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21 Feb 11 - 06:38 AM (#3099621) Subject: Lyr Req: An Cúileann Súl Glas: Kathleen Collins From: Matthew Edwards In his book Recollections of a Donegal Man, Packie Manus Byrne recounts in the chapter 'Droving Days' his experiences of driving cattle and walking horses in Ireland during the early war years, roughly between 1939 and 1942 or 1943. In one episode he tells of meeting a traveller family, the Collins, in their camp outside Ballyshannon. They were a musical family; the father, Old Collins, was a melodeon player, the fifteen year-old daughter Kathleen was a beautiful singer according to Packie, while her younger brother Ned was a "great mouth-organ player". It was from Kathleen's singing that Packie got the extremely rare song Young Alvin, although the whole family, including the mother, joined in to teach him the words. Packie also recalled Kathleen singing another song:- "Kathleen sang another song, in Gaelic, it was called An Cúileann Súl Glas - the green-eyed girl. The air to that was one of the nicest things I ever heard. It was a beautiful evening towards the end of September and we were just sitting on the grass. She had a very high-pitched, plaintive voice, and listening to that was marvellous. The sound seemed to get into the trees and stayed there." Has anyone else got the lyrics or the air to this song which so moved Packie about seventy years ago? I can't find any trace of it even under a more conventional spelling such as An Cailín na Súile Glasa, but my Irish probably isn't good enough for me to recognise it if it was under my own nose! It sounds as if it would be well worth recovering this song. Matthew |
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21 Feb 11 - 05:51 PM (#3099970) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: An Cúileann Súl Glas: Kathleen Collins From: skarpi maybe you can find it here by asking ? http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/lyrics-translation/55967-gaeilge-gaelic-irish-to-english-or-spanish-please.html I keep looking :O) kv Skarpi |
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21 Feb 11 - 06:15 PM (#3099977) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: An Cúileann Súl Glas: Kathleen Collins From: GUEST,leeneia I checked in my books, Matthew, and didn't find it. Don't think we don't care. |
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21 Feb 11 - 06:29 PM (#3099989) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: An Cúileann Súl Glas: Kathleen Collins From: MartinRyan I don't recognise the title but will have a look... Regards |
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21 Feb 11 - 06:45 PM (#3100000) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: An Cúileann Súl Glas: Kathleen Collins From: Matthew Edwards Thanks for trying, Skarpi and leeneia. It is a bit of a long shot, but I was so impressed by Packie Byrne's description that I thought it worth searching out. I expect the air may well turn out to be a well known tune masquerading under an unfamiliar name, but Packie had quite a store of unusual songs and tunes, so this might be another rare gem. Matthew |
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21 Feb 11 - 08:22 PM (#3100036) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: An Cúileann Súl Glas: Kathleen Collins From: RunrigFan Not the right song I think http://www.irishpage.com/songs/carolan/1-cole.htm Is aoibhin, is sáimh í, síothamhuil gach lá í, Planda an tséin lér mian léithiceól, Maighre na súl glas, péarla an chúil chais, |
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22 Feb 11 - 02:51 AM (#3100166) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: An Cúileann Súl Glas: Kathleen Collins From: MartinRyan Quick scan of indices of my Irish language songbooks shows nothing promising... |
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22 Feb 11 - 04:04 AM (#3100188) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: An Cúileann Súl Glas: Kathleen Collins From: Matthew Edwards Thank you too Martin for your help. The Carolan tune Mrs Cole, or Madam Cole found by RunrigFan above is a particularly lovely tune, but I do really wonder if it was ever much of a compliment to compare a beautiful woman to "a senna plant who likes music"? Matthew |
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22 Feb 11 - 07:31 AM (#3100255) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: An Cúileann Súl Glas: Kathleen Collins From: MartinRyan A very moving tribute, surely! Regards |
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22 Feb 11 - 09:39 AM (#3100316) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: An Cúileann Súl Glas: Kathleen Collins From: MartinRyan More seriously on the senna podcast: I suspect the root word was "sian sléibhe" which is foxglove. Regards |