Amhran A Leabhair

Giles · Post by **Giles** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 11:36 pm

I'm learning this very beautiful tune "Amhran A Leabhair".

Does anyone know how to pronounce the name?

Giles

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 1:49 am

Song of the Books

StevePower · Post by **StevePower** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 4:11 am

I wish I'd gone the 'Peter Laban route', when suggesting how to pronouce Feadog, in another thread.

So: Feadog is pronouced Whistle.

Steve

Graphics Guy · Post by **Graphics Guy** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 5:02 am

Did that get settled yet ?
Dan

NancyF · Post by **NancyF** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 6:47 am

I just learned this beautiful air recently. I can't help you on pronunciation, in fact, I also have a question. I know it is recorded on Mick Woodruff's site, but I know it from somewhere else. I have looked through my entire celtic CD collection (200+) and can't find it. This is driving me crazy! Anybody know where I might have heard this tune? - N

WhistlingGypsy · Post by **WhistlingGypsy** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 7:24 am

Pronunciation:

"Amhran" Our-awn
"A" Ah
"Leabhair" lyow-or

Hope that helps

Cheers

Gerry

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 7:32 am

On 2002-02-05 07:47, NancyF wrote:
Anybody know where I might have heard this tune? - N

Maybe on a Séamus Ennis record, under the title "Valencia Harbour".

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 8:58 am

In addition to some information on the air, which I supplied in a thread recently I came across this little bit written by Breandan Breathnach In An Piobaire 1983:

Amhran na Leabhar was composed by Tomas Rua 0 Suilleabh~in (1785-1848) who, besides being a poet, was also a schoolteacher, fiddler and dancing master. Compelled to yield up his school near Cahirdaniel to a newcomer, he sent his bag of books and other belongings on to the harbour at Derrynane to have them transported across to Goilin. The boat struck a rock on the way over, turned turtle and everything aboard her was lost in the waves. On the same night Tomas's clothes were accidently burnt while he was asleep and he had to stay put where he was until the tailor had made a new suit for him. When he finally reached his destination he heard the bad news and was suddenly struck down ill. On recovering he wrote this lament for his books; in it he mentions also the other loss he had suffered that left him gan snath on speir

Seamus got this song from Colm 0 Lochlainn who wrongly attributed it to Conchiir Maistir Riordain

Fenton in his edtion of Tormas Rua's songs gives "An Spealadoirl' i.e. "Mo lean le lua" (The Cuckoo's Nest) as the air to which this song was sung. He prints eleven verses, of which the first is here given as an aid to phrasing the melody.

Go cuan Bheill fnse casadh me,
Cois Goilinn aoibhinn Dairbhre,
Mar a seoltar f lit na farraige
Thar saile i gcein

1 bPortmagee do stadas seal
Fe thuairim intinn maitheasa
Dlfhonn bheith sealad eadartha

Mar mhaistir leinn;
is gearr gur chuala an eachtra
Ag cach, mo lean!
Gur i mBord Eoghain Fhinn do cailleadh, theas,
An t-~rthach trean.

Do phreab mo chr6idhe le hathtuirse
'Dtaoibh loinge an tfosaigh chalma,
mbIfearrde an tir f seasamh seal
Do raibh an tsein.

[I used scanning software to convert the original to a Word file, this software was not fully able to cope with the fada’s etc used in the written Irish, some mistakes may occur)

Jim Frey · Post by **Jim Frey** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 8:59 am

Nancy, I believe it was featured as a "Tune of the Month" on our beloved Chiff and Fipple Board about a year ago. It was beautifully performed by one of our members with a C whistle. Jim

ThorntonRose · Post by **ThorntonRose** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 9:29 am

I think that it is pronounced AHM-rahn A (as in "cat") LAY-vair. In Gaelic, bh = v in the middle of a word.

~ Thornton

Cees · Post by **Cees** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 10:17 am

Nancy,
Others have already mentioned where you may have heard the tune, and it's probably one of those. One other place, though, and where I first heard it, is here:
http://www.verinet.com/%7Ektcrumb/tunes/index.php3
on the "Sounds of the Irish whistle page" where it's played by David J. Finnamore (the composer and performer of the lovely "Ithilien" piece Dale posted in the Christmas 2001 newsletter).
Regards,
Cees

[ This Message was edited by: Cees on 2002-02-05 11:20 ]

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 11:04 am

I'll take a swing at this too. .

Amhran: I'd try for Av'ran, despite the broad 'a'.

Leabhair: Lah vihr

But that's an uneducated guess.

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 11:28 am

Unfortunately I am not able to reproduce it phonetically (not adequately anyway) but my eight year old son here gives a spin on the Irish pronunciation, rather different from the ones above. I'll stick with the English if you don't mind.

WhistlingGypsy · Post by **WhistlingGypsy** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 12:09 pm

I think that it is pronounced AHM-rahn A (as in "cat") LAY-vair. In Gaelic, bh = v in the middle of a word.

Not is this case. That wold be more at the begining of a word.

The pronunciation as stated in my Irish/English dictionary is:

Amhran: aura:n
Leabhar: l'aur

Cheers

Gerry

[ This Message was edited by: WhistlingGypsy on 2002-02-05 13:14 ]

rosenlof · Post by **rosenlof** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 1:50 pm

Nancy F asks where she heard this.

I'm pretty sure it's on a Matt Molloy CD. Try the one with something about 'Heather' in the disc title. But the track name is neither "Amhran A Leabhair" nor "the song of the books" just to make matters more iffy.

The disc is not here with me now, and I'm going from memory now...