Sean Nós (Old Style) is Irish music that does not need musical accompaniment. It is a style that is elegant, drawn out, and beautiful. Here you will be able to find a selection of traditional Sean Nós songs with accompanying lyrics in Irish and English.
Seothín Seothó – Ár nÁthair – Sé do Bheatha
Le Fáinne Geal an Lae – Oró Sé do Bheatha Abhaile
Seothín Seothó
This is a lullaby that I sing every night to my daughters. For my first daughter I have sung it to her nearly every evening of her life. I had not ever found a completely standardized version of this song, so I combined what I had found and regularized the tune for the whole song to make it work together. The basis of my tune is that sung by Joe Heaney (Seosamh Ó hÉanaí). Enjoy!
Gaeilge:
Seothín, Seothó,
Mo stór é mo leanbh.
Mo sheod gan a chealg, mo chuid den tsaol mór.
Seothín, Seothó,
Nach mór é an taitneamh,
Mo stór in a leaba ag chodladh gan brón.
A leanbh mo chléibh, go n-éirí do chodladh leat,
A séan a sonas a choíche in do chur,
Tá míse le do thaobh ag guí ort na mbeannacht,
O téirigh ag chodladh gan bíogadh go lá.
Ar mhullach an tí, tá síogaí geala,
Faoin chaoin-ré an t-earraigh ag imirt is ól.
Seo hiad aniar ag ghlaoch ar mo leanbh,
Le mian é a tharraingt isteach sa líos mór.
Comhghairdeas mo chroí,
Ní bhfaighfidh siad do mhealladh,
Le brí a gcleas ná le binneas a gceoil,
Tá mise le do thaobh ag guí ort na mbeannacht,
O seothín mo leanbh, ní himtheo tú leo.
Béarla
Show-heen, show-ho,
My treasure is my child,
My gem without flaw, my share in the big world.
Show-heen, show-ho,
Doesn’t she shine,
My child in her bed sleeping without sadness.
O child of my heart, may you sleep well,
May fortune and health forever be yours,
I am at your side saying prayers over you,
O go to sleep without startling ’til day.
On the roof of the house, there are bright faeries,
Under the spring moon, playing and drinking.
Here they come from the west calling on my child,
Drawing my treasure into the big faerie hill.
Congratulations, my love,
They fail to deceive you,
Despite the strength of their trick and the sweetness of their song.
I am at your side saying prayers over you.
O show-heen my baby, don’t run off with them.
Ár nAthair
This song is the Our Father in Irish. Typically when encountering a sung version of this prayer, I have only ever encountered one type of tune. Listening to that tune, however, made me uncomfortable. There was some strange division right in the middle of a phrase of the prayer, something that didn’t make any sense to me. Selfish or not I came up with my own tune for the song, one that I think flows a lot better. Imitating the Sean Nós style, this is what I came up with. I sing it every night for my girls.
Gaeilge:
Ár nAthair,
tá ar neamh,
go naofar d’ainm.
Go dtaga do ríocht,
go ndéantar do thoil
ar an talamh,
mar a dhéantar ar neamh.
Ár n-arán laethúil tabhair dúinn inniu,
agus maith dúinn ár bhfiacha,
mar a mhaithimidne dár bhféichiúna féin,
agus ná lig sinn i gcathú,
ach saor sinn ó olc.
Amen.
Béarla:
Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
On earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Sé do Bheatha
This song is the Hail Mary in Irish. I could not find a previously sung version of this prayer, so the tune was crafted entirely by me. It is melodically related to my version of the Our Father.
Gaeilge:
Sé do bheatha, a Mhuire, atá lán de ghrásta, tá an Tiarna leat.
Is beannaithe thú idir mná,
agus is beannaithe toradh do bhroinne, Íosa.
A Naomh-Mhuire, a Mháthair Dé,
guigh orainn na peacaigh,
anois, agus ar uair ár mbáis.
Amen.
Béarla:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the our of our death.
Amen
Le Fáinne Geal an Lae
This song is a good and old one. An Uilleann Piper has told me that the song is used for marching, and my first exposure was through TG4, where they had at least five very different sounding individuals sing for the same video in regular Sean Nós. Either way, it is also a popular song, and seems good to me to know and learn.
Gaeilge:
Maidin moch do ghabhas amach,
Ar bhruach Locha Léin.
An Samhradh ag teacht is an chraobh len’ ais,
Is ionrach te ón ngréin,
Ar thaisteal dom trí bhailte poirt,
Is bánta míne réidhe,
Cé a gheobhainn le m’ais ach an chailín deas,
Le fáinne geal an lae.
Ní raibh bróg ná stoca, caidhp ná clóc,
Ar mo stóirín óg ón speir,
Ach folt fionn órga síos go troigh,
Ag fás go barr an fhéir.
Bhí calán crúite aici ina glaic,
‘S ar dhrúcht ba dheas a scéimh.
Do rug barr gean ar Bhéineas deas,
Le fáinne geal an lae.
Do shuigh an bhrídoeg síos le m’ais,
Ar an bhinse glas den fhéar.
Ag magadh léi, bhíos dá maíomh go pras,
Mar mhnaoi nach scarfainn léi.
‘S é dúirt sí liomsa, “Imigh uaim,
Is scaoil ar siúl mé a réic.”
Sin iad aneas na soilse ag teacht,
Le fáinne geal an lae.
Béarla:
One morning early I went out
On the shore of Lough Leinn
The leafy trees of summertime
And the warm rays of the sun
As I wandered through the townlands
And the luscious grassy plains
Who should I meet but a beautiful maid
At the dawning of the day
Not a shoe, nor sock, nor cape, nor cloak
Had the maiden from the sky
Her golden hair in tresses hung
And touched the grass up high
In her hand she held a milking pail
In the dew she looked so fair
Her beauty excelled even Helen of Troy
At the dawning of the day
The young maiden sat by my side
On a green grassy bench
Joking her and claiming
That I’d never part with her
She turned and said, “Please go away
You are not wide awake”
Here come the lights, I must be gone
With the dawning of the day
Oró Sé do Bheatha Abhaile
This is a traditional Irish song that has seen its own adaptations over the years. It has roots with much older characters and a much older setting, but within the last century it was reworked with modern figures to help the song resonate with Irish rebels. It is an extremely popular Irish tune.
Gaeilge:
Óró, sé do bheatha ‘bhaile,
Óró, sé do bheatha ‘bhaile,
Óró, sé do bheatha ‘bhaile
Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh.
‘Sé do bheatha, a bhean ba léanmhar,
Do b’ é ár gcreach thú bheith i ngéibheann,
Do dhúiche bhreá i seilbh méirleach,
Is tú díolta leis na Gallaibh.
Óró, sé do bheatha ‘bhaile, (x3)
Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh.
Tá Gráinne Mhaol ag teacht thar sáile,
Óglaigh armtha léi mar gharda,
Gaeil iad féin is ní Frainc ná Spáinnigh,
Is cuirfidh siad ruaig ar Ghallaibh.
Óró, sé do bheatha ‘bhaile, (x3)
Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh.
A bhuí le Rí na bhFeart go bhfeiceam,
Mura mbeam beo ina dhiaidh ach seachtain,
Gráinne Mhaol agus míle gaiscíoch,
Ag fógairt fáin ar Ghallaibh.
Óró, sé do bheatha ‘bhaile, (x3)
Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh.
Béarla:
Oh-ro You’re welcome home,
Oh-ro You’re welcome home,
Oh-ro You’re welcome home,
Now that summer’s coming.
Welcome oh woman who was so afflicted,
It was our ruin that you were in bondage,
Our fine land in the possession of thieves,
And you sold to the foreigners.
Oh-ro You’re welcome home (x3)
Now that summer’s coming.
Gráinne O’Malley is coming over the sea,
Armed warriors along with her as her guard,
They’re Irish themselves, not French nor Spanish,
And they will rout the foreigners!
Oh-ro You’re welcome home (x3)
Now that summer’s coming.
May it please the King of Miracles that we might see,
Although we may live for a week once after,
Gráinne Mhaol and a thousand warriors,
Dispersing the foreigners.
Oh-ro You’re welcome home (x3)
Now that summer’s coming.