Tha Seathan An-diugh na Mharbhan
Unknown Person
Track Information
Original Track ID
CW0098A.413
Original Tape ID
Summary
This is a waulking song. It tells of Seathan, son of the King of Ireland. The composer tells how she was in Islay and Ireland with him, and attended Mass with him in the Yellow Wood. It would be better to be with Seathan behind a ruin than to be upstairs with a prince. She goes on to tell how Seathan is now dead, having been trapped and killed by his enemies.
Item Notes
51 lines sung. The lines are repeated. Recorded by the Barra Folklore Committee.
See:
'Hebridean Folksongs' vol. II, no. XLVI
Other versions:
'Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness' XIII, pp. 204-208
'Òrain Luaidh Màiri Nighean Alasdair' (K. C. Craig) pp. 118-120
'105 Songs of Occupation from the Western Isles of Scotland' (Frances Tolmie) no. 51, pp. 207-210
'Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society' I, p. 90
'Carmina Gadelica' V, pp. 67-81 (a very long version – 192 lines)
'An Introduction to Gaelic Poetry' pp. 75-81
Manuscript sources:
'Fr Allan MS' fol. 95; folklore notebook V, item 194; notebook VI, item 29
'Canon MacLean MS' I, 7
Recording Location
County - Inverness-shire
Parish - Barra
Island - Barra
Village/Place - Castlebay
Language
Gaelic
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Wire
Audio Quality
Good