Darach Ó Catháin -- the one and only trad singer

[Olesya]

While listening Darach Ó Catháin sing "Óró sé do bheatha 'bhaile" it's struck me how distinctly different the language, the words sounded from that in the other versions of the same song. is it Irish or Gaelic, or some dialect? Darach Ó Catháin songs have a really ancient, universal feel to it, osit. The music and the words/language match each other perfectly, osit. The language of this song is music in itself, osit. So, here's the combination of three: melody/music, language/music and his "guth" ("zov" from Russian "звать", то yell) - voice/music.

Here's the documentary made by Cérbh É about this great singer with many examples of his singing _http://www.frequency.com/video/crbh-darach-cathin-one-only-trad-singer/111048833/-/5-15817196

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Warning: There is a chunk of commercial ads right in the middle at 11:25-13:10

From the movie about the Darach Ó Catháin:

Darach was from An Maimin, Leitir Moir, or "Ceantar na nOilean" I grew up a good bit further east in Casla. Ever since I started getting to know the people of that area, I believed they were a people apart. they had a sense of freedom and courage. I don't know if it's the sea, or if it was just in their nature, but they didn't heed many rules. They made their own rules. They would have had singing in the houses.... where he was born and raised here in AinMaimin in West Conamara. He was born here in 1922 in the Irish Free State. It was on his mothers's knee that he first learned the songs and forged his craft before mothing to Rath Chairn at the age of 13.

About traditional Irish singing from Wiki:

Traditional Irish singing is the singing of traditional songs in the native styles such as sean nós. Though some people consider sean nós to particularly refer to singing in the Irish language, the term 'traditional singing' is more universally understood to encompass singing in any language, as well as lilting.

About litting from Wiki:

Lilting is a form of traditional singing common in the Gaelic speaking areas of Ireland and Scotland. It goes under many names, and is sometimes referred to as "mouth music", diddling, jigging, chin music or cheek music, 'puirt a beul' in Scottish Gaelic, Canterach, or portaireacht bhéil (port a'bhéil) in Irish Gaelic. It in some ways resembles scat singing.
The origins of lilting are unclear. It might have resulted in part from the unavailability of instruments, whether because they were seen as too dear or were banned. However peasant music in other Indo-European cultures was subject to similar constraints, and lilting did not develop.

 

[mkrnhr]

I discovered sean nós reading "The Atlantean Irish" by Bob Quinn. It is possible that this singing style is a surviving piece of the maritime culture that may have existed along the pacific coast, from the baltic to north africa, including the british islands and the iberian coasts back during the bronze age or even before.

 

[paralleloscope]

I discovered sean nós reading "The Atlantean Irish" by Bob Quinn. It is possible that this singing style is a surviving piece of the maritime culture that may have existed along the pacific coast, from the baltic to north africa, including the british islands and the iberian coasts back during the bronze age or even before.

I also sort of speculated the Atlantean connection in another sean nós thread
Thanks for sharing Olesya

 

[Joe]

While listening Darach Ó Catháin sing "Óró sé do bheatha 'bhaile" it's struck me how distinctly different the language, the words sounded from that in the other versions of the same song. is it Irish or Gaelic, or some dialect?

It's Connemara Irish, one of several dialects, although there isn't much difference between them, there are also different accents. Maybe you heard it being sung previously by someone from a different part of Ireland.

 

[Olesya]

While listening Darach Ó Catháin sing "Óró sé do bheatha 'bhaile" it's struck me how distinctly different the language, the words sounded from that in the other versions of the same song. is it Irish or Gaelic, or some dialect?

It's Connemara Irish, one of several dialects, although there isn't much difference between them, there are also different accents. Maybe you heard it being sung previously by someone from a different part of Ireland.

I don't know Irish language. I mean the meaning of the words. What I meant that phonetically Connemara Irish sounds really different, almost like a different language. And to answer your question if I heard "Óró sé do bheatha 'bhaile" before, I'm not sure now. Could it be that I heard it on one of the SOTT TALK Radio shows? And if I did, it was a version closer to the Dubliners here _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VG2hJXLcwg I heard many versions on youtube, and each one of them has different feel to them, similar to what parallel posted here http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,18617.msg176066.html#msg176066 Quote from Julie Henigan:

Sean-nós, in conclusion, cannot be reduced to a single definition; rather, it has many different levels of meaning, depending upon the context in which the term is used. It may be used to describe distinct performance styles - or to refer to the singing tradition as a whole. In this larger sense, sean-nós embodies the many interrelated aspects of the tradition, including performance style, performance context, social function, and repertoire. On a personal level, sean-nós has as many meanings as there are members of the tradition - and as many functions. It can serve at once as a form of entertainment, as an emotional release, and as a means of communication, expressing life as it enriches it, creating connections with the community and with the world at large.

Darach Ó Catháin sings it like a prayer, osit. And I know that this song, from Wiki:

Óró, sé do bheatha abhaile (Irish pronunciation: [ˈoːɾˠoː ʃeː d̪ˠə ˈvʲahə walʲə]) is a traditional Irish song, that came to be known as a rebel song in the early 20th century. Óró is a cheer, while sé do bheatha abhaile means "welcome home."
...
Like many folk songs, the origins of this song are obscure, but several different uses of the tune and chorus can be identified.

What I'm trying to say is that it seems to me that, maybe, some parts of the song were re-written later on. Sometimes mothers sing only melodies with no words or only some of the words of the very old songs to their children. It's just a thought.