An bhfaca tú an chúilfhionn 's í ag siúl ar na bóithre
Maidin gheal drúchta 's gan smúit ar a bróga?
Is iomaí ógánach súilghlass ag tnúth lena pósadh
Ach ní bhfaigheann siad mo rúnsa
.....ar an gcuntas is dóigh leo.
An bhfaca tú mo spéirbhean lá breá is í ina haonar
A cúl dualach drisleanach go slinneán síos léi?
Mil ar an ógbhean is rós breá ina héadan
'S is dóigh le gach spreasán gur leannán leis féin í.
An bhfaca tú mo bhábán 's í taobh leis an toinn
Fáinní óir ar a méara sí ag réiteach a cinn?
'Sé dúirt an Paorach a bhí ina mhaor ar an loing
Go mb'fhearr leis aige féin í ná Éire gan roinn.
Have you seen my fair-haired girl walking the roads
A bright dewy morning without a smudge on her shoes?
There is many a young man envious and longing to marry her
But they won't get my treasure
.....no matter what they think.
Have you seen my beautiful woman, a fine day and she is alone
Her hair curling and twining, hanging down about her shoulders?
Sweet young woman with the rosy blush on her brow
And every worthless man hopes she will be his lover.
Have you seen my maid beside the sea
Gold rings on her fingers she is making up her mind?
Mr. Power, who is the master of a ship, said
He would prefer to have her than the whole of Ireland.
An Chúilfhionn was described as a very old harp tune when Bunting notated it more than
200 years ago. I first learned the air from Brian Conway, a well-known fiddle player in
New York. I was lucky enough to run into a singer from Belfast who sang it as many times
as I needed. Thanks and happy 80th to Éamann Ó Cianáin who gave me the first two verses.
Treasa Ní Chatháin, amhránaíocht agus Joanna Mell, cláirseach
Joanna is a delightful singer and storyteller with several
recordings. She can be contacted at her website:
This air is often listed as "The Coolin." That title bugs me though because it means nothing. It is like reading the word "eenuf." Spelled correctly, "An Chúilfionn," is a combination of cúl (hair or back) and fionn (fair-haired). Just one more reason we should learn the language that is rightfully ours. It only takes about 2 years and $100 for books and tapes to get a real feel for the language. By that time you'll be sucked into the wonderful world of your heritage and you will need $500 a year for the annual trips you'll be taking to Ireland (travel off-season).
You can learn a lot of Irish for free on the internet, though. Here is a good place to start:
