This delightful song is sung by Joe Heaney (I'm using his English name so I won't have to type all the fadas). He is from Carn, as most of you surely know. I have a few questions concerning it. In the second verse is written,
"'S a Mháithrin.." I believe this is vocative, from the "a" and the ending in mother. But I'm not sure about the "'S". Is this the verb,"is"? Perhaps a shortening of "agus"?
Then, the line, "A Stórín ó, ná héiligh é". the "héiligh", he seems to pronounce as "héiló" and I was wondering if this was simply (hopefully)a regional pronunciation or perhaps just a stylistic device.

GMA in advance

'S a Mhaithrin = and o little Mother...

'S = agus = and

Poor Seosamh Ó hÉanaigh's pronunciation would have to be a delight to linquists and speech therapists in its obscurity and divergence from the norm. As far as I remember his "ens" often seem to liquify into "ells" and I often wondered had he a slight speech impediment. (I wonder will the Ayatullahs protecting the sacredness of the native Irish dialect speaker pronounce a fatwa on me for daring to suggest such a thing?) Seán 'ac Dhonncha comes from the same area and has clearer enunciation of words.

Both of those singers and probably dozens of others from the same area are/were amazing tradition carriers. They know/knew hundreds of ancient (and not so ancient) songs by heart having learnt them in the best way possible by listening to their elders whiling away the long dark nights of the pre-rural electrification winter before a big turf fire huddled together "céilí-ing" in the semi-darkness of a small whitewashed thatched cottage in under the gloomy shadow of Cnoc Mhordáin. Sadly (or thankfully?) such houses are no more and their descendants have a satelite dish on the tiled roof and watch CNN like the rest of us. Me? I watch TG4 especially Máirtín Team Sheáinín. My favourite sean-nós singer is Róisín el Safti.

As for "ná héilligh é" I can't represent the sounds on screen but the vowels are "ná hé -- í (or ig) -- é" Those two "ls" together require care

So the sound I think I'm hearing isn't like "héilligh-oh"? (sorry bout the fadas, can't figure it out on Mac... tried following the instructions, but didn't work. Perhaps it's "the craythur".

For what it's worth traditional or sean-nós singers did sometimes have their own little peculiarities of pronounciation with certain combinations of words that were 'slurred' or 'distorted' in the interests of keeping in tune or aiding memory. Don't forget they sang their repertoire of songs countless times in many different circumstances from the above-mentioned 'white washed cottage' to the final of the Corn Uí Riada competition at the Oireachtas before hundreds of rapt listeners in the hall and thousands listening in on RnaG.

Traditionally Irish poets and rhymers/lyricists tended to give more prominence to vowel sound rhymes rather than the English-style rhyming of end consonants. Perhaps the two languages lend themselves to these different approaches? If you listen to recordings of the late Nioclás Tóibín you will notice he does quite often 'distort' the word at the end of a line.

Of course by definition traditional or sean-nós singers were/are highly individualistic in their delivery and weren't trained in such things as diction.

Seanfhear

Seanfhear has put it better than I could and knows I hope that I regard the sean-nós tradition as the most priceless song legacy that we have. I have the utmost respect and admiration for the small number of people who keep it going as a living tradition. Who can hear Caisleán Uí Néill well-sung and not be enthralled by the vocal artistry involved.

Sadly, I heard on the radio that one of the younger recent winners of Corn Uí Riada has passed away. Suaimhneas sioraí dá anam.

Anyway, Heidski, to answer your question: you should sing "ná héilligh é".

Beannacht Dé le hanam gach mairbh - agus cé hé féin, a Thaidhgín? Níor chuala mé an scéal ach má deireann tú "younger" agus "recent"... ní féidir liom smaoineamh ach ar aon ógfhear amháin agus é ar mo chomhaois féin. Dia idir sinn is an anachain.

Ciaran O Concheanainn ata ann. Cluintear é ag ceol An Tréigean, mas buan mo chuimhne, ar an dluthdhiosca "Cumar". Amhranai don scoith é. Mor an truaigh gur cailleadh é. Go ndéanaidh Dia trocaire.

Is é atá caillte. Níl a dhath ar eolas agamsa thairis sin ach tá a fhios agam go bhfuil an pobal Gaelach uilig á chaoineadh.

Go raibh maith agaibh a Thaidhgín 's a Lughaidh. Deacair é a chreidiúint ar chuma eicínt. Go dtuga Dia na Flaithis dó.

Bhí mé sa slua mór nuair a ghnóthaigh sé an Corn i mbliana. "Eileanór a Rún" an t-amhrán a dúirt sé dúinn agus is é a chuir brí ann. Cheap mé nár chuala mé leagan ba dheise riamh air. Ach b'fhéidir go bhfuil tú claonta, a dúirt mé liom féin, mar gheall ar é bheith chomh hóg dathúil sin - ní ghabhfaidh sé sin i bhfeidhm ar na moltóirí ar ndóigh, agus tá an oíche lán fonnadóirí breátha romhainn go fóill. Fan go bhfeice muid, a dúirt mé.

"Barr an tSléibhe" a chas sé ina dhiaidh sin don ghlaoch ar ais, agus aoibhneas an tsaoil ag briseadh ina cheannaithe. Bhí a fhios agam ansin go raibh an lá aige.

Féidir libh é a chloisteáil anseo:
http://www.rte.ie/rnag/cornuiriada.html

ach a dhul chuig na hamannaí seo a leanas:
0h37m - "Eileanór a Rún"
2h42m - "Barr an tSléibhe" don ghlaoch ar ais
3h09m - "Ócam an Phríosúin" tar éis dó an Corn a ghnóthú

Is deacair a chreidiúint go deimhin, ach mo léan géar, is fíor an scéal é a chairde.
Gné eile de seo, an buille a thugann sé seo do mhuintir na Gaeltachta a theacht chun tosaigh i saol na hacadúlachta. Bhí an fear bocht ag cur slachta ar thráchtas dochtúireachta. Bheadh sé ag sníomh léann na hollscolaíochta agus an léann dúchais ina chéile go ceann blianta ina dhiaidh seo, go cinnte, ach faraor, gur baineadh uainn é róluath ar fad uile go léir le tairbhe na hoibre sin a fheiceáil.
Go ndéana Dia a mhaith air is go dtuga sé sólás dá mhuintir.