Early Gaelic Harp Info: Lays: tunes

This page lists lay tunes which were notated in print or in manuscript, without texts. They date from the 18th and 19th century. Because they were presented as untexted airs, they usually appear to have had their rythym regularised, and so I have presented them here as unmeasured. Where possible I have used bars to indicate a division into lines of poetry. I have also transposed them all to G.

Pádraig Ó Néill music book 3 (NLI MS44.806/3), c.1780-1800
This air is mentioned in Eoghan Ó Néill, The Golden Vale of Ivowen, Geography Publications, 2001, p.276. I have not seen a copy of this tune.

Lá Dá raibh an Féin ...

Patrick McDonald, 1784. Tunes no.115-122
In the Taigh na Teud edition (2000) these airs are linked to the Romantic creations of John Smith (1780), and no. 122 appears with Smith's text in the Maclean-Clephane manuscripts.

No. 59, Bas Dhiarmid O Duinn - The death of Dermid

Click here for the Tobair an Dualchais recording of William Matheson demonstrating this tune with the words of Laoidh Dhiarmaid

No. 115, Dán Dheirg Dargo - A very ancient air

Click here for the Tobair an Dualchais recording of William Matheson demonstrating this tune with the words of Dán Dheirg

No. 116, Laoidh Ghara ’snam ban - An ancient air

Click here for the Tobair an Dualchais recording of William Matheson demonstrating this tune with the words of Laoidh Gharaidh ’s nam Ban

No. 117, Ossian an déigh nam Fion - Ossian’s soliloquy on the death of all his contemporary Heroes

Click here for the Tobair an Dualchais recording of William Matheson demonstrating this tune with the words of Oisean an dèidh na Fèinne

No. 118, Laoidh an amadain mhoir - An ancient air

Click here for the Tobair an Dualchais recording of William Matheson demonstrating this tune with the words of Laoidh an Amadain Mhòir

No. 119, Tha sgeul beag agam air fionn - An ancient air

Click here for the Tobair an Dualchais recording of William Matheson demonstrating this tune with the words of Tha Sgeul beag Agam air Fionn

No. 120, Dàn Liughair - An ancient air

Click here for the Tobair an Dualchais recording of William Matheson demonstrating this tune with the words of Dàn Liuthair

No. 121, Dán Fhraoich - An ancient air

Click here for the Tobair an Dualchais recording of William Matheson demonstrating this tune with the words of Laoidh Fhraoich

No. 122, Manus

Click here for the Tobair an Dualchais recording of William Matheson demonstrating this tune with the words of Laoidh Mhànuis

John Bowie, 1789. p.32, three airs by Fingal.
These three airs seem to go together as a set. They form part of a selection of tunes that were originally said to be collected from the harp playing of John Robertson of Lude (d.1731). It's been suggested by Alasdair Codona that the middle air may be for Laoidh an Amadain Mhòir; the first and last may be instrumental compositions on the heroic theme.

Air by Fingal

Bunting ms 33(4), written by James Cody, c. 1800. f39v

Nuail Dhúbha Dhéirdre

Simon Fraser, 1816. Tunes no. 27, 28 & 129.

no.27 Dàn Oisein. “Ossianic Air”, Communicated by Sir John Sinclair Bart.

Sir John Sinclair also also provided this same tune to Bunting and Gow.

no.28 Fonn gnathaichte do bhriathraibh Oisein. “Another Air to which Ossian is recited”

no.129 Fonn air Dàin Féinne “A Fingalian Air”

Bunting ms 33(5), written by Edward Bunting, c. 1830s.
Bunting's piano arrangement of the first was published in 1840. The second appears in the ms with Irish words taken from a published book.

f5v Air of the Clan Uisneach

f6r Argan More, Battle of Eragon

Angus Fraser ms (1858)
This is on p. 20 of the 1996 Taigh na Teud edition. The note says “Genuine Ossianic air from Hector McKenzie of Gairloch 1858 78 years - heard from an old man in Gairloch...”

Comhraig Bhrain 's a choin dubh

Logan, 1876

no. IX, Cumhadh Fhinn, Ossian's Lament for his Father

The Death of Fraoch, published for J. MacCormick and W. Muir (Ritchie, Iona, 1887)

Reproduced in Frances Tolmie, A. G. Gilchrist, Lucy E. Broadwood, George Henderson and J. A. Fuller-Maitland, ‘Ancient Heroic Lays’, Journal of the Folk-Song Society Vol. 4, No. 16, December 1911, p. 247. I have not seen the original 1887 print and I do not know if there are words to this setting, which was collected from the singing of Mr. MacCormick.

Stanford-Petrie 1905

no. 1205, Sciath luineach Dhuine. An ancient Hymn. Also the melody of Ossian’s poem of Tale

For discussion and demonstration of this tune, see Breandán Ó Madagáin, Caointe agus Seancheolta Eile.

Marjory Kennedy-Fraser, Songs of the Hebrides vol 2, 1917
This book of Romantic piano arrangements includes a few lays. Some are presented with their Gaelic texts, and these can be found on my Transcriptions page. Others are presented with texts taken from earlier published versions, and so for these I present just the 1917 published melody here.

Laoidh an Amadain Mhóir (page 38-41)
Air collected from Kirsty MacKinnon, Eigg.

References.

Simon Chadwick