Seoithín Seothó

Hushaby, Hush
This is a traditional Irish lullaby arranged by Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Éamon Doorley, Oisín McAuley and Shane McGow more...

This is a traditional Irish lullaby arranged by Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Éamon Doorley, Oisín McAuley and Shane McGowan. It appears on Muireann’s solo debut album Daybreak: Fáinne an Lae, released in 2006. From Dingle in the Kerry Gaeltacht, Muireann has a musical family background. She is a singer and a flute player and a member of the group Danú.

From joeheaney.org

Well, this is an old lullaby they all sang – Seoithín, seo hó, mo stór é mo leanbh. Now, I remember my grandmother singing this for my youngest sister, and she used to hum…after she sang the verse, she used to hum, too. Something like this. Now, telling the little child that the fairies was on top of the house ready to take him away if he didn’t close his eyes. If he closed his eyes, everything was alright. But, as I said before, sometimes it worked – sometimes it didn’t. But this is what they used to do.

The practice of humming, or crónán, is associated with lullabies and other types of ‘private singing.’ For a lullaby-song in English, see ‘The Fairy Boy’. As Joe explains on a number of occasions, there was a belief that children were in danger of being abducted by fairies and exchanged for an old or sickly fairy – a ‘changeling’ – that would inhabit the child’s body, and soon die. For this reason, threats about fairies were sometimes included in lullabies in order to persuade the child to close his eyes; see also ‘Dún do shúil’ (a fragment of which Joe also sings here) and ‘Tháinig bean chois leasa.’ Other items from Joe’s repertoire which relate to the belief that people can be stolen by the fairies include The Changeling, The Fairy Frog, The Fairy Greyhound, The Woman Who Came Back from the Dead and Why children are stolen by the fairies.

Do you have any further information about this song? Edit this page and help us expand this section. ^close

Irish

English

Chorus:
Seoithín seothó,
My treasure is my child
My jewel without a sharp point
My part of the big world
Seoithín seothó
Isn't it a great joy
My little treasure in his bed
Asleep without sorrow
Sleep well, child of my heart
May you always be
Safe and happy
Forever be yours
May God bless you
You reinforce nurse members
Téiríg sleep
Without going bíogadh day

At the top of the house
There are bright fairies
Playing and disporting
Under the soft moonlight
Here they come now
To call to my child
Wishing to lure him
Into the big fairy fort
Bravo, sweetheart
They will not succeed in enticing you
With the cleverness of their tricks
Or the sweetness of their music
I am by your side praying
For blessings on you
Seoithín, little one
You will not go with them

(Chorus)

Before my darling
Tenderly and kind
The loving eyes of angels
Are looking towards him
With great, strong love
Enticing him away
For heaven would be more beautiful
To them if he does
Love of my heart
Lie back in your bead
You will stay a while
Beside your mam
Nothing to me before God
Are my sport and pleasure
My earthly shape
Along with my pride

Seoithín seothó
My treasure is my child
My jewel without a sharp point
My part of the big world
Seoithín seothó
Isn't it a great joy
My little treasure in his bed
Asleep without sorrow

Can you provide a better translation?

Chords

We will work out the chords for you on request.