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Tomás Mac Eoin (born 1937) is an Irish sean-nós singer, an affectionate actor, singer, songwriter and poet. He is best known as Tomás ‘Jimmy’ Mac Eoin from An Bóthar Buí in An Cheathrú Rua, Conamara, Galway, Ireland. Irish is the spoken language, although Tomás, like most others in the area, is proficient in English also. As with many people in the West, his life seems to revolve around music. Although probably too modest to ever admit it, he seems to have an unending capacity for song-making. It has been said of him – “the man has forgotten more songs than most people would be able to learn in a lifetime of serious collecting”. Renowned for his old-style or sean-nós singing, he was voted the best sean-nós singer in Ireland in 1967 at the Oireachtas competitions and won the Ó’Riada Trophy.[1]
Tá cailín álainn, a dtug mé grá dhi Sí ‘s deis’ is áille, ná bláth ‘s ná rós Gan í ar láimh liom, is cloíte atá mé Ó a chailín álainn, ‘s tú fáth mo bhróin
Curfá: A chailín álainn, a dtug mé grá duit Ó bí ar láimh liom, mo mhíle stór Ó abair liomsa, gur tú mo ghrá gheal Beidh orm áthas, in áit an bhróin
Nuair a éirím, amach go huaigneach Siúd é an uair, is mó mo bhrón O bím ag smaointeamh, ar an chailín uasal Atá i bhfad uaimse, mo chreach ‘s mo bhrón
Dá dtiocfá liomsa, a chailín álainn Aríst go brách ní, bheadh orm brón Sheinnfinn ceol duit, mar cheol na cláirsí Nó ceol binn smóilín, ‘s an drúcht gheal cheo
There’s a beautiful girl whom I gave my love She is kinder and lovelier than a flower or rose Without her hand in mine, I’m weak O beautiful girl, you’re the cause of my grief
Chorus: O beautiful girl whom I gave my love Give me your hand, my dearest one Tell me that you’re my bright love And there will be happiness upon me instead of sorrow
When I rise, lonely That is the time my sorrow is greatest I think of the precious girl Who is far from me, my ruin and my grief
If you came to me, beautiful girl Ever again, I wouldn’t be sad I would play music for you like music of the harp Or the sweet song of the thrush in the fog’s bright dew
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