5. BF Samhradh Samhradh! - the song of May

Acclaimed artist Seorise O'Dochartaigh tells us about a song that has been associated with Bealtaine for centuries before signing his own version of the song from his 2018 album, Crimson Moon with his sleeve notes below -  see www.seoirse.com for more on this and his other projects.

2. Samhradh! Samhradh! (Summer! Summer!)

"This song was sung on 'Baal tine' or 'May day' which was considered as the boundary day that divides Winter and Summer. On this day two separate parties met, the one dressed in the gloomy garb of Winter, the other in the gay dress of Spring. They carried on a sportive war for some time, but the Spring always obtained the victory: they then marched away in triumph, carrying branches with flowers attached to them, proclaiming and singing 'The Song of Joy' or 'We have brought the Summer in' " (Horncastle, Music of Ireland)

Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn (“Samhradh! Samhradh!”) was sung by groups of children in 1662 to welcome the Duke of Ormond to Dublin as the Lord Lieutenant after the Restoration. It was sung again in 1689 when Patrick Sarsfield and King James landed at Kinsale. Although it displays a certain modernity, derived from continuous oral tradition, the medieval origins of this May Day song are plainly visible. Musically, it resembles the French estampie and verelai. Its wide melodic leaps of a sixth are typical of other music from the medieval period.  

In Co. Louth, this song, within living memory, used to be sung by the youths and maidens on May-Eve while they carried around the “May-Baby” (Bábóg na Bealtaine) from house to house.

The idea of interpolating the Tchaikovsky into the arrangement came about when I realized that several melodic phrases in the introductory part of the Andantino simplice to his 1st Piano Concerto were almost identical to phrases in the song. The Russian composer frequently used Ukrainian folk tunes in his works. In this case, he uses a simple, expressive melody beautifully decorated like the floral offerings of the Irish May-Day children. Tchaikovsky’s music, like the song itself, is absolutely glittering in sunshine. 

Below we have listed the lyrics in both Irish and English.
 
Samhradh! Samhradh! (Trad. Arr. Seoirse Ó Dochartaigh)    
           
1. Babóg na Bealtaine, Maighdean an tSamhraidh, 
Suas gach cnoc is síos gach gleann, 
Cailíní maiseacha bán-gheala gléasta, 
Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn.  

curfá :- 
Samhradh! Samhradh! Bainne na nGamhna 
Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn. 
Thugamar linn é is cé ‘bhainfeadh dínn é? 
Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn.    
                       
2. Thugamar linn é ón choill chraobhaigh, 
Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn. 
Samhradh buí na nóinín ngléigeal, 
Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn.                          
 
3. Tá an fhuiseog ag seinm ‘s ag luascadh sna spéartha,        
Beach agus cuileog is bláth ar na crainn, 
Tá an chuach is a héanlaith’ ag seinm le pléisiúir, 
Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn.       
                                                  
4. Cuileann is coll, trom is cárthainn, 
Thugamar Féin an Samhradh linn 
Fuinseog  ghléigeal Bhéal an Átha 
Thugamar Féin an Samhradh linn.  

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Babe of the May-time, Maid of the Summer,
Up every hill and down every glen.
Girls bedecked both bright and white,
We brought the summer with us.

chorus
Summer! Summer! Milk of the Calves!
We brought the summer with us.
We brought it with us and who would take it from us?
We brought the summer with us.

We brought it with us from the branchy wood.
We brought the summer with us.
Yellow summer of the bright daisies
We brought the summer with us.

The lark is singing and swinging in the skies.
Bees and insects and blossoms on the trees,
The cuckoo and chicks are singing with pleasure
We brought the summer with us.

Holly and hazel, elder and rowan,
We brought the summer with us.
The brightest ash from the Mouth of the Ford,
We brought the summer with us.

(© and ℗ Seoirse Ó Dochartaigh, IMRO 2018) 

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