Places Please…
Our assembled Choir of Conrad, Ashok, Magpie 11, Marianna and Ramana are all tuned up and ready to present another concert in the form of Loose Blogging.
Your National Anthem
- were the very words suggested by Marianna for our topic this week.
Come on; was she trying to test my stress levels or start a war?
Which?
I live on the island of Ireland for God’s sake! Six of the thirty two counties on that small island are in another country. Six of the nine counties in the Provence of Ulster are part of the UK, and that is where I have had my home for 32 years. Thirty two years with murder and bloodshed around any corner at any time.
I have watched families ruptured and torn apart all because of a flag, an accent or a national anthem. The very words National Anthem are as controversial as FLAGS! We don’t have flags in the corner of classrooms or in every office round the Country. Flags are such a thorny subject that in Northern Ireland Flags are banned from the work place. The quiet whistling of a National Anthem in a work place is enough to raise hackles and cause a strike. Mind you it doesn’t prevent the painting of Lampposts and kerbstones in some housing estates with the colours of the flag, to show which side has the control in the area. Flags are added to these same light posts, in the month of June each year and left until they rot or are torn by the wind. That is no way to show respect for a flag or country.
A short YouTube video giving a bird’s eye view from all sides, of a past we don’t want to return to:
There was widespread condemnation after 2 soldiers were shot dead outside an Army barracks in Northern Ireland in March of this year. Four other people were injured - two of them civilians. The shooting happened at Massereene Barracks, which is around 18 miles north of Belfast, and only next door to the grounds of Clotworthy House, a peaceful place I featured last Friday morning, on Sunday and again today.
As I mentioned in my post Last Friday, Reconciliation is a work in progress… very slow progress and we hope and pray that good will win through.
If there was one thing I learned from those awful dark days; it was to make sure that Jack and Elly never left the house on a short or sharp word, and that I told them how much I loved them, as there was no guarantee we would be a complete family unit at the end of any given day.
Rant over, time to come back off that tangent and focus on National Anthems - and there are many!
There is the one I heard as a child growing up in the south of Ireland, it was in the Irish language and the words were mumbled so I never in fact learned them properly. I never ever heard it sung with the English translation.
“Amhrán na bhFiann” (pron: ow-rawn nuh vee-yunn) or in English, “A Soldier’s Song”, is the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland. The lyrics were first composed in 1907 by Peadar Kearney, he was working backstage at the Abbey Theatre when he penned the lyrics of Amhrán na bhFiann/ The Soldier’s Song and, together with Patrick Heeney, set it to music. The song was first published in 1912 and quickly became the most popular of the Irish Volunteer’s marching songs.
The first draft, handwritten on copybook paper, sold at auction in Dublin in 2006 for €760,000.
The song has three verses, but the national anthem consists of the chorus only. The Presidential Salute, played when the President of Ireland arrives at an official engagement, consists of the first four bars of the national anthem immediately followed by the last five. The anthem is recommended, but not required, to be taught as part of the civics syllabus in national schools.
In 1920 Kearney was interned for a year in Ballykinlar Internment Camp, County Down. In 1926 Amhrán na bhFiann/ The Soldier’s Song was adopted as the National Anthem of Ireland, replacing the unofficial “God Save Ireland“.
Kearney’s The Soldier’s Song and Other Poems was published in 1928. Peadar Kearney was the maternal uncle of author Brendan Behan.
\/\/\/\/\/
The Irish National Anthem
|
A Soldier’s Song |
|
|
|
|
|
Sinne Fianna Fáil, |
Soldiers are we, |
|
Atá fá gheall ag Éirinn, |
whose lives are pledged to Ireland |
|
Buidhean dár sluagh tar rúinn do ráinig |
Some have come from a land beyond the wave, |
|
chughainn: |
Sworn to be free, |
|
Fámho’dh bhe’rh saor, |
no more our ancient sireland |
|
Sean-t’r ár sinnsear feasta |
Shall shelter the despot or the slave; |
|
N’ fágfar fá’n t’orán ná fa’n tráil; |
tonight we man the Bearna Baoghal |
|
Anocht a theigeamh sa bhearna baoghail, |
In Erin’s cause. |
|
Le gean ar Gaedh’ chun báis nó saoghail, |
come woe or weal; |
|
Le gunna sgréach: Fá lamhach na piléar. |
‘Mid cannon’s roar and rifle’s peal |
|
Seo Libh canaidh amhrán na bhFiann. |
We’ll chant a soldier’s song. |
|
|
|
|
Seo dhibh a cháirde duan oglaidh |
We’ll sing a song, a soldier’s song |
|
Caithréimeach, br’oghmhar, ceolmhar. |
With cheering, rousing chorus |
|
ár dteinte cnámh go buacach táid, |
As round our blazing fires we throng, |
|
`S an spéir go min réaltógach. |
The starry heavens o’er us; |
|
Is fionmhar faobhrach sinn chun gleo |
Impatient for the coming fight, |
|
‘S go tiúnmhar glé roimh tigheacht do’n ló, |
And as we wait the mornings light |
|
Fa ciúnas chaoimh na h-oidhche ar seol, |
here in the silence of the night |
|
Seo libh, cana’dh amhrán na bhFiann. |
We’ll chant a soldier’s song. |
|
|
|
|
Cois banta réidhe, ar árdaibh sléibhe. |
In valley green or towering crag |
|
Ba bhuadhach ár rinnsear romhainn, |
Our fathers fought before us, |
|
Ag lámhach go tréan fá’n sár- bhrat séin |
And conquered ‘neath the same old flag |
|
Tá thuas sa ghaoith go seolta; |
That’s floating o’er us, |
|
Ba dhúthchas riamh d’ár gcine cháidh |
We’re children of a fighting race |
|
Gan iompáil riar ó imirt áir, |
That never yet has known disgrace, |
|
‘Siubhal mar iad i gcoinnibh rámhaid |
And as we march the foe to face, |
|
Seo libh, canaidh amhrán na bhFiann. |
We’ll chant a soldier’s song. |
|
|
|
|
A buidhean nach fann d’fuil Ghaoidheal is Gall |
Sons of the Gael! Men of the Pale! |
|
Sinn breacadh lae na saoirse, |
The Long watched day is breaking; |
|
Tá sgéimhle ’s sgannradh ’ gcroidhthibh namhad, |
The serried ranks of Innisfail |
|
Roimh ranngaibh laochra ár dt’re; |
Shall set the tyrant quaking. |
|
ár dteinte is tréith gan spréach anois, |
Our camp fires now are burning low; |
|
Sin luinne ghlé san spéir anoir, |
See in the east a silvery glow, |
|
‘S an b’odhbha i raon na bpiléar agaibh: |
Out yonder waits the saxon foe, |
|
Seo libh, canaidh amhrán na bhFiann. |
So chant a soldier’s song. |
/\/\/\/\/\
Ireland’s Call
With the Ireland rugby team representing both the Republic and Northern Ireland, “Ireland’s Call” was scripted by Phil Coulter to help cross sectarian and national divides and adopted as the rugby anthem in 1995. However, at home matches in Dublin the Irish national anthem, the Soldier’s Song, is also sung.
Come the day and come the hour
Come the power and the glory
We have come to answer
Our Country’s call
From the four proud provinces of Ireland
Ireland, Ireland
Together standing tall
Shoulder to shoulder
We’ll answer Ireland’s call
From the mighty Glens of Antrim
From the rugged hills of Galway
From the walls of Limerick
And Dublin Bay
From the four proud provinces of Ireland
Ireland, Ireland
Together standing tall
Shoulder to shoulder
We’ll answer Ireland’s call
Hearts of steel
And heads unbowing
Vowing never to be broken
We will fight, until
We can fight no more
From the four proud provinces of Ireland
Ireland, Ireland
Together standing tall
Shoulder to shoulder
We’ll answer Ireland’s call
WIWIWIW
Danny Boy
Frederick Edward Weatherly (1848-1929) was an English lawyer, author, songwriter and radio entertainer. He wrote the lyrics of the well-known ballad Danny Boy in 1910, which is set to the tune A Londonderry Air. Weatherly wrote over 3,000 popular songs, including the hymn “The Holy City” and the wartime ballad “Roses of Picardy”. Weatherly’s sister modified the lyrics to fit “Londonderry Air” in 1913 when Weatherly sent her a copy. Ernestine Schumann-Heink made the first recording in 1915. The tune is played as the Northern Ireland anthem at the Commonwealth Games.
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer’s gone, and all the flowers are dying
‘Tis you, ’tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow
‘Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.
And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You’ll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
And I shall hear, tho’ soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you’ll not fail to tell me that you love me
I’ll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.
I’ll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.
0o0o0o0
Now to the National Anthem in Northern Ireland
God Save the Queen
“God Save the King / Queen“ has been the national anthem of Great Britain & Ireland since the beginning of the 19th century. It was thought to be composed by Thomas Augustine Arne (1710-1778) as a patriotic song, and was first publicly performed in London in 1745 after the defeat of “Bonnie Prince Charles”, the Jacobite claimant to the throne, by King George II.
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and Glorious,
Long to reign over us;
God save the Queen!
O Lord our God arise,
Scatter her enemies
And make them fall;
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix,
Oh, save us all!
Thy choicest gifts in store
On her be pleased to pour;
Long may she reign;
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice,
God save the Queen!
Not in this land alone,
But be God’s mercies known,
From shore to shore!
Lord make the nations see,
That men should brothers be,
And form one family,
The wide world over
From every latent foe,
From the assassins blow,
God save the Queen!
O’er her thine arm extend,
For Britain’s sake defend,
Our mother, prince, and friend,
God save the Queen!
And there is one more….
We are part of European Union now (even if we don’t use the €uro) and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony - Ode to Joy has become the anthem so to finish I give you a rather unusual version of it.
Enjoy!!!!
Rumuuser said,
September 11, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Wonderful Grannymar. A lot of thought and work has gone into this post and I compliment you for it. Strange that you Conrad and I, all prefer something other than the official National Anthem of our respective countries. Well done. Gives me a new insight into your wonderful country, which I hope to visit before I get Niravana.
Conrad said,
September 11, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Wow is all that I can say! What a tumult in such a beautiful land.
I think that people often just don’t get that patriotism is not synonymous with being armed to the teeth and ready to fight at the drop of a hat. Patriotism is that desire to bring out the very best in your country and your people. The beauty of Danny Boy brings me SO emotionally to your great land and its beauty that makes you want to ache. Strength to maintain and defend that type of beauty comes from the strength within, not the desire to dominate.
This is an amazing piece, Grannymar.
gaelikaa said,
September 11, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Well, I’m ashamed to say it but I only ever knew the words of The Soldier’s Song in English. I’m going to copy the Irish words and learned them. But having lived in India for the last 15 years I am getting just as fond of the Indian national anthem. I was in a cinema hall last year with the kids and the National Anthem was played on a video film of Indian soldiers of every racial type guarding the border and do you know what? I got a lump in my throat and felt very emotional. So I guess I’m partially converted. Do you think I should try to get dual nationality? But my heart will always be at home in Ireland ‘though I love India too…
Brighid said,
September 11, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Beautiful post. It’s always interesting to learn of other countries, and see how similar we all are.
Grannymar said,
September 11, 2009 at 6:18 pm
If only we had a positive attitude, anthem and a sense of Pride in our Country, the place would be wonderful. When I think of the waste of lives, taxes, and jobs that the so called ‘Troubles’ have caused here in Ulster alone, never mind in the rest of the Island, I could weep.
Two short years ago there was rejoicing
But alas within the last week, a 600lb bomb was diffused at Forkhill near the border with Southern Ireland close to the road that Elly will drive along when she comes to look after me post op. The thought of anything happening to her on the roads causes me more worry than any hip operation ever could!
gaelikaa said,
September 11, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I’ll have to study this. There is so much in it. I love the Irish National Anthem, always did. And now I’ll head off to Ramanaji’s to see the post on my country-in-law’s national anthem - or rather my national-anthem-in-law (or out-law)!
Darlene said,
September 11, 2009 at 7:51 pm
There is only one song that always brings tears to my eyes and it’s Danny Boy. I am not exactly sure why I am so emotional about this one song, but i think the deep love of a father for his son is so touching that it speaks to me on a different level. Then too, the melody is so beautiful that it is one of my favorite songs of all time.
Don’t get me started on our National Anthem. Only a trained voice can sing it and I get in trouble when I suggest we might change to a different melody like “Glory, Glory Halleljah”. Now there’s a rousing melody that everyone can sing.
Nick said,
September 11, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I hesitate to venture any opinion about Northern Ireland, being a blow-in from England, but I certainly have an opinion about national anthems, which as you say can stir up very divisive feelings causing conflict as much as pride. They can be downright absurd as well, like the British one about the Queen being “long to reign over us”. And most people only know the first verse anyway!
Ian said,
September 11, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Grannymar,
I attended a gathering in the summer where the Irish Defence Forces featured very prominently - the Fianna Fail themselves - the words of the national anthem sung there began Sinne Laochra Fail - apparently this is the original wording!
suzen said,
September 11, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Incredible post! It’s embarrassing that I know so little of Ireland’s history - for this, I apologize. I think in the US we tend to be a little isolated into the plights of other countries. We are too busy whining about OURS not working right or something of that spoiled nature. Ode to Joy is a long time favorite of mine - this presentation was priceless! Thank you for sharing that - and giving me a history lesson.
Maynard said,
September 11, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Fantastic Grannymar, My wife, Sharon, and I had the “Ode of Joy ” played at our wedding 38 years ago! Thank you very very much!
Grannymar said,
September 11, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Gaelikaa - Take your time, the blog is going nowhere.
Darlene - Danny Boy does that to me too, I seldom sing it all the way through without it causing me to choke up. Maybe my dad being called Dan has something to do with it.
Nick - I kept my mouth shut of years, but at 62 I have spent more years here than in the south, so therefore I speak as I find.
Ian - I discovered that Amhran na bFhiann….”Sinne laochra fail”\”we are heroes of destiny”. This is the wording of the original version by the author, Laochra was changed to Fianna…giving Fianna Fail meaning Soldiers of destiny, by the Fianna Fail political party when they came to government early in the birth of the Irish state. - David Menzies.
It was not widely known until it was sung both at the GPO during the Easter Rising of 1916 and later at various camps where republicans were interned. Soon after, it was adopted as the national anthem, replacing God Save Ireland.
Grannymar said,
September 11, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Suzen - I am no expert on Irish history and only tell it as I see it. I like to finish my posts on a high note (pun intended), so I thought this presentation of Ode to Joy was just right.
Maynard - 38 years! You are very fortunate.
Baino said,
September 11, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I heard about the Forkhill bomb. The saddest thing is that the people stirring up the trouble again were too young to remember it. I don’t know why Ireland is so ruptured and taking so long to heal, 800 years of bitterness and history is a long legacy to mend. Very interesting post there Grannymar and sadly, the flag here, which many fly proudly (I have one on a pole in my front yard) is also becoming a sign of rampant nationalism and white supremecy. I’m proud of my country and my flag and don’t want these idiot knobs turning something patriotic into a symbol of intolerance.
Marianna said,
September 12, 2009 at 12:44 am
I knew that this was going to be a challenging topic for you and you’ve handled it beautifully.
It’s hard for me, living a safe life in Canada, to fully comprehend the deep-seated emotions that swirl by the unfurling of a flag. My hope is that the healing will continue.
I second Conrad’s comments about patriotism.
Thanks for presenting this information to us. Those of us who live in safe & stable countries need to take time to appreciate what we have.
bikehikebabe said,
September 12, 2009 at 1:59 am
My daughter-in-law got her degree (Cornell) studying the Irish.
I remember her saying that Ireland would evolve, but in her own way, not like America.
We Americans like to think that our government is the best (& only) way.
bikehikebabe said,
September 12, 2009 at 2:01 am
Sorry I meant PhD. You don’t get an undergrad degree studying a country.
bikehikebabe said,
September 12, 2009 at 2:22 am
I cut off my comments too soon. My daughterinlaw’s degree was Anthropology. People said to her, “I like to dig too.”
gaelikaa said,
September 12, 2009 at 2:58 am
Grannymar! You’re having a hip operation? When? Don’t worry about Elly! She’ll be fine!
wisewebwoman said,
September 12, 2009 at 3:42 am
Great thought provoking post, GM. I still choke up when I hear the Irish national anthem, but despise the ferocity of it.
One of my father’s party pieces was Danny Boy but he always sang it in Irish. I have tried to find it “as Gaeilge” but can’t. And wasn’t it about a mother and son?
I sometimes despair of peace in our time.
XO
WWW
bikehikebabe said,
September 12, 2009 at 4:05 am
gaelikka, Yes Elly will be fine. The point is GRANNYMAR will be fine!
Grannymar said,
September 12, 2009 at 10:26 am
Baino - that is the very reason why I think flags are for public buildings and events like Olympic Games. I abhor seeing them applied with face paints and worn as shorts or t-shirts.
Marianna - Not an easy subject for me by any manner or means. The interesting thing about the 21 comments so far is that Gaelikaa & WWW are the only ones to have been born on this Island of Ireland. Gaelikaa has lived in India for 15 years and WWW is in Newfoundland.
BHB - Ireland is a beautiful country and could be wonderful if people forgot about the past and the politics, and worked together for tomorrow.
PS I dig people!
Gaelikaa - soon!
WWW - I never heard of Danny Boy “as Gaeilge”, maybe Paddy Bloggit, Conn or Primal might know. I also thought it was about a mother and her son. Can we both be wrong?
Magpie11 said,
September 12, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I know I tease from time to time but I take my hat off to you here.
It would seem that the profusion of anthems across the Irish Sea tells us a lot about that island’s history.
I’m not a Tony Blair who seems to think that saying sorry so late in History can make things right but i do acknowledge my country’s parts in Irish History and we should never forget it.
I watched the clip on You Tube and was not at all surprised at some of the responses posted. I would love to know what the deleted ones said.
If one can move from Anthems to Flags: I was brought up by a man who believed in “My country right or wrong.”… Not really a scoundrel my father, just proud to be English. The cross of St. George being hijacked by the National Front would have sickened him but he never complained about the Ulster Unionists use of it. However that is one thing that makes me very uneasy.
It was Weatherley’s sister in law who sent him a copy of Londonderry Air from America. This reminds me of the work of Francis O’Neill, Chicago Chief of Police in the late 1890’s. He built up and edited a collection of Irish Folk Music from among the Irish immigrants.
Published as O’Neill’s Music of Ireland.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIEy7s_GAcM&NR=1
And then there’s O’Carolan…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARBEBF94Yyg
http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/carolan.htm
See where you take us marianne?
Grannymar said,
September 12, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Magpie, I found you in the spam bucket. Two or more links in a comment make you take the scenic route.
Your mention of apologies reminds of some time back there was talk of the Japanese apologising for what they did during the war. There was one friend of Jack’s who asked every time they met “Did you get your bowl of rice yet”!
Thanks for the links they will keep me out of mischief for awhile.
Maureen said,
September 12, 2009 at 4:47 pm
When I attended public primary school in Canada (many moons ago), we use to sing the first verse of God Save the Queen every morning before the start of school. That along with a reading from the bible.
Our national anthem of “O Canada” was only sang during special assembly, but the Queen was acknowledged daily.
Darlene said,
September 12, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I just checked “Danny Boy” on Wikipedia. Years ago I read that the lyrics were of a father sending his son to war. Wikipedia says the author intended it for a woman to a man, but after that it has been interpreted as a mother to son and, since men are the ones who usually sing it, it has sometimes been “eily to son. Does that mean father?
So I guess we’re all correct and all incorrect, depending on who interpreted it. It was sometimes interpreted as a dying father to his son because of the line “the pipes, the pipes are calling.
In the final analysis I guess we can each interpret it as what feels best to us.
Nancy said,
September 12, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Grannymar,
You have outdone even yourself (And that is not easy)
with your wonderful essay on Ireland,The UK and National Anthems.
I enjoyed reading it very much and learned quite a bit about your Country as I read.
You mentioned “God Save The King/Queen” being the National Anthem of Great Britian and Ireland. I admire your restraint in not mentioning that the tune was stolen from your country and new lyrics were added to make your Anthem OUR Anthem here in America.
The following is from Wikipedia:
“My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”, also known as “America”, is an American patriotic song, whose lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith. The melody is that of the British national anthem, “God Save the King or Queen”, although Smith encountered it by way of a German adaptation. The song served as a de facto national anthem of the United States before the adoption of “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the official anthem.
“My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring!
There are able five more verses but I will spare you having to read them.
Grannymar said,
September 12, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Maureen - I only remember the National Anthem being played at school concerts and never at assembly.
WWW - While searching for some information about Danny Boy I found this Are there Gaelic words to Danny Boy?
Darlene - The Eily is most lightly a shortened version of the name Eileen, very common in Ireland - we had two in out house!
Nancy - My post was very long and I needed to leave you something to write about!
George@CulinaryTravels said,
September 13, 2009 at 2:14 pm
A lovely post Grannymar. Amhrán na bhFiann sends shivers down my spine and drives the feelings of longing and homesickness.
George@CulinaryTravels said,
September 13, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Not a National Anthem but this always brings me to tears:
The Wind That Shakes The Barley:
I sat within the valley green, I sat me with my true love
My sad heart strove the two between, the old love and the new love
The old for her, the new that made me think on Ireland dearly
While soft the wind blew down the glen and shook the golden barley
‘Twas hard the woeful words to frame to break the ties that bound us
But harder still to bear the shame of foreign chains around us
And so I said, “The mountain glen I’ll seek at morning early
And join the bold united men, while soft winds shake the barley”
While sad I kissed away her tears, my fond arms round her flinging
The foeman’s shot burst on our ears from out the wildwood ringing
A bullet pierced my true love’s side in life’s young spring so early
And on my breast in blood she died while soft winds shook the barley
But blood for blood without remorse I’ve taken at Oulart Hollow
And laid my true love’s clay cold corpse where I full soon may follow
As round her grave I wander drear, noon, night and morning early
With breaking heart when e’er I hear the wind that shakes the barley
Grannymar said,
September 13, 2009 at 6:25 pm
George, I actually think a National Anthem means more when you live away from your native homeland.
I never heard ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’ before, thanks for sharing it.