Origins: Mairi's Wedding

Subject: Marie's wedding
From: Pete
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 02:27 PM

I'm looking for the words to 'Marie's Wedding'. I know the first verse 'Step the gaily on we go, heel for heel and toe for toe.....'

Subject: RE: Mairi's wedding
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 02:34 PM

That one's in the database, Pete, but it's a bit tough to find because of the spelling of the name. It's Mairi's Wedding (click here)
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Marries wedding
From:
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 05:22 PM

The spelling is the way it is because it actually is a GAELIC song which was translated into English. For the full story of the song, check at Màiri Bhàn Mairi's Wedding - The Story

Subject: RE: Mairi's wedding
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 05:30 PM

Let's see if I can copy that over to here and make it a bit more legible. I hate trying to read white words on a black background....

Màiri Bhàn
Fonn:Mairi's Wedding

Séist 'S i mo ghaol-sa Màiri Bhàn
      Màiri bhòidheach sgeul mo dhain
      Gaol mo chridh'-sa Màiri Bhàn
      'S tha mi 'dol 'ga pòsadh
 
1   Thuit mi ann an gaol an raoir
    Bha mo chridhe shuas air beinn
    Màiri Bhàn ri m' thaobh a' seinn
    Tha mi 'dol 'ga pòsadh
 
2   'S ann aig céilidh aig a' Mhòd
    Thachair mise ris an òigh'
    'S ise choisinn am Bonn Oir
    'S tha mi dol 'ga pòsadh
 
3   Bi mo ghaol do Mhàiri Bhàn
    Dìleas, dùrachail gu bràth
    Seinnidh sinn d'a chéil' ar gràdh
    'S tha mi dol 'ga pòsadh
 
Craig Cockburn ("coburn"), Dùn Éideann, Alba. (Edinburgh, Scotland)
http://www.scot.demon.co.uk/ mailto:[e-mail]
Sgrìobh thugam 'sa Ghàidhlig ma 'se do thoil e.

Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 11:09:24 EDT From: ASPClinns Subject: Mairi's Wedding

At Friday evening's session, a friend gave me a photocopy of a newspaper article that she said she had been meaning to give to me for several years. (Like my filing system, it probably worked its way to the top again.)

Anywho, the clipping is identified only as "Daily Record", no city/country and is undated. I would very much like to know the publication date.

The article is entitled,"Exclusive: Step we gaily on we go, this IS Mairi's wedding Now it's all for Mairi's birthday!"

The article was written by Stephen Houston who told about the song being written for Mary McNiven by her friend Johnny Bannerman in Gaelic and first played to her at the Old Highlanders Institute in Glasgow for the Mod of 1935.

The song was written for her, but not for her wedding -- she married Skye-born sea captain John Campbell 6 years later.

The article was published the day before her 90th birthday.

Anybody know the date, city of publication or anything else?

From the Glasgow Daily Record, date unknown:

Exclusive: Step we gaily on we go, this IS Mairi's wedding Now it's All for Mairi's birthday! She'll still be singing at 90

by Stephen Houston

Millions of Scots have sung Mairi's Wedding. And now, thanks to the Record, they can meet the bride herself.

For one of our best-loved tunes was written for Mary McNiven.

And the OAP is still stepping gaily, even though she'll be NINETY tomorrow.

Scots schoolkids have been learning the song for generations, and it's a firm favourite all over the world.

At her cottage on Islay yesterday, Mary said: "I can't believe it became so popular. But when it was first played to me I found it very catchy -- and I still do."

The song was originally written Gaelic -- that's why she was "Mairi" instead of "Mary" -- for the Mod of 1935.

Her pal Johnny Bannerman composed it and it was first played to her at the Old Highlanders Institute in Glasgow's Elmbank Street

Medal

"I still have a clear recollection of that day," said Mary. "Johnny just said the song was for me."

It was translated into English a year later, by Sir Hugh Roberton.

Although Mary herself was real, the wedding wasn't. For she didn't get hitched to Skye-born sea captain John Campbell until six years later. John died 17 years ago.

Mum of two, Mary, who won a Mod gold medal for singing in 1934, will enjoy a family birthday party in Glasgow this weekend. And it won't be complete without the famous song.

Her daughter Christine, a teacher from Hyndland, Glasgow, said: "Mum still sometimes sings it in Gaelic and people are always asking her to. I suspect she'll sing it to celebrate her birthday."

(The article is accompanied by a photograph of Mary by William Thornton and a copy of her wedding picture.)

Subject: RE: Marries wedding
From: Bert
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 06:23 PM

Wow, Joe. That's magic.

Bert.

Subject: RE: Marries wedding
From: rich r
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 09:33 PM

Hey, I just spent 1 1/2 hours getting my computer running again, messing around in set ups an registries and other things I don't understand. Now I log on and it seems black is white and white is black and I have no idea what I did.

rich r

Subject: RE: Marries wedding
From:
Date: 22 Feb 99 - 10:14 PM

Well, I find white letters on black a LOT more legible than black on white on the monitor. It's way too bright.

Subject: Help: Marle's Wedding
From: elm
Date: 16 Nov 99 - 01:58 PM

I was watching a movie last week- "Passed Away?". During the wake for the deceased character an old man (over 50) playing a banjo sang an Irish tune called "Marle's Wedding" (I think). Does anyone know if this is a traditional song? If so, where can I get the words, chords and possibly a recording of the entire song. Part of the words were: "...heal to heal and toe to toe. Round and round and round we go....

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Marle's Wedding
From: Frank Howe
Date: 16 Nov 99 - 02:02 PM

song is Maire's (Mary's) Wedding I'm sure it's in the data base

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Marle's Wedding
From: MMario
Date: 16 Nov 99 - 02:06 PM

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=5962&messages=22

or previous thread

Subject: Lyr Add: MAIRI'S WEDDING
From: Liz Lewis
Date: 16 Nov 99 - 02:11 PM

The song is Mairi's Wedding, also known as the Lewis Bridal Song. John Loesberg writes in his "Traditional Folksongs and Ballads of Scotland," vol. 3, that it was "a traditional tune taken down by Dr. Peter MacLeod (1797-1859) who published four volumes of Scottish songs." Evidently it was issued with new words by Hugh Roberton (1874-1952).

Here are the words I learned:

(chorus) Step we gaily, on we go
Heel for heel and toe for toe
Arm in arm and row on row
All for Mairi's wedding

(verse 1)
Over hill ways up and down
Myrtle green and bracken brown
Past the shielings, through the town
All for sake of Mairi.

(chorus)

(verse 2)
Red her cheeks as rowans are,
Bright her eye as any star,
Fairest of them all by far
Is our darling Mairi.

Chorus

(verse 3)
Plenty herring, plenty meal,
Plenty peat to fill her creel
Plenty bonny bairns as weel;
That's the toast for Mairi.

Chorus

+++++ My father used to sing this; I don't know when he learned it. He had an old record called "Scottish Sing-Alongs" that included the song, and he'd always tell me that I would have the song at my wedding. He died a few years ago, but if and when I get married, I will definitely hire a piper to come play it--and I want all the guests to sing along.

I'd bet you could find a recording of the song without too much trouble. Good luck -

Liz

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Marle's Wedding
From: Magpie
Date: 16 Nov 99 - 04:15 PM

The Chieftains have recorded it along with Van ;Morrison on "Irish Heatrbeat". Lovely version. (If you're interested).

Magpie

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Marle's Wedding
From: Magpie
Date: 16 Nov 99 - 04:17 PM

Oops! Proofreading - what's that?

Irish Heartbeat of course.

Magpie

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Marle's Wedding
From: Reiver 2
Date: 16 Nov 99 - 06:03 PM

Your words are right on, Liz, according to the version The Reivers used to sing, with one slight exception: We sang "Plenty fish to fill her creel". Since a creel was/is a wicker basket used by anglers to carry fish, I think that makes more sense than wishing for her to fill it with peat. I believe we learned our version from a record of The Corries, but I'm not sure as I think we also had versions done by the Clancys, The Irish Rovers, and some others as well.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Marle's Wedding
From: elm
Date: 17 Nov 99 - 11:35 AM

Thanks for the help everyone!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Marle's Wedding
From: Jeremiah McCaw
Date: 17 Nov 99 - 11:02 PM

And the chords are yer basic 3 chord. In 'C' fer instance:

C
Step we gaily, on we go
F G7 Heel for heel and toe for toe
C
Arm in arm and row on row
F G7
All for Mairi's wedding

(If the spacing doesn't work properly, the 'G7' is on the words "toe" - 1st one - and "wedding".

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Marle's Wedding
From:
Date: 17 Nov 99 - 11:49 PM

Actually, Those words were a "translation" of a Gaelic song written in 1935. The story is available here

Màiri's Wedding

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Marle's Wedding
From: Murray on Saltspring
Date: 18 Nov 99 - 12:36 AM

Sir Hugh Roberton's words give "peat"--since "herring" are mentioned before, "plenty fish" would be redundant. And while a creel may be used for fish, it's certainly used for all sorts of other things, including peat for the fire. The implication is, may she always have enough fuel for her croft.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Marle's Wedding
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 18 Nov 99 - 07:42 AM

From the Glasgow Daily Record, date unknown:

Exclusive: Step we gaily on we go, this IS Mairi's wedding Now it's All for Mairi's birthday! She'll still be singing at 90

by Stephen Houston

Millions of Scots have sung Mairi's Wedding. And now, thanks to the Record, they can meet the bride herself.

For one of our best-loved tunes was written for Mary McNiven.

And the OAP is still stepping gaily, even though she'll be NINETY tomorrow.

Scots schoolkids have been learning the song for generations, and it's a firm favourite all over the world.

At her cottage on Islay yesterday, Mary said: "I can't believe it became so popular. But when it was first played to me I found it very catchy -- and I still do."

The song was originally written Gaelic -- that's why she was "Mairi" instead of "Mary" -- for the Mod of 1935.

Her pal Johnny Bannerman composed it and it was first played to her at the Old Highlanders Institute in Glasgow's Elmbank Street

Medal

"I still have a clear recollection of that day," said Mary. "Johnny just said the song was for me."

It was translated into English a year later, by Sir Hugh Robertson.

Although Mary herself was real, the wedding wasn't. For she didn't get hitched to Skye-born sea captain John Campbell until six years later. John died 17 years ago.

Mum of two, Mary, who won a Mod gold medal for singing in 1934, will enjoy a family birthday party in Glasgow this weekend. And it won't be complete without the famous song.

Her daughter Christine, a teacher from Hyndland, Glasgow, said: "Mum still sometimes sings it in Gaelic and people are always asking her to. I suspect she'll sing it to celebrate her birthday."

(The article is accompanied by a photograph of Mary by William Thornton and a copy of her wedding picture.)

(Respectfully submitted by Bat Goddess who has a photocopy of the article.)

Subject: RE: Marries wedding
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jun 00 - 01:58 AM

we have a wedding coming up in August and are despartely searching for the sheet music to Mary's wedding. If anyone has it or knows where we could get it, please let us know. thanks.

Subject: RE: Marries wedding
From:
Date: 24 Jun 00 - 04:29 AM

Hi, Anonymous

If you get the MidiNotate program, you can print Sheet Music from the MIDI files found here

Màiri's Wedding

The program, Midi Notate is found hereMidi Notate

Subject: RE: Mairi's wedding
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Jun 00 - 04:48 AM

There's a site called "Yet Another Digital Tradition" that's listed on our "links" page. It has the tunes from our database, converted into various formats. Click Here for "Mairi's Wedding."
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Marries wedding
From: GUEST,bear
Date: 29 Aug 02 - 10:43 PM

tried all the sugestions in this site to get words and chords to "maries,or mairies" wedding, none of them worked, any more suggestions.As i dont speak gaelic the words posted sre not much use thanks anyway

Subject: RE: Marries wedding
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 30 Aug 02 - 12:12 AM

Try a search for [heel for heel]---the brackets show that it's a phrase in the song and not three unrelated words.

Subject: RE: Marries wedding
From: GUEST,David W.
Date: 30 Aug 02 - 12:31 AM

Try the Van Morrison/Cheiftans CD.

Subject: Lyr Add: MAIRI'S WEDDING / LEWIS BRIDAL SONG
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 30 Aug 02 - 12:50 AM

MAIRI'S WEDDING
The Lewis Bridal Song

Chorus: Step we gaily, on we go,
Heel for heel and toe for toe
Arm in arm and row on row,
All for Mairi's wedding.

Over hillways up and down,
Myrtle green and bracken brown,
Past the sheilings, through the town,
All for sake of Mairi.

Chorus:

Plenty herring, plenty meal,
Plenty peat to fill her creel,
Plenty bonnie bairns as weel,
That's the toast for Mairi.

Chorus:

Red her cheeks as rowans are,
Bright her eye as any star,
Fairest of them all by far,
Is our darlin' Mairi.

Chorus:

Subject: Lyr Add: MÀIRI BHÀN
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Jun 03 - 11:43 AM

Looks like no one has ever posted the Gaelic lyrics at Mudcat. Here they are, copied from http://www.geocities.com/george_seto.geo/mairbhan.html
(The words are Greek to me, however.)

MÀIRI BHÀN
Fonn: Mairi's Wedding

Séist 'S i mo ghaol-sa Màiri Bhàn
Màiri bhòidheach sgeul mo bhain
Gaol mo chridh'-sa Màiri Bhàn
'S tha mi 'dol 'ga pòsadh

1 Thuit mi ann an gaol an raoir
Bha mo chridhe shuas air beinn
Màiri Bhàn ri m' thaobh a' seinn
Tha mi 'dol 'ga pòsadh

2 Cuailean òir is suilean tlàth,
Mala chaol is gruaidh an àigh,
Beul as binne sheinneas dàn,
'S tha mi dol 'ga pòsadh

3 'S ann aig céilidh aig a' Mhòd
Fhuair mi eòla air an òigh'
'S ise choisinn am Bonn Òir
'S tha mi dol 'ga pòsadh

4 Bi mo ghaol do Mhàiri Bhàn
Dìleas, dùrachach gu bràth
Seinnidh sinn d'a chéil' ar gràdh
'S tha mi dol 'ga pòsadh

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Mairi's Wedding
From: GUEST,David Nichols
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 08:37 AM

I was playing my bagpipes at my Mother's house on the 4th of July. I started playing Mairi's Wedding and my mother who is from Norwich, England started to sing the words to the tune. She told me a story of how her mother, (Caroline Moore) from Glasgow, Scotland used to sing that tune when my mother was growing up. The words my Mother sang are the same as you have listed. This would have been in the 1930's!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Mairi's Wedding
From: GUEST,Sean O'Neill
Date: 10 Feb 07 - 06:10 PM

Just a little added info. As far as the reference to the movie Passed Away. I believe that they sang some additional lyrics that according to the Internet Movie Database were written by Jim Corr of the Corr's. Although I own the movie, I haven't looked at it in awhile and I don't remember those lyric variations off the top of my head.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Mairi's Wedding
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Feb 07 - 03:36 PM

This was played at our wedding as Lewis Bridal Song. It is a common pipe tune.

The chords presented above work fine, but I like to use the "Mr. Bojangles" bass run in the first and third lines:

C       Cma7   Am    C/G
Step we gaily, on we go
F                G7
Heel for heel and toe for toe
C      Cma7    Am    C/G
Arm in arm and row on row
F               G7
All for Mairi's wedding

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Help: Mairi's Wedding
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 11 Feb 07 - 03:39 PM

C -   x32010
Cma7- x22010
Am - x02210
C/G - 3x2010

Subject: RE: Origins: Mairi's Wedding
From: Dave Rado
Date: 22 Feb 12 - 05:59 PM

Does anyone know why it was named "Lewis Bridal Song"? I don't think either Johnny Bannerman or Mary McNiven came from Lewis.

Subject: RE: Origins: Mairi's Wedding
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 23 Feb 12 - 04:19 AM

Youlbury Scout Camp (near Oxford) had a Camp Warden named John Gailey. It was something of an in-joke that we referred to him as 'Stepwe'. It was totally over the heads of most people, even when Mairi's Wedding was included in our campfire.

Subject: RE: Origins: Mairi's Wedding
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 23 Feb 12 - 05:40 AM

"Roberton (no "s").... gives the tune source as "noted from Dr Peter A. MacLeod and arranged by" himself."

Whether Dr MacLeod was a Liosach, or that was the existing name of the tune I don't know.

Subject: RE: Origins: Mairi's Wedding
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 23 Feb 12 - 01:11 PM

I was the poster of the article (someone gave me an undated photocopy at our Friday session) from the Glasgow Daily Record. I posted it to Scots-L and it's been reposted at StandingStones.com (linked to there from Wikipedia) and at other sites (without asking me, but I certainly don't own it.)

But I was, at the time, ASPClinns.

(Interesting...I just googled myself for the first time in a few years and was amazed at what I found.)

Linn

Subject: RE: Origins: Mairi's Wedding
From: GUEST,Imac
Date: 14 Sep 12 - 09:21 AM

Mary C MacNiven was my aunt so I kind of grew up with the story. Just posted some info with references on Wikipedia. The article in the Herald newspaper is a useful one. I'm still trying to find out who Dr Peter A. MacLeod was.

Subject: RE: Origins: Mairi's Wedding
From: Peter the Squeezer
Date: 14 Sep 12 - 09:59 AM

When I was wee, my Mum would sing this.
I always thought it was about "Uncle Charlie's Wedding".

Mondegreens, anyone?

Subject: RE: Origins: Mairi's Wedding
From: Peter C
Date: 14 Sep 12 - 12:11 PM

John Gailey, one time warden at Youlbury Scout Camp (see posting above from Nigel Parsons) was a member of Stafford Morris Men, who used to go to Youlbury from time to time, and do their famous morris dance in wellies, wearing black bin liners.

Subject: RE: Origins: Mairi's Wedding
From: Felipa
Date: 23 Jan 23 - 09:11 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mairi%27s_Wedding accessed 24 Jan 2023
"Mairi's Wedding" (also known as Marie's Wedding, the Lewis Bridal Song, or Scottish Gaelic: Màiri Bhàn "Blond Mary") is a Scottish folk song originally written in Gaelic by John Roderick Bannerman (1865–1938) for Mary C. MacNiven (1905–1997) on the occasion of her winning the gold medal at the National Mòd in 1934. ....

Winning the Mòd gold medal was (and is) regarded as the highest singing award in Scottish Gaeldom, and "Mairi's Wedding" was composed to recognise this achievement. A track of Mary C. MacNiven singing her winning song at the 1934 Mòd is still available[3] and the Mod has founded a memorial salver competition to honour her name.[4] Her wedding did not in fact take place until some six years later when she married Captain John Campbell of Glendale, Skye. She continued to sing at Gaelic concerts and céilidhs for most of her life, and died aged 91 at her native Portnahaven, Islay in 1997.[5] ...

Roberton wrote the English words for "Mairi's Wedding", which, as can be seen by the lyrics below in both languages, bore little resemblance to Bannerman's original and make no reference to the original inspiration for the song, the winning of a Mòd gold medal. He published this in 1936, giving the song the alternative title of "The Lewis Bridal Song". Roberton presented an original signed copy of his score to Mary C. MacNiven and it became one of her most prized possessions.[9] When the song was published in Roberton's "Songs of the Isles" by J Curwen & Sons Ltd (1951), the Gaelic words did not appear. J.R. Bannerman was acknowledged as the composer of the original lyrics and tune.[10]

footnotes
3 "Gaelic Golds (Mod Medallists) – Vol IV" Scottish Music Centre. 1991. Retrieved 7 January 2019.

4 "An Comunn Gàidhealach - Royal National Mod : Royal National Mod - Competition Results". www.acgmod.org. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
5 Smith, Hugh. The Herald. 3 April 1997. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/mary-c-macniven-1.405082.

9 Smith, Hugh The Herald. 3 April 1997. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/mary-c-macniven-1.405082.

10 "Lewis Bridal Song (Bannerman, John R.) - IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music". imslp.org. Retrieved 8 September 2018.

------------
it looks like some threads have been combined, so verses of Bannerman's Màiri Bhàn are given twice in the current Mudcat discussion thread. The translation by Anne Lorne Gillies given in Wikipedia is:

Love of my heart, fair-haired Mary,
pretty Mary, theme of my song:
she's my darling, fair-haired Mary
and oh! I'm going to marry her.

Last night I fell in love
and now my heart is soaring high; (lit. "up on a mountain")
fair-haired Mary singing by my side
and oh! I'm going to marry her!

Golden hair and kindly eyes,
shapely brow and smiling cheeks,
sweetest voice that ever sang
and oh! I'm going to marry her.

It was at a cèilidh at the Mòd
that I got to know the girl:
she was the winner of the gold medal
and oh! I'm going to marry her.

My love for Fair-haired Mary will be
eternally faithful and heartfelt;
we'll sing together of our love
and oh! I'm going to marry her.

Subject: RE: Origins: Mairi's Wedding
From: Mrrzy
Date: 28 Jan 23 - 01:24 PM

This was our recessional.