Rosc Catha na Mumhan

This is another very old song, a Jacobite song.  The title means Battle Cry of Munster.  

The Wolfe Tones - my favorite version:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lJFY3FqGvk 

This song was probably written in 1750, well after the time of James, but during the 7 years' war, when they still had hope of the return of the Wild Geese.  It was written by Piaras Mac Gearailt (seo a uaigh).

This book has some background about him and a very poetic translation of the song.  The link below with the lyrics also has a lot of information.

There's some tough vocabulary and, being old, unusual versions of words.  This is one of the songs I learned very early on, but never really spent time to study until now.  And BTW, they used this tune for Come All Ye Black and Tans!  Poetry uses peculiar word order for rhyme and rhythm, too, of course.  It was considered cool to use mytholigical references, too, so there are a few names from Ireland, and even a Greek goddess in this song.

Munster Irish (and older Irish) uses synthetic endings.  Broad vowel + S is 1st person past tense, so the first word is D'athníos = d'aithin mé - I recognized.  Gan bhréag, without a lie, truthfully... Táid = tá siad.  Also, past tense verbs are preceded by 'do' - which usually lenites, giving us the standard lenited past tense forms.  Not in the autonomous, though:  do milleadh le dlíthe is do crádh le claon - where ruined by laws and were tormented with prejudice/unfairness.

Here's an attempt at a literal translation of the chorus.

Measaim gur subhach don Mhumhain an fhuaim    
I think it is joyous for Munster the sound
'S dá maireann go dubhach de chrú na mbua            
and to those who live gloomily under the heel                                                                                         of   (because of?)   the victories (destinies/fates?) 
Torann na dtonn le sleasaibh na long                   
The sound of the waves along the sides of the                                                                                         ships (slios, sleasa - side/s - dative plural here)
Ag tarraingt go teann 'n-ár gceann ar cuairt            
Drawing mightily towards us on a visit

(There are variations of the last line - le faobhar - intensly, sharply; gan mhoill - without delay)

inár gceann - engaging us, towards us, fighting with us?

Notice the nice d/s opposite pair, subhach (cheerful) vs. dubhach (gloomy).

Here are the lyrics with a pretty good translation (although it takes some liberties) to English and French:  Rosc Catha na Mumhan (free.fr)   This has 5 verses - I used to only know 4.  Bíonn dhá leagan de gach scéal, agus dhá leagan déag de gach amhrán...

Some more lyric points (to clarify some things they don't translate very closely to the original):

ní taise don ré - no less for the moon

sceoil = scéal

bruinneall - fair maiden.  an bhruinneal is áilne snó - the maiden with the most beautiful complexion

Ná bainim chum reatha - nach mbainim chun reatha, that I don't take (reap) for a run

barcaibh - dative plural ending.  Barks, a type of ship.

le báire an tséin - with the fortuitous contest (lucky battle)

táid mílte agus tuilleadh den dtáin seo fós 
thousands and more of this expedition are still
dá sníomh le buile gur tháinig an leon           
at their straining with wildness until (so that?) the lion                                                                                 came.

Cruinníodh gach duine d'fhuil Mhíle thréin    
Every person of strong Milesian (Irish) blood will                                                                                     gather
go ritheann 'na chuisle den bhfíor-fhuil braon, 
that runs in their pulse a drop of the true blood...(see                                                                                     above)

Amhrán Dóchais

This is a Song of Hope, a poem by Osborn Bergin, written in 1913.  Here are the Irish lyrics:  Songs in Irish (indigo.ie).  (Dán a scríobh Osborn Bergin i 1913, le fonn ‘Mór Chluana’ a bhailigh Patrick Weston Joyce in 1873)

This is a very nice choir + piano version by the Aer Lingus Singers from 1973 (100 years after the tune was gathered, 60 years after the poem was written!): Amhrán Dochais - YouTube 

Here is a very beautiful version (some Ulster singing, even though the lyrics are hard-core Munster Irish) from 2020:  Amhrán Dóchais | Tonn-Fuaime | Oíche Chultúir le Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh & cairde | Culture Night - YouTube

Even the Clancey Brothers did this song!  Amhran Dochais - YouTube.  This also shows the tune in notation.

And here is my own rendition:  https://soundcloud.com/jamusn/amhran-dochais

Here is my translation:

Song of Hope

Goodbye forever to sorrow and trouble, 

Goodbye without delay to sorrowful crying;
I sing lays (poems) of hope
In the sweet tongue of Ireland
And let us stand lively
Before the world.
Oh I sing lays of hope
In the sweet tongue of Ireland
And let us stand lively
Before the world.

I will not be slow unmoving any more,
Tormented, wilted, weak and cold.
Strength and energy of youth
Pulling us through the fight
And we'll remove this fog
From the offspring of the strong.
Strength and energy of youth
Pulling us through the fight
And we'll remove this fog
From the offspring of the strong.

Children of the Gaels thriving without defeat! 

They'll be free and will win.
We will follow the lantern
That our ancestors lit before us
And we're not worried that their
Race will wither after we're gone.
We will follow the lantern
That our ancestors lit before us
And we're not worried that their
Race will wither after we're gone.