Annotation:My Lily

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MY LILY. AKA and see "Mo shuil a'd dheigh" (Fare Thee Well Love)," "Of Thee I Dream." Scottish, Canadian; Gaelic Air (3/4 time). Canada, Cape Breton. A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The first verse and chorus of the song goes:

Gu'n d'éirich mi mochthrath maduinn an dé,
'S gu'n gheàrr mi 'n earr-thalmhainn do bhrìgh mo sgèil,
An dùil gu 'm faicinn-sa rùn mo chléibh;
O chòin! gu 'm facas, 's a cùlaibh rium féin.

Séist O chòin! mo chailin, 's mo shùil a'd dhéidh;
A chailin, mo chailin, 's mo shùil a'd dhéidh;
A Lili, mo Lili, 's mo shùil a'd dhéidh;
Cha leir dhomh am bealach le sileadh nan deur.

One story says that the song was originally written by a student of Celtic studies in Glasgow, enamored of a woman from Dublin, however, the real story behind the song is documented in the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness (vol. 57). It seems that the Reverend Donald MacNicoll, minister of Lismore and a distinguished Gaelic scholar, proposed in 1771 at the age of 36 to the young Lilias Campbell of Achlian, Dalmally, who lived nearby. She was half his age and, loath to marry an older man and one somewhat disfigured by smallpox, and instead accepted the alternate proposal of a Captain Campbell of Glenorchy. MacNicholl consoled himself in versifying on the lonely horseback ride home, composing the famous song of lost love, "Mo shuil a'd dheigh." After the departure of his rival Campbell grew careless, and during the celebrating of his betrothal he asked his servant to kiss Lilias for the wager of a shilling. For her part, Lilias was incensed at being so ungallantly bought and immediately broke it off with Campbell, sending instead for MacNicholl to see if he might still be agreeable. He was, and they married in November, 1771, two days after her 18th birthday. The couple lived long and happily, despite the fact that many of their 16 children died in infancy, as was tragically too common in those days.

Source for notated version: adapted by fiddler Jerry Holland (Inverness, Cape Breton) from the piano playing of Joan MacDonald Boes (accompanist for The Five MacDonald Fiddlers on many of their recordings in the 1960's) [Cranford].

Printed sources: Cranford (Jerry Holland's Collection), 1995; No. 278, p. 81.

Recorded sources: Victor 216388 (78 RPM), Malcolm R. MacLeod (1923).

See also listing at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Hear the 1923 recording sung by Malcolm R. MacLeod [3]

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