An tOileán Úr

The narrative and language of the song is very unusual for Irish traditional compositions, describing the travel of an Irish emigrant through the forests of the New World, referencing the Indigenous people and animals he encountered, and suggest that it was composed in the early 1800’s either somewhere in Eastern North America or by someone who had first-hand knowledge of the emigrant experience there.

 
 
 

Rinne mé smaointiú in mo intinn

Is lean mé dó go cinnte

Go n-éalóinn ó mo mhuintir

Anonn ‘un Oileáin Úir

D’iarr mise in mo impí

Ar an Ardrí bhí os mo chionnsa

Le mo shábháil as gach chontúirt

Go gcríochnóinn mo shiúl.

I made a decision in my mind

And I certainly followed it

That I would slip away from my people

Across to the New World

I asked in my plea

To the High-King above

To save me from every calamity

Until I would end my journey.

 

Shiúil mé fiche míle

‘S ní chasadh orm Críostaí,

Capall, bó, no caora

A dhéanfadh innilt ar an fhéar

Acht coillte dlútha is gleanntan

Is búirtheach beithígh alltan

Fir is mná gan snáithe orthu

A chasfá faoi do mhéar.

I walked twenty miles

And I didn’t come upon a soul,

A horse, cow or sheep

Grazing on the grass

But thick forests and glens

And bellowing wild beasts

Men and women wearing so little on them

As you could twist around your fingers.

 

Tharla isteach i dteach mé

Is casadh orm daoine

D’fhiosraigh siad cárb as mé

Nó an tír inár tógadh mé

Labhair mé leo i mBéarla

Gur tógadh mé in Éirinn

Ar láimh le Loch Éirne

I gcoill Lios na Raoch.

I happened into a house

And I met some people

They asked where I was born

Or in what land I was raised

I said to them in English

That I was raised in Ireland

Beside Lough Erne

In the woods of Lisreagh.

 

Bhí seanbhean insa chlúdaigh

Agus í ‘na suí go súgach

D’éirigh sí go lúfar

Agus chraith sí liomsa lámh

“Mo sheacht n-anam fear mo thíre

Dá bhfaca mé riamh de dhaoine

Gur tógadh mise in Éirinn

I mBaile Lios Béil’ Átha.”

An old woman was in the corner

Sitting cozily

She got up suddenly

And she shook my hand

“My seven souls, my countryman

Of all the people I could have seen!

I was raised in Ireland

In Lisbellaw.”

 

“Is iomaí lá breá pleisiúrtha

A chaith mé thall in Éirinn

Ar láimh le Loch Éirne

I gcoill Lios na Raoch

Ó Bhreatain go Binn Éadair

Chan fheicfeása a leithéid

Nó ó Chorcaigh ina dhiaidh sin

Go Lios Béil’ Átha.”

“Many fine days in pleasure

I spent over in Ireland

Beside Lough Erne

In the woods of Lisreagh

From Wales to Howth

You wouldn’t see its like

Or from Cork after that

To Lisbellaw.”

 

Nuair a chonaic mé na daoine

is ansin a rinne mé smaointiú

Gur mhéanar dá mbéinn in Éirinn

Is mé sínte faoi chlár

Nó sin an áit a bhfaighfainn

Aos óg bheadh lách aoibhinn

Chaithfeadh liomsa oíche

Agus páirt mhór den lá.

When I saw these people

It’s then I made up my mind

That it would be better to be in Ireland

And me stretched beneath the tombstone

That is where I would find

Delightful and beautiful young folk

Who would spend with me the night

And a good part of the day.

 

Adapted from: Doyle, Danny. 2015. Míle Míle i gCéin: The Irish Language in Canada. Borealis Press: Ottawa.

For citation, please use: “An tOileán Úr.” Ó Dubhghaill, Dónall. 2024. Na Gaeil san Áit Ró-Fhuar. Gaeltacht an Oileáin Úir: www.gaeilge.ca.

Audio recording courtesy of: “Rinne mé smaoineadh in m'intinn - Anna Feely” Tionscadal Gréasáin Cheirníní Doegen © Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann, licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0.

 
Dónall Ó Dubhghaill

Rugadh agus tógadh Dónall in Ontáirio, Ceanada. Ardaíodh go Taoiseach na Gaeltachta é i 2019. Tá sé a’ tógaint a bheirt chailíní suas i gCeanada tríd an nGaelainn.

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