Cothrom an lae seo, 40 bliain ó shin, a fuair Séamus Mac Aonghusa bás. Ceoltóir, bailitheoir agus craoltóir a bhí ann, agus d’fhág sé oidhreacht shaibhir ina dhiaidh.

Chaith Séamus Mac Aonghusa seal ag obair le Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann, ag taisteal timpeall na tíre ag bailiú ceoil, amhrán agus béaloidis. Tá ar bhailigh sé fós le fáil i gCnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann in An Coláiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath.

Chun comóradh a dhéanamh ar an lá, seo blaiseadh beag den saghas oibre a rinne sé. Leagan den amhrán ‘Coinleach Glas an Fhómhair’, a bhailigh sé ó Shíle Ní Ghallchóir (Síle Mhicí) i nGaoth Dobhair, Co. Dhún na nGall, Márta 1943.

Today marks the 40^th anniversary of the death of Séamus Ennis. He was a musician, collector and broadcaster who has left a rich legacy.

Ennis spent some time working with the Irish Folklore Commission, travelling the country collecting music, songs and stories. The material that he collected is part of the National Folklore Collection in UCD.

To mark the anniversary, ITMA presents a flavour of the type of work that he undertook. This is a version of the song ‘Coinleach Glas an Fhómair’ that he collected from Síle Ní Ghallchóir (Síle Mhicí) in Gaoth Dobhair, Co. Donegal, 1943.

Coinleach Glas an Fhómhair

Aitheantóir: Cnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann
CBÉ/NFC 1282:245-246
National Folklore Collection Identifier

Scríobh Ennis ar nodaireacht an cheoil ‘(go sínte, binn)’ agus sa Laidin ‘Con anima’ [go croíúil]. Mhínigh sé an dá réiltín : ‘sleamhnú ó C go F ins gach cás’.

Ag deireadh nodaireacht an cheoil don amhrán seo scríobh sé [deire leis na sé chínn ar bhreacas a gceolta ó Chití Ní Ghallchobhair (21).]

Ennis wrote in Irish with the music transcription of this song (‘slowly, sweetly)’ and in Latin ‘Con anima’ [in a lively fashion]. He explained the two asterisks as sliding from ‘C’ to ‘F’ in each case.

Under the music notation for this song he wrote that this was the final song of the six songs he transcribed from the singing of Cití Ní Ghallchobhair (21).

Ceól as Gaoith Dóbhair (Márta 1944)

(Dóbhar Láir)

Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann
Conntae: Tír Chonaill Barúntacht:
Paróiste: Gaoith Dóbhair
Ainm an Sgríobhnóra: Séamus Mac Aonghusa, Fionnglas Co. Bhaile Átha Cliath
Do sgríobhas síos :na h-amhráin so Mí Mhárta 1943
Ó bhéal-aithris Shíghle (Mhicí) Ní Ghallchobhair
Aos: 82. Gairm-bheatha: Bean tighe
atá in a chomhnuí i mbaile fearainn: Dóbhar Láir, Tír Chonaill
agus a saoluíodh agus a tógadh i: Machaire Ghlaisce, Gaoith Dóbhair
Do chuala (sí) na h-amhráin seo 60-80 blian ó shin ó n-a h-athair (Aos an uair sin….) a bhí in a chomhnuí an uair sin i Machaire Ghlaisce.

Ní amhránaidhe fíor n-a cuid nótaí anois í – níl a ceól cruínn anois.

Ennis entered information in relation to Síle Mhicí on the standard label issued by the Irish Folklore Commission, Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann. He gives information regarding Síle’s address, occupation, age and date of collecting this and other songs. He also noted that due to her age her singing was no longer exact.

Fear a bhí ar Chonnlaigh Ghlais an Fhóghmhair, agus chonnaic sé an ghiorrsach seo

Ennis wrote from Síle that the song is about a man who was on the green stubble fields of autumn and he saw this girl.

Ar Chonnlaigh Ghlais an Fhóghmhair mo stóirín tráth dhearc uaim
Ba dheas do chosa ‘mbróga is ba ró-dheas do leagan súl
Do ghruaidhe ‘s deise ná rósa ‘s do chuirlín ‘bhí tana dlúth
‘Sé mo nua gan muid ár bpósú ar bórd luinge ‘triall ‘un siúil.

Tá buachaillí na h-áite ag athra’ ‘gus ag írí teann
Is tá lucht na gcocaí árda ‘déanú fáruis le mo chailín donn
Gluaisí (muid thar sáile) Rí na Spáinne* Féil’ Pádruic nó fá Shamhain úr
‘S go gcruachfainn** féar agus fásach agus bheinn ar láimh le mo chailín donn.

Gura slán do’n bhliain anuraidh, ní raibh tuirs’ orainn ‘na dhéidh ná cumhaidh
Níor órduigh Rí ná duine fidil a bh’againn ná cláirseach ciúin
Bhí cuachaín as Béal Muilinn ann, agus cuach bheag eil’ as Conndae’n Dúin
‘Sí ‘n ainnir a thug buaidh uilig orthú a’ bhean dú’ bhain dú mo chiall

* Dubhairt Sighle an dá rud
** (?) “cruaithinn” a dubhairt sí.

Buíochas le Cnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann agus Ríonach uí Ógáin.

With thanks to the National Folklore Collection and Ríonach uí Ógáin.

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In collaboration with the current custodian of the manuscripts, Hugh Maguire, ITMA have digitised all ten books and they are now available on the ITMA website.

Stephen Grier Manuscripts

These manuscripts have been digitised to a high resolution and presented in a IIIF viewer, allowing you to view each page in incredible detail.

The tunes have been indexed to allow you to navigate to the tune of your choice

Each of the 1,153 tunes has been transcribed using music notation software and made available on the ITMA website as an interactive score.  These scores are a learning resource that allow you to hear the music, loop through a section and slow down or speed up the music without changing the key.

With each score there is also an option to download the music as a PDF.  It is also possible to download each book in PDF format.

For many years this collection has served as a valuable source of tunes for musicians in the area.  It features many tunes that are local to the area and also an eclectic mix of Irish traditional music and music that was heard in Ireland at the time from other parts.  The recently launched Furls of Music: The Michael McNamara Sound Collection features tunes from the Grier collection.

For more information you can read Jackie Small’s description of the manuscript.  This was delivered at the initial launch of nine of the Stephen Grier Manuscripts at the Willie Clancy Summer School 2019.   

Written & presented by:

Treasa Harkin & Maeve Gebruers

With thanks to:

Hugh Maguire, Séamus McGuire, Fr. John Quinn, Conor Ward, and Jackie Small for their support in bringing this project to fruition. 

The flute is one of the best-known of Irish traditional instruments. Historically the playing of the flute was associated with north Connaught but it now holds broad appeal across the island of Ireland and abroad. Irish traditional players tend to favour the ‘simple system’ wooden flute rather than the Boehm (Böhm) flute which features in other musical traditions.

The photographs presented here from the ITMA collections range in date from the 1930s to the present day.

With thanks to photographers Tony Kearns, Liam McNulty, Paul Eliasberg, Bill Doyle and Lisa Shields for permission to publish the images. ITMA would welcome further information on any of these images and if possible would like to add to the collection by copying images of other flute players or their instruments which you may have.

Treasa Harkin, 1 February 2016