In 2013, Clannad (one of my favourite bands) came out with their newest album, Nรกdรบr, and after seven years, it appears that still no one has taken the trouble to transcribe the lyrics of these songs and to make them available online. I did this song just now, and I thought I would share it here for anyone who may be searching the web for just that.
A Quiet Town
Moraira is an old fishing town
The Christians came here long ago
And they worked and toiled with love and devotion Read More
Idir dhรก lรกimh daoine fรญuntach
Scrรญobh an agham i mBanba รณir
I nglas bรฉinne fial รณ nรกdรบir
Fonn ceoil i mBanba รณir
There is so much I could say about the emerald isle. Of all the places I roamed in Europe, the Irish were the most friendly to us strangers, and of course having a love for Ireland before I even got there certainly helped. My sister and I rented bikes in Killarney and explored the National Park there, admiring the lakes, mountains, and castle. On our adventures we crossed a small waterway which my sister called a creek, whereat I replied, “No, it’s a brook, don’t you know? We’re in Ireland!”
We bought red Irish cheddar at the grocery store for lunch, and made it up to Dublin, where we saw Riverdance and viewed that ancient old manuscript, the Book of Kells. Not wanting to make a days trip across the island to see cliffs, we contented ourselves with the cliffs of Howth, just outside of Dublin. We stayed in a hostel in Tralee, where I accidentally left my jacket, and subsequently we were scouring all the charity shops in Ireland in search of another jacket, knowing winter was on its way. Due to a disappointing mixup concerning our planned flight to Spain, we stayed in Cork an extra two days, and enjoyed that seaside town.
And I can’t forget the music! My preliminary plans to go to a concert there didn’t work out, but there was no shortage of street musicians, and we enjoyed those immensely. My sister enjoyed the fact that everyone spoke English (I was hoping to hear more Gaelic, myself), and both of us agree that Ireland is definitely on the list of places to return to someday.
Moya Brennan (Gaelic: Mรกire Nรญ Bhraonรกin) is the lead singer for the Irish band Clannad, whose music I have come to love.ย I was going to post a video from YouTube of “Against the Wind,” one of my favorite songs of hers from her first solo album.ย However, this proved to be non-embeddable, so you can go look at it there if you wish:ย Against the Wind.ย And here are a couple of other videos, the first a traditional Irish folk song, and the other a song she wrote for her latest album.