“Geaftai Bhaile Atha Bui (The Gates of Ballaghbuoy)”

Description

Gaelic. Singer leads Mary astray but falls asleep, leaving her a virgin. His heart "is coal-black ... And for nine days I've wrestled with very death itself." Advice: "women are all guile; ... sleep the more soundly without them"

Notes

The translations in Tunney-SongsThunder and Bell/O Conchubhair are very close and are the basis for the description. - BS

Cross references

References

  1. Tunney-SongsThunder, pp. 35-37, "Geaftai Bhaile Atha Bui" (1 text)
  2. ADDITIONAL: Bell/O Conchubhair, Traditional Songs of the North of Ireland, pp. 73-74, "Geaftai Bhaile Ath Bui" ("The Gates of Athboy") [Gaelic and English]
  3. BI, TST035

About

Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1991 (Tunney-SongsThunder)
Found in: Ireland