Origins: Anach Cuain / Anach Cuan

22 Aug 99 - 09:12 PM (#107571)
Subject: anach cuain
From: johntm

Liam Clancy sings "Anach Cuain" in a collection of his songs called the "Irish Troubadour". Is it from the poem by Raferty? If so, does anyone know the Irish? The database has a song call Anac Cuain by Raferty. I assume it is the same.

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22 Aug 99 - 10:48 PM (#107596)
Subject: RE: anach cuain
From: Phil Taylor

I've heard it sung in Irish (by Joe Heaney I think). I have only the English words though.

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22 Aug 99 - 11:53 PM (#107608)
Subject: Lyr Add: ANACH CUAN
From: Big Mick

Oops, sorry, meant that to look like this.

Here ya go, buachailli/.

ANACH CUAN

Má fhaighimse sláinte is fad-a bheas trácht ar
an mhéid a báthadh as Anach Cuan.
Mo thrua amárach gach athair is máthair
Bean is páiste atá ag sileadh súl.
A Ri na ngrástaa, a cheap neamh is Párthas,
nár bheag an tábhacht dúinn beirt ná triúr?
Ach lá chomh breá leis gan gaoth gan báisteach
is lán an bháid acu a scuabadh ar shiúil.

Már mhór an t-ionadh os comhair na ndaoine
a bhfiescint sínte ar chúl a gcinn?
Screadach is caoineadh a scanródh daoine,
gruaig á cíoradh is an chreach á roinn.
Bhí buachaillí óga ann, tíocht an fhómhair,
á síneadh ar chróchar is á dtabhairt go cill.
Is gurbh é gléas a bpósta a bhí á dtórramh
is, a Dhia na glóire, nár mhór an feall?

Loscadh sléibhe agus scalladh cléibhe
ar an áit ar éagadar is milleán crua,
mar is iomaí créatúr a d'fhág sé ag géarghol,
ag sileadh is ag éagaoin gach maidin Luain.
Ní díobháil eolais a chuir dá treoir iad
ach mí-adh mór a bhi sa gCaisleán Nua.
Is é críochnú an amhráin gur báthadh mórán
is d'fhág ábhar dóláis ag Anach Cuan.

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23 Aug 99 - 08:16 PM (#107828)
Subject: RE: anach cuain
From: johntm

Big Mick Go raibh maith agat John T. M

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30 Sep 99 - 08:33 AM (#119287)
Subject: Tune Add: EANACH DHÚIN / ANACH CUAN
From: alison

Tune from Philippa.

title Eanach Dhu/in.

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Click to play

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ABC format:

X:1
T:Eanach Dhu/in
M:3/4
Q:1/4=80
K:C
D4DE|F2EDE/2E/2D|c2dd/2e/2dc|A2GEDD|C4DE|
F2EDED|c2dedc|A2GE/2E/2DD|D3AAd|d2edAB|c2dedc|
A2GEDD|C3CDE|F2EDED|c2dedc|A2GEDD|D6||

slainte

alison

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30 Sep 99 - 05:01 PM (#119490)
Subject: RE: anach cuain
From: Antaine

Eanach Dhúin

A quote from the Connaught Journal Thursday 4th September 1828:

"It is with unaffected sorrow we have to record a most distressing circumstance which took place this day, by which it is supposed that at least 19 unhappy fellow creatures perished. An old row boat in a rotten and leaky condition, started from Annaghdown, early in the morning, a distance from Galway, up Lough Corrib, of about eight miles, having it is calculated, about 31 persons on board, who were coming to the fair in Galway; the boat and passengers proceeded without obstruction, until they arrived opposite Bushypark, within two miles of Galway, when she suddenly went down, and all on board perished, except twelve persons, who were fortunately rescued from their perilous situation by another boat."

Go dtuga Dia solas na bhFlaitheas dóibh.

See 10 eight-line verses on P.134 of Ciarán Ó Coigligh's great book on the songs of Antaine Ó Reachtabhraigh entitled "Raiftearaí Amhráin agus Dánta".

Pubished by: An Clóchomhar Teo., Dublin, 1987.

This is an excellent book which includes 51 songs by Raiftearaí.

Essential reference work on this great poet, so many of whose songs are sung to this day.

Copious notes and research included. The book is written in Irish.

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01 Oct 99 - 03:29 PM (#119845)
Subject: RE: anach cuain
From: johntm

I have read an interesting comment by Fintan O'Toole on the song and how it was used in "The Lord of Dance". O'Toole was outraged by what he called the "unprecedented philistinism" in the music used in Lord of the Dance. The worst involved the use of this song, which he calls a great, almost sacred work of art dealing with a community's grief over this mass drowning. Michael Flatleys' show reduced the song to gibberish. O'Toole's comments are in an collection of articles in The Ex-Isle of Erin". This article deals with the politics of Riverdance.

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06 Jan 01 - 11:13 PM (#370153)
Subject: RE: anach cuain
From: Alice

I was reminded of this by the Love Is Teasin' thread.

Anach Cuain Information from Irtrad List - sent by Larence Mallette

Alice

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07 Jan 01 - 12:18 AM (#370194)
Subject: RE: anach cuain
From: Malcolm Douglas

Ah!  I'm glad that you revived this thread, Alice; I foolishly volunteered to make a midi of Anach Cuain to fill a gap in the DT, and then got completely bogged down, being quite unable to decide which of about eight versions of the melody (and of the spelling, come to that!) was the most appropriate.  Somehow, we seem to have missed the one given here, which should do the job admirably.  The tune is also used for some versions of "The Streets of Derry" (The Maid Freed From the Gallows), incidentally.

Malcolm

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07 Jan 01 - 09:30 AM (#370301)
Subject: RE: anach cuain
From: Alice

Malcolm, you may have noticed I used the tune for Love Is Teasin' (I posted a link to the mp3). Jean Ritchie supplied me with the information that Sarah Makem sang the tune to a song she called "Derry Gaol", about a man being hanged.

My love he was as fine a man
As e'er nature formed or the sun shone on,
And how to gain him I do not know,
He has got his sentence for to be hung.

Alice

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07 Jan 01 - 12:12 PM (#370344)
Subject: RE: anach cuain
From: Malcolm Douglas

Yes indeed; Sarah Makem's text, as later recorded by Peter Bellamy, is in this thread:  Derry Gaol.  It's also sometimes called "The Weary Gallows".  While I'm at it, there's a list of links to texts and information relating to the whole song-group in this thread:  The Maid Freed From the Gallows

I've been hearing people sing "Love is Teasing" to that tune for years, but it was only when you mentioned it that I realised that it was "Anach Cuain".

Malcolm

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24 Feb 01 - 08:38 PM (#405606)
Subject: Lyrics in Irish for 'Anach Cuain'
From: GUEST,[e-mail]

Does anyone have the above words in Irish?

Thanks in advance :-)

Graeme

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24 Feb 01 - 08:55 PM (#405611)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics in Irish for 'Anach Cuain'
From: Sorcha

Click here, , then you may have to scroll down. Posted by Big Mick.

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24 Feb 01 - 08:56 PM (#405612)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics in Irish for 'Anach Cuain'
From: Áine

Dear Graeme,

I've got it on my website here. I hope this helps.

-- Áine

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01 Mar 01 - 05:48 PM (#409061)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics in Irish for 'Anach Cuain'
From: GUEST,[e-mail]

Thanks, everyone :-)

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29 Oct 13 - 10:37 PM (#3571289)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anach Cuain / Anach Cuan
From: GUEST,Diarmuid

The song is Eanach Dhúin (although in the recently-published Leabhar Mór na nAmhrán [Cló Iar-Chonnacht] it is called Eanach Cuain) after the place name where the disaster took place. As a child I heard more verses of it than have appeared on this thread, including this one:
Ansiúd Dé hAoine,
'sea chluinfeá an caoineadh
Ag teacht ó ghach taobh díot
is an greadadh bos;
is a lán thar oíche,
trom tuirseach cloíte,
Gan ceo le déanamh acu
ach ag síneadh coirp.
A Dhia is a Chríosta,
d'fhulaing íobairt
a cheannaigh go fíreannach
an bocht is an nocht,
Go Párthas naofa,
go dtugair saor leat
gach créatúr díobh
dar thuit faoin lot.

I remembered only the the first four lines of that verse but the rest I got from the above-mentioned book, which also give three other vereses.

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20 Oct 14 - 01:58 PM (#3670825)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anach Cuain / Anach Cuan
From: MartinRyan

You can now hear a fine recording of Tim Lyons singing the English language version at The Góilín Song Project.

Click here

Regards

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01 Dec 14 - 09:32 AM (#3681428)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anach Cuain / Anach Cuan
From: MartinRyan

refresh

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01 Dec 14 - 06:22 PM (#3681582)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anach Cuain / Anach Cuan
From: Thompson

Page about the tragedy and translation and notes.

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01 Dec 14 - 06:24 PM (#3681583)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Anach Cuain / Anach Cuan
From: Thompson

Incidentally, at that stage, there were few roads in Galway, and the Corrib was used much as a roadway is now.

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