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The Daltaí Boards » Archive: 2005- » 2006 (May-June) » Archive through May 21, 2006 » Bi Thusa Mo Shúile « Previous Next »

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Aindréas
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Username: Aindréas

Post Number: 77
Registered: 09-2005


Posted on Friday, May 05, 2006 - 01:22 am:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

I have this song performed by Máire Brennan (she's a native speaker from Donegal isn't she?), but was wondering if there are any other versions of this song sung in Irish. I really love it.

Coimhéad fearg fhear na foighde.

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Lughaidh
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Username: Lughaidh

Post Number: 1302
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Sunday, May 07, 2006 - 09:23 pm:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

Strange title; if it means "be my eyes", it is wrong! But maybe its a shortened form for "bí thusa i mo shúile" (be in my eyes). Máire Brennan (or Ní Bhraonáin) is said to be a native speaker from Gweedore, NW Donegal; her mother is a native speaker (not her father). I dunno how fluent she is. I dunno if there are other versions of that song, maybe it isn't traditional and has been composed by her.

Tír Chonaill abú!

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Lucy (Unregistered Guest)
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Posted on Monday, May 08, 2006 - 08:09 am:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

It is a hymn known in English as "Be Thou My Vision". It is a traditonal Irish tune and the words are sometimes attributed to St. Patrick although I'm sure this is just folklore.

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John (Unregistered Guest)
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Posted on Monday, May 08, 2006 - 08:36 am:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

No actually that is how she sings it...

I heard her perform this number a few years back...the words were changed to fit the music.

We had a priest from Derry who used to sing the same words in school, he told us that sometimes the churches thought it better to the language to fit the music because once a hymn was added to the church...it was against the church to change the music.

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Aonghus
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Username: Aonghus

Post Number: 3104
Registered: 08-2004


Posted on Monday, May 08, 2006 - 08:52 am:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

http://www.leoslyrics.com/listlyrics.php;jsessionid=A2E42557E166765994D22779B98EA538?hid=pO9TovaJBIg%3D

Slight artistic license I think.

(Message edited by aonghus on May 08, 2006)

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Aonghus
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Username: Aonghus

Post Number: 3105
Registered: 08-2004


Posted on Monday, May 08, 2006 - 08:55 am:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

Breis eolais:
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/t/btmvison.htm

The original is Old Irish - I wonder was Máire version translated back from english.

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Aonghus
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Username: Aonghus

Post Number: 3106
Registered: 08-2004


Posted on Monday, May 08, 2006 - 09:00 am:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post


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Lucy (Unregistered Guest)
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Posted on Monday, May 08, 2006 - 06:34 pm:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

John - I don't think that's quite right. I know several hymns that have the same words set to different melodies. Or maybe I misunderstood you.

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Dennis
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Username: Dennis

Post Number: 1328
Registered: 02-2005


Posted on Monday, May 08, 2006 - 07:27 pm:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

quote:

Bunleagan?

http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G400018/

Sea. Sa tSean-Ghaeilge: Rop tú mo baile

Focal ar fhocal i nGaeilge an lae inniu: Gura tú mo bhuile.

Is ionann "buile" agus "madness, frenzy" (Buile Shuibhne, An Poc ar Buile), ar ndóigh. Ach bhíodh brí eile leis an bhfocal seo chomh maith anallód, mar atá "hallucination, mystic vision, aisling, fís".

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Aonghus
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Username: Aonghus

Post Number: 3110
Registered: 08-2004


Posted on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 06:44 am:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

Bullaí fir.

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Esther
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Username: Esther

Post Number: 6
Registered: 01-2006
Posted on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 03:20 pm:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

It was actually Máire's grandfather that put the Irish words to the hymn. Irish was definately his first language and as with all good translations he might just have captured the sense of the hymn instead of making a literal translation.

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Anne (Unregistered Guest)
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Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 10:46 pm:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

A brief clip of Máire being interviewed in Irish is available here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/irish/srl/music/music2.shtml

Does she sound native?

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Aindréas
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Username: Aindréas

Post Number: 80
Registered: 09-2005


Posted on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 01:37 am:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

Hey that was really cool. No idea if she sounds native, but she seemed to speak incredibly naturally. It's super neat to see Irish being used so ordinarily where you would normally see English, like for an album interview.

Coimhéad fearg fhear na foighde.

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Riona
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Username: Riona

Post Number: 182
Registered: 01-2006
Posted on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 04:02 am:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

I assume she's native because I think she's Enya's (Eithne's) sister and they say Enya is native so go figure on that one.

Beir bua agus beannacht

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Esther
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Username: Esther

Post Number: 7
Registered: 01-2006
Posted on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 02:09 pm:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

Oh yes Máire is a native speaker. Surely all of them grew up in the Gaeltacht. In her autobiography she tells a lot about it.

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Anne (Unregistered Guest)
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Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 10:24 pm:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

I had interpreted "Be my eyes" as a poetic way of saying to God "help me to see/discern." Maybe one of the experienced Irish-speakers here could say if this makes sense?

Of course this is a change from the original Old Irish and Old English versions--they both seem to be expressing something along the lines of wanting to see God in a vision or dream.

An amazon.com search shows that the Irish language version of this hymn has only been recorded by Máire Brennan (unless I'm somehow not searching correctly )...if anyone else has recorded it, it may be hard to find. Of course the English version "Be Thou My Vision" has been recorded by many religious singers.

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Esther
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Username: Esther

Post Number: 8
Registered: 01-2006
Posted on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 03:28 am:   Small TextLarge TextEdit Post Print Post

Iona has recorded it as well Anne. I can't remember what album it is on though.



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