DASG Blog

Duain agus Laoidhean na Fèinne (Pàirt 3)

Welcome back! We are continuing with more lays of the fingalians this week. Here is another list of them:

1. “Bàs Dhiarmaid, “Duan Dhiarmaid,” “Laoidh Dhiarmaid,” no “Èistibh Beag mas Àill Leibh Laoidh.”
2. “Bàs Oscair,” “Cath Gabhra” no “Cumha Oscair.”
3. Finn as Oshen

 
1. After Diarmad had taken Fionn’s wife, Gráinne, from him, without intending to, the day came that the poisonous boar fatally wounded Diarmad but Fionn would not heal him, therefore Diarmad passed on:
 
“Éisdibh beag, m’ as àill leibh laoidh,
Air a’ chuideachd chaomh so dh’fhalbh uainn;
Air Grainne ’s air Fionn fial,
’S air mac o Duibhne nan sgeul truagh.
 
An gleann sin sìth, ’s an gleann r’ a thaobh,
Far am bu bhinn guth féidh is loin,
Is far am minic ’n robh an Fhiann,
O ’n ear ’ o ’n iar an déidh an con.”
 
[“Attend a little, if you would have
A song on the kind company who departed from us;
Respecting Grainne, and the generous Fionn,
And the son of Duibhne, of woeful tales.
 
In the vale ‘Shi,’ and the vale beside it,
Is the voice of deer and elk,
And where the Fenians have
Often been from the east and the west after their hounds.”]
[I found these verses in the book “Bàrdachd na Fèinne,” by “Sìol Cultural Enterprises.”]
You can find more about this story in “Litir do Luchd-Ionnsachaidh” number 413, 414 and 415. The site of Diarmad’s death is much contested as well, you can read about the places in 574.
 
2. After Fionn had left the Fingalians Oscar, Fionn’s grandson, took up the duties of the chief of the Fingalians. He had to war against Cairbhi where Cairbhi and Oscar were killed:
“Chan abair mi mo thriath rim cheol
Ge b’ oil le Oisean e nochd
Oscar is an Cairbhi calma
Thuiteam ann an Cath Gabhra...
 
Lìon fuath na laoich làn
Ri èisteachd na h-iomarbhaidh,
Briathran borba, leth mar leth,
Eadar Cairbhi ’s Oscar...”
 
[I will not call my music my chief (effort),
Tho’ Ossian were fain, he could to-night,
Since Oscar and the stalwart Cairbhi
Have fallen in the fight at Gavra.
 
Word came down to us,
To hardy Oscar of the Feinne
To go to a feast with his Fians,
And he would get tribute according.]
[I recieved these verses from Ruairidh MacGill-Eathain from a course I attended years ago.] You can find more about this story in anns an “litir do luchd-ionnsachaidh,” number 987.”
 
3.  The song “Fin as Oshen” in Man is very interesting, looking at a time that Fionn and his son, Ossian, were hunting together:
“Cha Finn as Oshen mach dy helg,
Fal, lal, lo, as fal, lal, la.
Le shesaght trean as moddee elg,
Cha row un dooiney sloo ny keead,
Coshee cha bieau che row ny lheid;
Lesh feedyn Coo eisht hie ad magh,
Trooid Slieau as Coan dy yannoo Cragh.”
[“Fin and Oshin went out to hunt,
Fal, lal, lo, as fal, lal, la.
With a noble train of men and dogs,
Not less in number than one hundred men
So swift of foot and keen, none were their like;
With scores of Bandogs fierce they sallied forth,
O’er Hill and Dale, much Havock for to make...”
[You can find the lay here in “Manx Ballads and Music,” by A. W. Moore on page 2 of the book itself]
 
After reading “Leabhar na Fèinne,” and “West Highland Tales,” by J.F.Campbell, it is incredibly clear that there will not be an identical version of a lay at all, that they are a little by little bit different in terms of the vocabulary and their contents, therefore I encourage you to check out the lays because of the amount of story-telling and folklore to be found. On top of the books above you can find: “Duanaire Finn,” by Eòin MacNèill; “ManxMusic”; “Gaelic Lays” by Simon Chadwick; “Fíanaigecht in Manx Tradition” and “Manx Traditional Songs, Rhymes and Chants in the Repertoire of the Last Native Manx Speakers” by George Broderick.
 
I know that I haven’t mentioned every lay here but let us know about folklore and stories that you have about the Fingalians, in Ireland, Alba or Man! Do you have any folklore, or more, about the lays above? Let us know on facebook, twitter and our own website!