The song “A chomaraigh aoibhinn ó” written in Irish Gaelic by Maurus Ó Faoláin (1853-1931) a Cistercian priest born in Kilrossanty, Co Waterford, expresses love for the Sweet Comeragh the land of the Decies, the homeland to which the emigrant returns for his homesick.
Il canto scritto in gaelico irlandese da Maurus Ó Faoláin (1853-1931), frate cistercense nato a Kilrossanty contea di Waterford esprime l’amore per lo Sweet Comeragh la terra dei Decies, la terra natia alla quale l’emigrato fa ritorno per la troppa nostalgia.
Up The Déise!
County Waterford, Ireland, is known locally as “An Déise” in Gaeilge. Sometime between the 4th and 8th centuries AD, a tribe of native Gaelic people called the Déisi were driven from the southern parts of the country, conquering and settling here. The Déise region is a beautiful region with two mountain ranges, beautiful rivers and lakes and over 30 beaches along its unique volcanic coast line. It is one of the few regions in Ireland with a Gaeltacht, an area with native Irish speaking people. The Déise has a rich history from megalithic tombs and Ogham stones. (from here)
La contea di Waterford, in Irlanda, è conosciuta localmente come “An Déise” in gaelico. A un certo punto tra il IV e l’VIII secolo d.C., una tribù di nativi celti i Déisi furono cacciati dalle parti meridionali del paese, e si stabilirono qui sui territori conquistati. La regione di Déise è una bellissima regione con due catene montuose, bellissimi fiumi e laghi e oltre 30 spiagge lungo la sua unica linea costiera di origine vulcanica. È una delle poche regioni in Irlanda con un Gaeltacht, un’area con nativi di lingua irlandese. Il Déise ha una ricca storia di tombe megalitiche e pietre Ogham.
Three versions always with the same singer, Karan Casey originally from County Waterford, who learned this song from Ann Mulqueen
Tre versioni sempre con la stessa cantante, Karan Casey originaria della contea di Waterford, che imparò il canto da Ann Mulqueen
Solas in The Words That Remain, 1998
Karan Casey & Paul Halley · Paul Winter & Friends in Celtic Solstice 1999
Karan Casey live for Highland Sessions
Fiona Kelleher & Mel Mercier & Kate Ellis in My Love Lies 2008
Mo bheannacht óm’ chroí Dod’ thir ‘s dod’ shléibhte
A chomaraigh aoibhinn ó Is dod’ mhuintir shuairc
Ar dual dóibh féile A chomaraigh aoibhinn ó
Do shrutháin gheala ‘S do choillte craobhach
Do ghleannta meala ‘S do bhánta léire
Ó grá mo chroí Iad siúd le chéile
A chomaraigh aoibhinn ó
II
Is dathúil breá Do chruacha scéimchruth
A chomaraigh aoibhinn ó Nuair a lasaid suas
Le hamharc gréine A chomaraigh aoibhinn ó
Na faillte ‘s leacain Ar gach taobh diot
Mar bhrata sróil Le seolta gleásta
Nuair a scaipeann an drúcht Anuas ón spéir ort
A chomaraigh aoibhinn ó
III
Do bhíos thar sáile Seal i gcéin uait
A chomaraigh aoibhinn ó I ndúthaigh fáin
Ag déanamh saoithair A chomaraigh aoibhinn ó
Ach b’obair tháir liom Cnuasach gréithre
I bhfad óm’ ait Fé scáil do shléibhte
Is chas mé arís ort A phlúr na nDéise
A chomaraigh aoibhinn ó
I My heartfelt blessings On your valleys and mountains Sweet Comeragh And on your cheeful people So naturally kind Sweet Comeragh On your shining streams And your leafy woodlands Your honeyed slopes And your gleaming meadows My heart fills with love For all of them surely Sweet Comeragh II Your rugged peaks Are a handsome sight Sweet Comeragh As the rising sun Sets them aflame Sweet Comeragh Cliffs and steep slopes In every direction Like a satin weave From a magic loom As the dew falls From the heavens high Sweet Comeragh III I was a while away (1) From your beauty Sweet Comeragh Slaving so hard In a foreign land Sweet Comeragh Base work it was Just making a living Far from my home ‘Neath the shade of your mountains So I came back to you The flower of the Déise (2) Sweet Comeragh |
Traduzione italiano Cattia Salto I Le mie benedizioni sincere alle tue valli e montagne Dolce Comeragh e alla tua gente allegra tanto gentile di natura Dolce Comeragh ai tuoi chiari ruscelli e i tuoi boschi frondosi e i dolci pendii e i tuoi prati scintillanti. Il mio cuore si riempie d’amore vero per tutto quanto Dolce Comeragh II Le tue vette accidentate sono una bella vista Dolce Comeragh quando il sole nascente le infiamma Dolce Comeragh Scogliere e pendii ripidi in ogni direzione come una trama di raso da un telaio magico mentre la rugiada cade dall’alto dei cieli Dolce Comeragh III Mi è mancata la tua bellezza Dolce Comeragh a sgobbare duramente in una terra straniera Dolce Comeragh Il lavoro principale era guadagnarsi da vivere lontano da casa mia all’ombra delle tue montagne Quindi sono tornato da te fiore della Dessia Dolce Comeragh |
1) letteralmente “Sono stato via per un po’”
2) flower of na Déise = The Decies, The county is based on the historic Gaelic territory of the Déise, anglicised ‘Decies’ or ‘Dessia’. There is an Irish-speaking area, Gaeltacht na nDéise, in the south-west of the county. The Celtic tribe of the Decies or An Déise, established in present-day Waterford County, converted to Christianity as early as the mid-fourth century.
[La contea è basata sullo storico territorio gaelico della Déise, anglicizzata “Decies” o “Dessia”. C’è un’area di lingua irlandese, Gaeltacht na nDise, nel sud-ovest della contea. La tribù celtica dei Decies o An Déise, stanziati nell’attuale contea di Waterford si sono convertiti al Cristianesimo già nella metà del IV secolo]
LINK
https://www.aletterfromireland.com/up-the-deise/
https://www.bellsirishlyrics.com/a-chomaraigh-aoibhinn-o.html
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=34502
https://thesession.org/tunes/15714
http://www.waterfordmuseum.ie/exhibit/web/Display/article/312/2/Early_Waterford_History_The_Decies_.html
https://outsider.ie/ireland/hiking-comeragh-mountains/
