Long live our Celtic Culture and Music! Alba (Scotland), Éire (Ireland), Kernow (Cornwall), Ellan Vannin (Isle of Man), Cymru (Wales), Breizh (Brittany), Norte Portugal (Northern Portugal), Galicia, Asturies (Astúrias), Cantábria.
The fact that my two favorite Scottish singers - Karen Matheson and Robert Robertson - BOTH sing "Canan Nan Gaidheal" is a sign from the heavens that I need to learn this song :D
I don't understand a word of it (I know it's about the Celtic languages struggling to survive and being overrun by English, I looked up the translation once), but I have loved this song ever since I first heard it (I think I was about six or seven years old). Absolutely beautiful song!
what else, altan and capercaillie meeting : big "Ta" for this! 🙂I had no clue Mairead and Karen sang this tune together ; best 2 trad female singers around and my 2 favourite trad bands so far. I had many opportunities to watch them live, for the fist time both in 1995 while in London and over the years here and there ; they are outstanding during sessions. Hello from France!
Due to English intervention my family lost the gaelic but through songs like this I will strive to keep our culture alive for the sake of my grandsons, I ,am half Scots half Irish
Cha b'e sneachda 's an reothadh o thuath Cha b'e an crannadh geur fuar on ear Cha b'e an t-uisge 's na gaillionn on iar Ach an galar a bhlian on deas Blàth, duilleach, stoc agus freumh Cànan mo threubh is mo shluaidh Séist: Thig thugainn, thig cò' ruim gu siar Gus an cluinn sinn ann cànan nam Fèinn Thig thugainn, thig cò' ruim gu siar Gus an cluinn sinn ann cànan nan Gàidheal Nuair chithear fear fèilidh 's a' ghleann Bu chinnteach gur Gàidhlig a chainnt Nuair spìon iad a fhreumh às an fhonn An àite Gàidhlig tha cànan a' Ghoill Is Ghaidhealtachd creadhal nan sonn 'S tìr "mhajors" is "cholonels" 'n-diugh innt' Séist Thoir a-nuas dhuinn na coinnleirean òir 'S annta càraibh na coinnlean geal, cèir Lasaibh suas iad an seòmar a' bhròin Taigh aire seann chànan a' Ghàidheil Se siud o chionn fhad' thuirt an nàmh Ach fhathast tha beò cànan a' Gàidheal Séist Ged a theich i le a beath' às na glinn Ged nach cluinnear a-nis mó i san Dùn O Dhùthaich Mhic Aoidh fada tuath Gu ruig thu Druim Uachdair nam bò 'G iathadh nan Eileanan Siar Si fhathast ann ciad chainnt an t-slòigh Séist 2x It was not the snow and the frost from the north. It was not the sharp, cold withering from the east, It was not the rain and the storms from the west But the plague that seduced from the south The bloom, foliage, stem and root Of the language of my people and of my race. Chorus: Come to us, come along with me to the west Until we hear the language of the heroes, Come to us, come along with me to the west Until we hear the language of the Gaels. When a kilted man was seen in the valley It would be certain that Gàidhig was his language. When they ripped his roots from the ground In the place of Gàidhlig is the foreigners'language And the Gaidhealtachd cradle of heroes Is today the land of majors and colonels. Chorus Pass down to us the golden candlesticks And into them put the white wax candles Light them up in the mourning room Of the wake house of the Gael's old language That's what the enemy has said since long ago But still the Language of the Gael is alive. Chorus Although it has fled with its life from the valleys, Although it is heard no more in the towns From the McKay lands in the far north Right down to Drumochter, famous for cattle, Everywhere in the Western Isles It is still the first language of the people. Chorus 2x
@@cianocionnfhaolaidh8050 Gàidhlig was also once the dominant language of most of the Lowlands, the exception being Lothian. I think it would've become a majority there too, if not for various political outcomes and decisions over the centuries. These things are never static.
I work in a MacIntosh computer store in Oregon USA. I'm a MacAoidh. I turn people onto Karen, this video, celtic music in general, constantly, in the store, it's great. Capercailie my constant companion. This music helps me stay ok wherever I am.
The best of two worlds: The gaelic Ireland and Scotland together in a proud and patriotic traditional, sung by two beautiful lassies and guided by some of the best musicians of the gaelic world. This is music from the heart....... Kate is awesome!
This is some of the best celtic music I have ever heard and seen, ever! And I have listened to a lot of celtic music and I play it and sing it too. It is the perfect combination of music, words and performance. The lyrics are full of gaelic power and yearning for celtic honor, a true monument to the legacy of scottish heroes. Thanks Karen, Mairead, Donnal and all. And of course to Tom for posting. And to Carolpaw: you are privileged to be Murdo´s niece! I propose a toast for ye all! Sláinte!
my mother spoke the Gaelic quite well, i picked up a lot when young. lost a lot over the years as well. fun to confuse the hell out of others sending emails in Gaelic.
Agree she is wonderful, I grew up in the same area as her, but have you ever heard Catherine Anne Mac Phee. Her version of this song and An ataireachd ard, my grandfathers song, are truely amazing. its really nice to see such an interest in my language in Germany. I was amazed to see you can study gaelic in Bonn.
The language of the Gaels It was not the snow and the frost from the north. It was not the sharp, cold withering from the east, It was not the rain and the storms from the west But the plague that seduced from the south The bloom, foliage, stem and root Of the language of my people and of my race. Come to us, come along with me to the west Until we hear the language of the Fein, Come to us, come along with me to the west until we hear the language of the Gaels. When a kilted man was seen in the valley It would be certain that Gàidhig was his language. When they ripped his roots from the ground In the place of Gàidhlig is the foreigners'language And the Gaidhealtachd cradle of heroes Is today the land of majors and colonels. Pass down to us the golden candlesticks And into them put the white waxe candles Light them up in the mourning room Of the wake house of the Gael's old language That's what the enemy has said since long ago But still the Language of the Gael is alive. Although it has fled with its life from the valleys, Although it is heard no more in the towns From the McKay lands in the far north Right down to Drumochter, famous for cattle, Everywhere in the Western Isles It is still the first language of the people.
I knew it! The minute I saw her sweet face and sweeter harmonies, I said, "That sure looks like Mairèad from Altan"--and when I saw the fiddle she was holding, that clinched it!
It is about the destruction of the Gaelic language and culture. It starts off saying "it wasn't storms, rains and snows from the north, east and west...but a plague from the south..."
Duende , eso que nos hace diferentes, Esta señora que canta lo tiene,!, eso que nadie lo ha visto , pero que todo el mundo sabe que existe, gracias por hacernos felices,
Non seulement c'est une femme superbe mais elle chante à la perfection pour ce style de musique ! Merci tomtscotland.***** Not only is a beautiful woman but she sings to perfection for this style of music! Thank you tomtscotland .*****
William: On you tube you can find the same song with Dan Ar Braz, sung by Karen Matheson, under the title "language of the Gaels" with lyrics, both in Gaelic and in English! Enjoy! Oh, by the way millions are in love with Karen I'm sure!
Must teach the grandchildren a few words of the old language before it's gone forever! ! Shame on us all if that happens! ! Irrespective of the hammerings and abuses of all sorts including the ( Irish need not apply ) rules we still managed to keep a modicum of our heritage intact . We the gals are still here ....incognito in many cases. ..but we live.
my grand dad was from Derry, in the north of Ireland and all his memories were of hunger and misery. I guess it is a good thing to know were your people come from, but I don't blame folks for wanting to forget and start over
I have no idea what this talented and gorgeous lass Karen is singing about, but she has my heart won just with her approach and classic looks. "whoop". :-)
So beautiful, Celtic women are easily the most beautiful in the world.Karen is a prime example, love her and her lovely accompanying singer. Great violin solo on this also -yes!!
That IS fantastic news... I hope the 3rd series will be released too. Another bout of beautiful music that was. Personally I think the Celtic languages are amongst the most beautiful in the world to lisen to. If only I could understand and speak...
Interesting how Karen Matheson adds a quick wolf bark at just the right spot/timing within the songs that she sings, when I hear it it makes me believe that she has strong instincts on the right time to bark. . .Great Video!
Awesome! I loved this sessions! Thanks to youtube and your upload I can enjoy them! It's a pity that many languages are getting lost. I wish I could have known the one of my land (Cantabria) meanwhile, I support these other ones! Alba gu bráth!
Excellent music with an interesting discussion in the comments section. I appreciate you guys keeping it civil, yet giving some enlightening information. The history of that region is complex and long.
hi, thanks so much for directing me to that vid. i would like to learn this language at some point, ever since i was on the isle of mull i've loved this language and the culture
Brilliant song and message indeed. I've just read many of the comments on this video and many mention the roman/celt confrontation. BUT in this song, that enemy/plague coming from the south..."to blight blossom, leaf, stalk and root the language of my people and my race" is NOT the roman empire, BUT the english language and its carriers.
@@rippedtorn2310 Nach fíor í an ráiteas sin! Bíonn siad fós an chosúil lena chéile, gan aon deabht ann. Táimídne anseo agus sibhse thall, agus na dhá teangacha ceangailte le chéile :)
The land of my ancestors calls to me. I cannot even begin to tell you how deep this music resonates within me. It looks like I have been tasked with learning Gaelic. I know this song has a Y/T entry with the English translation but I owe it to my ancestors to learn it "old school." And what a beautiful voice she has!
Since my English book in school displayed the Celts as a vanished people (It did not point out who did it. Hm, I wonder why?) I was filled for years with a sadness of this once so huge people having disappeared. Years later I learned that some Celts still exist, but that their language(s) have died (Cornish, Welsh, Scottish) and the last remnants slowly die too. Man I am so happy to realise, that during the last two decades the Celtic heritage revives! Go on Celts, drop the foreign tongues!
Thanks - since posting my original query, I soon after discovered the TS series and have had a marvellous time watching & listening to them. Try Sarah Jarosz with Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas et al 'Run Away' - breathtaking.
There has been two series - the first was back in 1995. Basically folk, country and celtic type music with artists from both sides of the Atlantic. The 3rd series starts at 8.30pm on BBC4 and BBC(Scotland) on the 14th September - so check it out. Simon is on some of the tracks from previous series.
I have a recording of this song by Catherine-Ann MacPhee, on an album called "Scotland, the Real:Music from Contemporary Caledonia". Very nice to hear this other version. -jcr
Me encnato la musica, pense que era ruso, ya leí que es celta. Al fin la musica es universal. (Love the music, I thought it was russian, I read here is celtic. In the end, music is universal) Gracias, Tom from scotland
@DerekMoncur: Karen Matheson is singer of the scottish band "Capercaillie" since 1984. This band has recorded nearly 20 cds since than. The half of the songs is in english, the other half in scotish gaelic. So where is the problem? This lady records in english and gaelic, and the gaelic songs are all translated. You can find the english lyrics in music labels and online shops - if you search for! This was my way to this language, I got these lyrics here in less then 2 hours.....
Both series 1 and series 2 are scheduled to be released. Pelicula Films say they hope to release before the current series ends. Current series started last Friday BBC2 and BBC4 at 8.30pm with BBC4 repeating in wee sma' hours of Saturday Morning.
Hardly, surprising-the song is common to both Scotland and Donegal (well, Ulster), and the other woman singing in this version is Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh of Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal (as well as of Altan). The Irish version, called Teangaidh na nGael (meaning Language of the Gaels in Ulster Irish, just like Cànan nan Gael does in Scottish), is also available on RU-vid.
