Seo an scéal: The Dawning of the Day - Wikipedia
Agus seo na Casadaigh á chanadh: (1) 'Fáinne Geal an Lae' - Na Casaidigh - YouTube
I thought of this song because of the Quiet Man. Why? The cottage name, White o' Morn. Makes no sense in English. But if you think it back into the Irish from which it seems to have been badly translated, you get Geal(adh) an Lae, the bright(ening) of the Day, Sunrise. Fáinne geal an lae is the bright ring of the day, or the dawning (sunrise) of the day.
This song is quite old, and yet it remains very poplular.
Cúileann comes from cúl fionn, blond back, in other words, a woman with long blond hair. There's another famous song by that name. We've been playing this tune for years, but didn't know the lyrics. Here's a traditional rendition - sung by Brendan Behan! (1) An Chuileann (Sean Nós) The Coolin in Irish (Acapella) - YouTube. This song is probably a lot older than the other one - maybe even back to the middle ages! In English about it: The Coolin - Wikipedia. It is still very popular, too.
Here are the lyrics: An Chuilfhionn by Áine Minogue (aineminogue.com) And here are the older lyrics (2 versions), including the line "Ceo meala lá seaca" which Micheál Mac Liammóir used for a book title.
Seo leagan eile de le Lasairíona Ní Chonaola.
