Transcript

Amhrán a dhein fear do bhád a bhí aige á moladh (gurbh) ainm di an Lóchair Mhór.

Ó, is ag déanamh ar eadartha bó (dhom)
(Is mé ag feistiú mo sheoltha) suas,
Mo mhaidí bhí tairrigthe nua agam
Is iad déanta dhon fhuinseoig chruaidh,
I mBeannaigh[1] sea chuireas fé sheol í
Is a haghaidh ar an Ród[2] ó thuaidh,
Níor gaibheadh riamh capall ná cóiste
Do ritheadh lem Lóchair Mhór.

(...) (geal í)
Do ligint go brách ar poll
Mar bíonn fearaibh i gcontúirt a mbáite
Nuair a thagann an gála trom,
Ach ní mar sin don chleithire báid sin,
Bíonn a (...) go hard sa chrann,
Ní'bh fhearr léi ciúnas Lae Sheáin ann
Ná farraige chomh hard le tower.

'S an gcualabhairse trácht ar an (...)
(Ós na flaithis) a bháigh an domhan?
'S an gcualabhair trácht ar an árthach
Thug seacht mí agus lá ar an bpoll?
Noah dob ainm dá máistir
Is bhí bua aige ó Ard-Rí an domhain,
Níl aon bhaol ná go seasfadh mo bhádsa
Seacht mí agus lá ina deabhaidh.

Dá gcífeá mo chleithire báidse
Fí[3] anairt i ngála trom,
Uisce ar a gunail in airde
Is an taobh eile comh ard le tower,
Is dóigh liom (nárbh) (...)
Ó cuireadh an Áirc ar poll
Do thógfadh timpeall chomh breá léi
Is ná teipfeadh go brách sa domhain.

Translation

A song composed by a man praising his boat which was call An Lóchair Mhór

Oh, it was nearing milking time
And I was arranging my sails,
My oars I had made new
Out of strong ash,
By An Bheannach I hoisted her sail up
Facing north towards An Ród
There never was a horse or a coach
That would run with my Lóchair Mhór.

(...) bright (?)
To ever let her(?) afloat,
Because men are in danger of drowning
When a heavy gale comes,
But not so for that strong boat,
Her (...) is high on the mast,
She wouldn't prefer the calmness of St John's Day
To a sea as high as a tower.

Did you hear of the (...)
From the heavens which drowned the world?
And did you hear about the ship
That spent seven months and a day afloat?
Noah was the name of her master
And he had a gift from the High-King of the world,
There is no doubt that my boat would last
Seven months and a day after her.

If you saw my strong boat
Under sail in a heavy gale,
Water up over he gunwales
And the other side as high as a tower,
I think that (...)
Since the Ark was put afloat
Would turn around as beautifully as her
And would never fail on the high sea.

Footnotes

Commentary

This song, seldom sung nowadays, was composed around 1840 by Dónal Ó Muircheartaigh of An Fearann (An Garraí Glas) in the parish of Ballyferriter, county Kerry, in honour of a boat he had bought from another Dónal, 'An Mainíneach Mór', of An Baile Uachtarach Thiar, county Kerry. See Breandán 'ac Gearailt, An blas Muimhneach (Dublin, 2007), 262-5, where nine verses and some background to the song are given.