DASG Blog

Òrain Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu: Pàirt 2

We are returning with more Gaelic songs of Glasgow.
 
Òran do Ghlaschu – [Donnchadh Mac a’ Phearsain, from Morvern.]
Mac a’ Phearsain moved to "Glasgo" about 1871 but he moved overseas quickly afterwards to New Zealand. While he was in Glasgow though the town had a great effect on him, with the business and virr of the town, and her people, much more different to him than he was expecting, for good reasons and the bad, as you shall see below:
“’S mi seo an Glaschu nam Bùithean far eil fasain is ioghnaidh gu leòr;
Leis na chunnaic mo shùilean, tha mo chridhe air dùsgadh gu ceòl;
Sluagh mar sheangain gun àireamh, ruith gach rathad sna sràidean nan deann,
A-measg toit is droch fhàileadh, ’s pailteas fearainn dol fàs feadh nan gleann.
 
Ged tha Glaschu cliùiteach anns na fasain as ùire fon ghrèin
’S ioma trioblaid is neò-gloin tha luchd-misg toirt dhan deòin orra fhèin;
Chan eil bainne ri fhaotainn, an deoch as fheàrr air an t-saoghal gu lèir,
Ach beirm laidir a’ chaochain a’ cur mhnathan is dhaoin’ às an cèill...”
 
Òran Alasdair – [Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saoir, from Druim-Liaghairt, Glen Orchy.]
The famous bard Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saoir was not a stranger to the big cities either, he moved to Edinburgh where he was a policeman for the rest of his life. When he was visiting his friends in Glasgow he would visit his friend, Alasdair, who had a bar in “The Old Wynd”. The song will show that the Gaels were just as accustomed and involved in the life of the city as others in the town, as you can see in the song itself:
“Alasdair nan stòp
Ann an Sràid a’ Chùil,
Sin an duine còir
Air am bheil mo rùn.

’S coma leat an sile,
B’ annsa leat an stòp,
Chan e bu dòcha
Ach am bòtal mòr...

’N uair a thèid mi Glascho,
’S taitneach leam bhi ’g òl
Ann an tigh mo chàraid,
Alasdair nan stòp.”
 
Òran Margadh an t-Salainn – [Iain MacPhàidein, from Balevullin, Isle of Mull.]
You shall see in this song that the bard had opinions of others living in the town, although he and the Irish about whom he was discussing were as similar as two herrings! You shall see in the song that the bard saw when he took a trip to “Margadh an t-Salainn” (Salkmarket) in the middle of the song:
“O ’n cual’, an cual’, an cual’ sibh ’n caithream ud,
E ’n cual’, an cuala sibh, ’n sadadh ud,
On cual’, an cual’ sibh ’n tabaid,
Bha ’m Margadh an t-Salainn an-dè?
 
Nuair chruinnich iad còmhla san taigh-òsd’ aig M’Kennie,
’S ann ann a bha bhòilich mun dòigh bh’ aig an seanair,
Mar bhuaileadh e dhòrn is mar dh’òladh e searrag,
’S ann bha e san tabaid ro-threun....”
[It can be read in “Caran an t-Saoghail”, by Dòmhnall Meek, that “Johnny Stays Long at the Fair” is the tune that was put to the song.]

We shall return the next time with more songs, following onwards East to Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow Green and then to West to “Broomielaw”. If you have any Gaelic Songs that are connected to Glasgow let us know on facebook, twitter and our website.