Aonach, an t-aonach, lár an aonaigh. Useful word, with some good songs!
One is kind of a kids' song, but everybody knows and likes it:
Beidh Aonach Amárach
Here's a traditional rendition by Joe Heaney. And here's a very different version by Altan. And this is the more common melody, by John Spillane.
As always, there are many versions of this. Here are the lyrics (although there are some variations of course, and this has verses that not everyone does). If you search on that website, you can find a dozen versions from different artists. A nice thing about this song is that there is a lot of repetition, so it gets things in your head.
A few notes: Gréasaí bróg is a cobbler of shoes. Cé mhaith dom é = cén mhaith dom é, what good is it to me.
Another song which mentions a fair is a great drunken song:
Cad é Sin don Té Sin nach mBaineann Sin dó?
Which means, what is that to someone it has nothing to do with - in other words, if I want to drink away all my money, and waste my life, what's it your business?!
Here are the lyrics. Another well known song, with lots of versions...
Here's Altan. And here's Maighréad agus Trína Ní Dhónaill. She mentions doing it many years ago with Skara Brae. There are many more!
Note: chun is a preposition that takes the genitive case afterwards, so "chun aonaigh" means to the fair.
First verse: Chuaigh mé 'un aonaigh is dhíol mé mo bhó (I went to the fair and sold my cow)
Ar chúig phunta airgid is ar ghiní bhuí óir (for five pounds of money/silver and a gold yellow guini)
Má ólaim an t-airgead 's má bhronnaim an t-ór (If I drink the money and give away the gold)
Ó cad é sin don té sin nach mbaineann sin dó? (what business is that to anyone else)
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