Annotation:Accursed Kerryman, The

Back to Accursed Kerryman, The

---

ACCURSED KERRYMAN, THE (An Ciarraioch Mallaithe). Irish, Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB.The melody appears in Edward Bunting's second collection of Irish tunes (1809). Ó Canainn (1978) bemoans antiquarian P.W. Joyce's cavalier treatment of the text of this famous song in the latter's Ancient Irish Music (1875) wherein he writes:

Of the Irish song I retain only a few fragments, which are not
worth preserving. Perhaps the reader will be better pleased if
I give instead a song of my brother's, composed to suit the air.

Lyrics to the song go:

Má leanaim go dian tú siar chun Cairibreach
Caillfead mo chiall mura driallfair abhaile liom,
óró, bead ag sileadh na ndeor.
Ná tar im dheoidh gan mórchuid airgid,
stampa Rí Shacsain go cruinn i dtaisce agat,
óró, i gcomhair costais an róid.
Ní bheidh cloig ar ár ndornaibh ó rómhar na ngarraithe
ná ó chruachadh na móna ná an fómhair á leathadh orainn,
beidh rince fada againn más é is fearra leat,
ór agus airgead, ól agus beathuisce,
óró, fad a mhairfimid beo.
Do shiúlfainn an saol go léir is an Bhreathnaisc leat
is níorbh fhearr liom bheith in Éirinn ag éisteacht Aifrinn,
óró, nó i Sasana Nua.
Ach ná creidim ód' bhéal dhá dtrian dá nabrann
mar is fear magaidh thú 'bhíos ag mealladh ban
óró, le do reacaireacht spóirt.
A chumann mo chléibhe is a réaltan mhaisealach,
ní neosfainn bréag ó m' bhéal ar chapall duit
ar eagla an pheaca is go mbeimis damanta.
Grá atá ceangailte im lár nach scarfainn leat
óró go dtéad síos faoin bhfód.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Ó Canainn (Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland), 1995; No. 76, p. 67.

Recorded sources:

---

Back to Accursed Kerryman, The