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{{short description|Irish poem}} {{short description|Irish poem}}
'''Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire''' or the ''Lament for ]'' is an ] ] composed by his wife ]. It has been described as the greatest poem written in either Ireland or Britain during the eighteenth century.<ref>{{cite book |title=Irish Classics |last=Kiberd |first=Declan |year=2000 |publisher=Granta Books }}</ref> '''Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire''' or the ''Lament for ]'' is an ] ] composed in the main by his wife ], a member of the Gaelic gentry of ] in the 18th century. It has been described as the greatest poem written in either Ireland or Britain during the eighteenth century.<ref>{{cite book |title=Irish Classics |last=Kiberd |first=Declan |year=2000 |publisher=Granta Books }}</ref>


The late eighteenth-century poem is one of the greatest laments ever written, and one of the greatest ] in the ]. Eibhlín composed it on the subject of the death of her husband Art on 4 May 1773. It details the murder at ''Carraig an Ime'', ], of Art, at the hands of the British official Abraham Morris, and the aftermath. It is one of the key texts in the corpus of Irish ]. The poem was composed ] and follows the rhythmic and societal conventions associated with keening and the traditional Irish ] respectively. The ''Caoineadh'' is divided into five parts composed in the main over the dead body of her husband at the time of the wake and later when Art was re-interred in Kilcrea. Eibhlín composed it on the subject of the death of her husband Art on 4 May 1773. It concerns the murder at ''Carraig an Ime'', ], of Art, at the hands of the Anglo-Irish official Abraham Morris, and the aftermath. It is one of the key texts in the corpus of Irish ]. The poem was composed ] and follows the rhythmic and societal conventions associated with keening and the traditional Irish ] respectively. The ''Caoineadh'' is divided into five parts composed in the main over the dead body of her husband at the time of the wake and later when Art was re-interred in Kilcrea.<ref>Ó Tuama, Seán (ed.) (1963, 1979 reprint). ''Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire''. An Clóchomhar Tta., Baile Átha Cliath: pp. 17-24.</ref>


Parts of the ''Caoineadh'' take the form of a verbal duel between Eibhlín and Art's sister. The acrimonious dialogue between the two women shows the disharmony between their two prominent families. Parts of the ''Caoineadh'' take the form of a verbal duel between Eibhlín and Art's sister. The acrimonious dialogue between the two women shows the disharmony between their two prominent families.


⚫ ] made an English verse translation which was published in a bilingual anthology, ''An Duanaire - Poems of the Dispossessed: an anthology of Gaelic poems'', edited by Seán Ó Tuama (Dolmen Press, Portlaoise 1981 {{ISBN|0-85105-363-7}}). Another verse translation was the work of ] and this was included in Brendan Kennelly's anthology ''The Penguin Book of Irish Verse'' (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1970; pp.&nbsp;78–86).
It is likely the ''Caoineadh'' was unwritten and handed down as part of the Irish oral tradition. It was transcribed in about 1800 by the scribe and poet ] from a rendering by ] of ], Co.Cork.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-01-15|title=An Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire|url=http://www.millstreet.ie/blog/2011/01/15/nora-ni-shindile|access-date=2020-09-26|website=Millstreet.ie}}</ref> Ní Shíndile was a professional keener or ''bean caointe.''


==The text==
⚫ ] made an English verse translation which was published in ''An Duanaire - Poems of the Dispossessed: an anthology of Gaelic poems'', edited by Seán Ó Tuama (Dolmen Press, Portlaoise 1981 {{ISBN|0-85105-363-7}}). Another verse translation was the work of ] and this was included in Brendan Kennelly's anthology ''The Penguin Book of Irish Verse'' (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1970; pp.&nbsp;78–86).

Traditional laments were always composed and sung ''extempore'', sometimes by a relative, at other times by a skilled professional. They incorporated traditional themes: the deceased is praised, his exploits remembered, vengeance threatened on his enemies, and he himself called back to life.<ref>ibid., pp. 22-23.</ref> All these themes are to be found in the ''Caoineadh''.

The greater part of the ''Caoineadh'' was composed by Eibhlín Dubh, with contributions from Art's father and sister. It survived in the oral tradition in various versions, the two most complete being supplied by Nóra Ní Shíndile from Boolymore (An Bhuaile Mhór), near Millstreet (Sráid an Mhuilinn) in ], who died in 1873 in extreme old age. Ní Shíndile was a professional keener or ''bean caointe''. The lament was transcribed by the scribe and poet ].<ref>Ibid., p. 9.</ref> The ] ] published two fragments of Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire in 1965, including the music; the first fragment was collected from Máire Bhean Uí Chonaill in Baile Bhuirne (Ballyvourney), County Cork, in 1941, and the second from Labhras Ó Cadhlaigh, who learned it from his mother. These two fragments and traditional laments collected elsewhere in Ireland all use variants of the same melody.<ref>Breandán Ó Madagáin, "Ceol an Chaointe," in Ó Madagáin, Breandán (ed.) (1978), ''Gnéithe den Chaointeoireacht'', An Clóchomhar Tta..</ref>

Part of the text runs as follows:

::Mo chara thu is mo chuid!
::A mharcaigh an chlaímh ghil,
::Éirigh suas anois,
::Cuir ort do chulaith
::Éadaigh uasail ghlain,
::Cuir ort do bhéabhar dubh,
::Tarraing do lámhainní umat.
::Siúd í in airde d'fhuip,
::Sin í do láir amuigh.
::Buailse an bóthar caol úd soir
::Mar a maolóidh romhat na toir,
::Mar a gcaolóidh romhat an sruth,
::Mar a n-umhlóidh romhat mná is fir,
::Má tá a mbéasa féin acu -
::'S is baolach liomsa ná fuil anois.<ref>Ibid., p. 39.</ref>

(''My friend and my darling! Horseman of the bright sword, rise up now, put on your spotless, noble clothes, put on your black hat, draw on your gloves. Up there hangs your whip, there outside is your mare. Travel that narrow road east where the bushes shall bend before you, where the stream will narrow before you, where women and men will bow to you, if they have their manners - though I fear they have lost them now.'')


==Literary references to the ''Caoineadh''== ==Literary references to the ''Caoineadh''==

* ] has argued that the lament would have been originally sung, and very likely would have been sung to a melody that is still in existence. He demonstrates this in his work ''Keening and other Old Irish Musics'' (Clo Iar-Chonnachta, 2006), which includes a recording of the keen sung to a likely traditional melody.
*] (son of ]) has arranged '''Caoineadh Airt Ui Laoghaire''' to be sung, most famously by the ]. *] (son of ]) has arranged '''Caoineadh Airt Ui Laoghaire''' to be sung, most famously by the ].
*Professor Patricia Rubio notes the similarities between '''Caoineadh Airt Ui Laoghaire''' and ]'s "]".<ref name="sh1">{{cite web|url=http://www.skidmore.edu/fye/bat/Heaney.html |title=The Burial at Thebes |work=Heaney |publisher=Prof. Patricia Rubio and Prof. Michael Arnush |access-date=2006-09-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517090138/http://www.skidmore.edu/fye/bat/Heaney.html |archive-date=2006-05-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref> *Professor Patricia Rubio notes the similarities between '''Caoineadh Airt Ui Laoghaire''' and ]'s "]".<ref name="sh1">{{cite web|url=http://www.skidmore.edu/fye/bat/Heaney.html |title=The Burial at Thebes |work=Heaney |publisher=Prof. Patricia Rubio and Prof. Michael Arnush |access-date=2006-09-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517090138/http://www.skidmore.edu/fye/bat/Heaney.html |archive-date=2006-05-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Revision as of 03:18, 10 February 2021

Irish poem

Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire or the Lament for Art Ó Laoghaire is an Irish keen composed in the main by his wife Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill, a member of the Gaelic gentry of County Kerry in the 18th century. It has been described as the greatest poem written in either Ireland or Britain during the eighteenth century.

Eibhlín composed it on the subject of the death of her husband Art on 4 May 1773. It concerns the murder at Carraig an Ime, County Cork, of Art, at the hands of the Anglo-Irish official Abraham Morris, and the aftermath. It is one of the key texts in the corpus of Irish oral literature. The poem was composed extempore and follows the rhythmic and societal conventions associated with keening and the traditional Irish wake respectively. The Caoineadh is divided into five parts composed in the main over the dead body of her husband at the time of the wake and later when Art was re-interred in Kilcrea.

Parts of the Caoineadh take the form of a verbal duel between Eibhlín and Art's sister. The acrimonious dialogue between the two women shows the disharmony between their two prominent families.

Thomas Kinsella made an English verse translation which was published in a bilingual anthology, An Duanaire - Poems of the Dispossessed: an anthology of Gaelic poems, edited by Seán Ó Tuama (Dolmen Press, Portlaoise 1981 ISBN 0-85105-363-7). Another verse translation was the work of Frank O'Connor and this was included in Brendan Kennelly's anthology The Penguin Book of Irish Verse (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1970; pp. 78–86).

The text

Traditional laments were always composed and sung extempore, sometimes by a relative, at other times by a skilled professional. They incorporated traditional themes: the deceased is praised, his exploits remembered, vengeance threatened on his enemies, and he himself called back to life. All these themes are to be found in the Caoineadh.

The greater part of the Caoineadh was composed by Eibhlín Dubh, with contributions from Art's father and sister. It survived in the oral tradition in various versions, the two most complete being supplied by Nóra Ní Shíndile from Boolymore (An Bhuaile Mhór), near Millstreet (Sráid an Mhuilinn) in County Cork, who died in 1873 in extreme old age. Ní Shíndile was a professional keener or bean caointe. The lament was transcribed by the scribe and poet Éamonn de Bhál. The musicologist Liam Ó Noraidh published two fragments of Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire in 1965, including the music; the first fragment was collected from Máire Bhean Uí Chonaill in Baile Bhuirne (Ballyvourney), County Cork, in 1941, and the second from Labhras Ó Cadhlaigh, who learned it from his mother. These two fragments and traditional laments collected elsewhere in Ireland all use variants of the same melody.

Part of the text runs as follows:

Mo chara thu is mo chuid!
A mharcaigh an chlaímh ghil,
Éirigh suas anois,
Cuir ort do chulaith
Éadaigh uasail ghlain,
Cuir ort do bhéabhar dubh,
Tarraing do lámhainní umat.
Siúd í in airde d'fhuip,
Sin í do láir amuigh.
Buailse an bóthar caol úd soir
Mar a maolóidh romhat na toir,
Mar a gcaolóidh romhat an sruth,
Mar a n-umhlóidh romhat mná is fir,
Má tá a mbéasa féin acu -
'S is baolach liomsa ná fuil anois.

(My friend and my darling! Horseman of the bright sword, rise up now, put on your spotless, noble clothes, put on your black hat, draw on your gloves. Up there hangs your whip, there outside is your mare. Travel that narrow road east where the bushes shall bend before you, where the stream will narrow before you, where women and men will bow to you, if they have their manners - though I fear they have lost them now.)

Literary references to the Caoineadh

"My rider of the bright eyes,
What happened you yesterday?
I thought you in my heart,
When I bought your fine clothes,
A man the world could not slay."
Also, a fictional San Juan street mentioned frequently in the novel is "Calle O'Leary", possibly another reference to the poem (Art Ó Laoghaire's name is anglicized as Art O'Leary).
  • Christopher Tin used an excerpt of this song in his debut album, Calling All Dawns.
  • Although set in 1980s Dublin, to which the hero, Arthur Cleary, returns after a decade working in European factories, Dermot Bolger's long poem, "The Lament for Authur Cleary", first published in 1986, is inspired by - and makes numerous subtle references to Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire. In 1990 Bolger turned his poem into a play of the same name that received the Samuel Beckett Prize.
  • Poet and author Doireann Ní Ghríofa wrote A Ghost in the Throat (Tramp Press), 2020, a autobiographal search into the life of the Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill, after being touched by this poem.

Adaptations of the Caoineadh

Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoire (1975)
- A postmodern film adaptation in English and Irish, Dir: Bob Quinn Wri: Bob Quinn, Seosamh O'Cuaig, Mairtín MacDonncha DOP: Joe Comerford Starring: John Arden, Séan Bán Breathnach, Caitlín Ní Dhonncha

Bás Arto Leary (2012)
Dir: Luke McManus Wri: Manchán Magan DOP: Suzie Lavelle Starring: Kelly Gough, Owen McDonnell, Lochlainn O'Mearain, Aoife Nic Ardghail

See also

References

  1. Kiberd, Declan (2000). Irish Classics. Granta Books.
  2. Ó Tuama, Seán (ed.) (1963, 1979 reprint). Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire. An Clóchomhar Tta., Baile Átha Cliath: pp. 17-24.
  3. ibid., pp. 22-23.
  4. Ibid., p. 9.
  5. Breandán Ó Madagáin, "Ceol an Chaointe," in Ó Madagáin, Breandán (ed.) (1978), Gnéithe den Chaointeoireacht, An Clóchomhar Tta..
  6. Ibid., p. 39.
  7. "The Burial at Thebes". Heaney. Prof. Patricia Rubio and Prof. Michael Arnush. Archived from the original on 2006-05-17. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
  8. "Tom McIntyre biography". coislife. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2012-05-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/shes-there-in-that-gathering-of-ghosts-i-carry-with-me-author-doireann-ni-ghriofa-on-the-18th-century-poet-who-has-haunted-her-since-her-teens-39466396.html

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