About 2 months ago, at the Dublin Airport I was browsing the CDs in the duty free music shop when my attention was drawn by a beautiful cover art sepia photo of the ocean rocky shore. At that moment, the title and the composer were unknown to me: Seán Ó Riada - Mise Éire.
It is an original Mise Éire film soundtrack played by Irish Radio Symphonic Orchestra (CEOLFHOIREANN SHIANSACH RADIO ÉIREANN). The film Mise Éire by George Morrison is a chronicle of Ireland between 1869 and 1918.
The booklet is full of historical photos of the leaders of Easter Rising - Michael Collins, Éamon de Valera and Pádraic Mac Piarais (Patrick Pearse) – a poet, the writer of the poem Mise Éire.
The poem Mise Éire is short but beautiful and sad as Irish history is. It is also nice exercise in translating from Gaeilge using my old dictionary.
I have found that poem in a two different dialect versions, and I don’t know which one is original and in which dialect it is.
Mise Éire (from CD album booklet)
Sine mé ioná an Chailleach Béarra.
Mór mo ghlóir:
Mé do rug Cú Chulainn cródha.
Mór mo náir:
Mo chlann féin do dhíol a máthair.
Mise Éire:
Uaignighe mé ioná an Chailleach Béarra.
Mise Éire (I have found in the net)
Mise Éire
Sine mé ná an Chailleach Béara
Mór mo ghlóir
Mé do rug Cúchulainn cróga
Mór mo náir’
Mo chlann féin do dhíol a máthair.
Mise Éire
Uaigní mé ná an Chailleach Béara
They’re both the same, in fact. The difference is mostly orthographic. The first one is the original though. It’s written in the Connamara dialect, which is the primary basis of the standard dialect.
Thanx! I have English translation of it, but I have tried to do it by myself.
whats the englush translation?
Both of these poems are correct.
An english translation of mise eire would be:
I am Ireland
Older than the stork of Beara
Great is my pride
I bore the brave Cuchulainn
Great is my shame
My own family sold their mother
I am Ireland
Lonleyer than the stork of Beara
Fantastic to see Polish people learning Irish.
Why have you tranlate Cailleach as stork though? The idea is of an ancient old woman, a hag, see for example, MacKillop’s dictionary of Celtic Mythology, she’s a sovereignty figure for the mythology or Ó Dónaill’s Dictionary.
Micheál
Micheal
I have been trying but it is very hard in Carlow.
Actually the only place in Ireland where I met people speaking Irish on the streets was Falls Road in Belfast. Apart of that I have met only 2 Irish couples speaking Irish to each other.
Go raibh maith agat agus Is mise le meas.
If you are interested in some music as Gaeilge google Kila and Gaelic Hits factory!
I HAVE LONG THOUGHT THAT MISE EIRE SHOULD BE OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM. THE WORDS OF Amhran na bhFiann WOULD APPEAR TO LEGITIMISE ONE OF OUR POLITICAL PARTIES, I AM SURPRISED THE OPPOSITION HAVE NOT OBJECTED TO THE WORDS.
LETS START A CAMAPAIGN FOR “MISE EIRE” I AM IRELAND