages; Mícheál Ó hÉidhin, Cas Amhrán Cló Iar-Chonnachta, 1990 (first edition, Cló Chois Fharraige, 1975); Seán Ó Baoighill, Cnúsacht de Cheoltaí Uladh; Derek Bell & Liam #211 Conchubhair, Traditional Songs Sung in the North of Ireland, Dublin: Wolfhound, 1999

The words in brackets are more standard variations of the word preceding. Ó Baoighill [Ó Baoill] spells (and would pronounce) 'crua' as 'cruaidh', 'grua' as 'gruaidh'.

Liam Ó Conchubhair first heard the song from Hiúdaí Pheadaí about 50 years ago. Seán Ó Baoighill learned Gardaí an Rí from the same singer.

Many lines in this song are found in other Irish Gaelic songs.

The translation is by Liam Ó Conchubhair, who writes "This piquant, mysterious little song baffles explanation ....Conall Ó Dónaill, splendid singer too and consummate orator ... ventures that the 'Guardsmen' were some local roustabouts, used in a facetious manner to point up the song. It does not ring true. Maybe a better explication is round some near corner."

lyrics can also be found at http://www.eirefirst.com/songmusic.html & http://www.angelfire.com/ri/domhan/clarg01.html
at eirefirst, "Gardaí" is incorrectly spelled "Gárdai" and "Gárdaí"; at angelfire "cloíe" in the last verse should read "claoite". The (unacknowledged)source of most songs at the angelfire site is the 2 volumes of Ó Baoill, "Ceolta Gael" published by Mercier Press of Cork. In this case it is vol. 1, edited by Seán Óg Ó Baoill & Mánus Ó Baoill, published 1975.(still available, I believe; the 5th edition was published 1988. Tunes are given for all songs, but no background information)

Despite the number of publications of this song, the only recording I know of is Albert Fry, "Maidín Luan Cincíse".

GARDAÍ AN RÍ
Rachaidh mise suas le Gardaí 'n Rí
Agus bhéarfa' mis' anuas ar láimh liom í
Nach mise ' chuirfeadh cluain ar a báin-chnios [bán-chneas] mín,
Agus bhéarfaidh mé go Tuaifín grá mo chroí

curfá / chorus
Tógaigí suas ar ghrua-mhín an iomair' í
Lasadh ina grua agus bua gach duine léi
'Ghiolla 'tá gan ghruaim a chuirfeadh cluain ar an iomadaigh
Nach é mo scéal truaighe mar ' luaidheadh [luaíodh] mise leat

Níl mise tinn agus níl mé slán
Is ró-mhór m'osna is ní fhéadaim a rá
Nuair a smaointím ar an uair úd a bhí mé 's tú, a ghrá
Guail' ar ghualainn agus lámh ar láimh

Galar claoite ' choíche 'n grá
'S mairg ar a mbíonn sé oíche ná lá
Gidh [cé] gur crua 'n rud a' tsnaidhm 's nach scaoiltear í go brách
O 's, a chomrádaí dílis, go dté tú slán

translation
I'm going up to the King's Guardsmen;
and I'll bring her back with me hand in hand.
I'm the boy to vanquish her lovely little waist;
And I'll take her down to Thomaond, my loved queen.

chorus
Raise her up high on the edge of the ridge.
Her healthy, lovely cheeks and all in her thrall.
My guileless maiden fair, who'd lead lots of men astray.
What a hapless day for me to have your name linked with mine.

I'm not sick and I'm not well;
But my sighing is heavy and I don't know why.
When I think of yon time when you and I, my dear,
Went shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand.

Love is a fever that can't be cured;
Woe to him who bears it night and day.
for its knot binds tight and it never can be loosed;
And my own dear comrade, may you fare well.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Gardai an Ri - the King's guards
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 12 May 03 - 07:23 AM

Ciarán Ó Duibhín writes that there is some information on this song in an article teideal "Cé'r bhfearr mo thámh mé?" by Seán Ó Baoighill in the journal An tUltach 19:9 (1942).
Seán was speaking to singer Hiúdaí Phadaí Hiúdaí Ó Duibheannaigh of Rann na Feirste about the scarcity of songs suitable for children. Hiúdaí said that his mother had a number of simple little verses and that he would set them to music and make a song from them. That song became "A stór a stór a ghrádh".
Ó Baoighill was unhappy that the song spread without Hiúdaí Phadaí Hiúdaí getting due credit. so he wanted to highlight another song from Hiúdaí's repetoire.

Hiúdaí Phadaí Hiúdaí Ó Duibheannaigh fitted the verses of Gardaí an Ríogh to an old dance tune, but one verse didn't fit so Hiúdaí and Seán made that verse into a chorus, using a tune that Hiúdaí had made up himself.

The article includes lyrics and sol-fa notation, and a footnote from a "P. Ó H." (possibly Pádraig Ó hUallacháin) saying that an older singer, Neillí Mhóir, had this song without the chorus and she called it "Péarla an Chúil Bháin". Perhaps Hiúdaí had learned the words from one source and the tune from another and didn't realise, or forgot, that the lyrics went to this tune before he started singing it. He does deserve credit for the chorus. P. Ó H reported that Néilí had a further quatrain:

Is truagh gan mise agus mo mhíle grádh
I ngleanntán sléibhe nó go n-éireochadh an lá,
Fearthainn agus gaoth ar ghach taoibh de mo ghrádh,
A's go dtaraidh lá breagh gréine ort a phéarla an chúil bháin.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Gardai an Ri - the King's guards
From: MMario
Date: 15 May 03 - 09:35 AM

Have recieved two version of the sheet music of this from Philippa - as far as I can tell they are the same tune - but noted in different keys and two different styles. Will do midi's/abc's of both.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Gardai an Ri - the King's guards
From: MMario
Date: 15 May 03 - 10:43 AM

X:1
T:Gardai an Riogh
N:Seán Ó Baoighill, 'Cnúsacht de Cheoltaí Uladh' (1944)
I:abc2nwc
M:2/4
L:1/16
K:D
A3 A A3 A|A3 G (F3 G)|A4D4|D4E3 F|
w:Rach-aidh mi-se su-as le_ Gar-daí~'n Rí Ag-us
G3 G G3 G|G3 F (E3 F)|A4D4|D4(A3 G)|
w:bhéar-fa' mis' an-u-as ar_ láimh liom í Nach_
F3 E F3 E|D4D3 D|d4A4|G4A3 G|
w:mi-se 'chuir-feadh cluain ar a bán-chneas mín, Ag-us
F3 F E3 D|(E3 F2) G3 E|A4D4|D8|
w:bhéar-faidh mé go Tuaif_-ín í grá mo chroí
F4F3 F|(E2 E2) (F3 G)|A4G3 E|E3 D D4|
w:Tóg-aig-í suas_ ar_ ghrua-mhín an iom-air' í
F3 F F3 F|(E2 E2) F3 G|(A2 A2) (G3 E)|E3 D D4|
w:Las-adh i-na grua_ ag-us bua_ gach_ duin-e léi
F3 E F3 G|A3 B c3 d|e4d3 d|e3 d d3 B|
w:'Ghioll-a 'tá gan ghruaim a chuir-feadh cluain ar an iom-a-daigh Nach
A4B F3|F4E3 E|A4G3 E|E3 D D4
w:é mo scéal truaigh-e mar' lu-aidh-eadh mi-se leat

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Gardai an Ri - the King's guards
From: MMario
Date: 15 May 03 - 10:55 AM

X:1
T:Gardai an Ri - 75
N:Mícheál Ó hÉidhin, Cas Amhrán Cló Iar-Chonnachta
I:abc2nwc
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Eb
B B B B B A (G A)|B2E2E2F G|
w:Rach-aidh mi-se su-as le_ Gar-daí~'n Rí Ag-us
A A (A A) A G (F G)|B2E2(E E) (B A)|G F G F E2E E|
w:bhéar-fa' mis'_ an-uas ar_ láimh liom í_Nach_ mi-se 'chuir-feadh cluain ar a
(d d) (B G) A2B A|G G F E (F G) (A G)|B2E2E4|
w:bán_-chneas_ mín, Ag-us bhéar-faidh mé go Tuaif_-ín_ grá mo chroí
G2G G F2(G A)|B2A F F E E2|G G G G F2G A|
w:Tóg-aig-í suas ar_ ghrua-mhín an iom-air' í Las-adh i-na grua ag-us
B2(A F) F E E2|G F G A B c d e|
w:bua gach_ duin-e léi 'Ghioll-a 'tá gan ghruaim a chuir-feadh
f2e d f e e c|B2c G G2F G|B2A F F E E2
w:cluain ar an iom-ad-aigh Nach é mo scéal truaigh-e mar' lu-aidh-eadh mi-se leat
|

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Gardai an Ri - the King's guards
From: MMario
Date: 18 May 03 - 06:29 PM

midis posted

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Gardai an Ri - the King's guards
From: Felipa
Date: 25 May 03 - 06:49 PM

another recording of Gardaí an Rí is Aodh (Hiúdaí) Ó Duibheannaigh on Folktrax

Subject: General
From: GUEST,Neil Comer
Date: 10 Feb 05 - 06:36 PM

Its a long time since I have contributed to this site. Marriage, birth and nappy changing have been the main cause. Anyway, I digress. If anyone wants Irish Language songs that were printed in An tUltach, as the Editor, I still hold the archive. There is a huge amount of original material here. Home number (02829557721) e-mail: [e-mail]