Gartan Mother's Lullaby

"Gartan Mother's Lullaby" is an old Irish song and poem written by Herbert Hughes and Seosamh Mac Cathmhaoil, first published in Songs of Uladh [Ulster] in 1904. Hughes collected the trad melody in Donegal the previous year and Campbell wrote the lyrics. {source: Irish Country Songs - Herbert Hughes}.The song is a lullaby by a mother, from the parish of Gartan in County Donegal, to her child.^[1] The song refers to a number of figures in Irish mythology, places in Ireland and words in the Irish language. (Gartan is often misspelled as Garten.)

Words of interest

• Aoibheall of Carraig Leath,(pronounced evil of carrickla) commonly known as Aoibhinn the Beautiful - who is the queen of the Northern Fairies.
• The Green Man,(or Fear Glas in Irish) it is said if you see him in the morning, "no ill follows"; but if at night, death or some other terrible misfortune will surely overtake you. He is sometimes called Fear Liath, or the Grey Man.
• Siabhra, is a generic term for an Irish fairy of any kind. In ancient writings the Tuatha de Danann, or little magicians of the Pagan Irish, were called "siabhra" without distinction.
• Tearmann, Irish for Termon, a village near Gartan in Donegal.
• Leanbhan, is an old Irish word for little child. (leanbh is Irish for child +án leanbhán is its diminutive.)

Covers

• 2010 - Fionnuala Sherry covered on the album Songs From Before
• 2006 - Órla Fallon, covered on the album The Water Is Wide
• 2000 - Meryl Streep, recorded for the album For Our Children: 10th Anniversary
• 1999 - The Corries, appears on their album The Best of The Corries
• 1972 - The Dubliners, on their album Double Dubliners

Lyrics

Sleep, O babe, for the red-bee hums

The silent twilight's fall:

Aibheall from the Grey Rock comes

To wrap the world in thrall.

A leanbhan O, my child, my joy,

My love and heart's-desire,

The crickets sing you lullaby

Beside the dying fire.

Dusk is drawn, and the Green Man's Thorn

Is wreathed in rings of fog:

Siabhra sails his boat till morn

Upon the Starry Bog.

A leanbhan O, the pale half moon

Hath brimmed her cusp in dew,

And weeps to hear the sad sleep-tune

I sing, O love, to you.

Faintly sweet doth the chapel bell

Ring o'er the valley dim:

Tearmann's peasant-voices swell

In fragrant evening hymn.

A leanbhan O, the low bell rings

My little lamb to rest

And angel-dreams, till morning sings

Its music in your breast.

Sleep, O babe, for the red-bee hums

The silent twighlight's fall,

Aoibheall from the Grey Rock comes

To wrap the world in thrall.

A leanbhan O, my child, my joy,

My love and heart's-desire,

The crickets sing you lullaby

Beside the dying fire.

References