This song comes from the book Gaelic Songs in Nova Scotia. I learnt it from Christine Primrose in the Gaelic Song class at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye in 2008.
O teannaibh dlùth is togaibh fonn
Mo chridhe trom air m' aineol
'S mi fad o eilean an damh donn
'S bho thìr nan gleann 's nan gallan
O beir an t-soraidh seo nis bhuam
Thar chuain is chruaich is bheannaibh
A dh' ionnsaigh Muile nam beann fuar
O eilean uaine a' bharraich
Och a Rìgh nach mi bha thall
An tìr nan gleann 's nam bealach
Tìr nan craobh suid tìr mo ghaoil
Nan lagan fraoich is rainnaich
O suid na glinn 's am faighte aoidh
'S na roinn chum taobh na mara
Tha luchd mo ghaoil-s' an diugh ma sgaoil
'S an t-àit fo chaoraich Shasuinn
Gur truagh a' Ghàidhlig bhi 'na càs
O 'n dh' fhalbh na Gàidheil a bh' againn
A ghineil òig tha tighinn 'n an àit'
O togaibh ard a bratach
O sit closer and let us sing a song
My heart is dejected in a strange land
I am far away from the island of the brown stags
And from the land of glens and saplings
O take this greeting from me now
Over the ocean, rounded hills and bens
To Mull of the cold mountains
O green island of the birch trees
Och o Lord I wish I was over there
In the land of dales and mountain-gorges
The land of trees is my own dear land
WIth heather hollows amongst the bracken
O these are the valleys of kindness
Especially in the districts beside the sea
My loved ones have now departed
And their homes are under English sheep-runs
It is a pity Gaelic is in such a precarious state
Since the departure of the Gaels we knew
O youthful race that has replaced them
Unfurl the (Gaelic) banner to its maximum height
This song can be heard on:
Other versions of this song
http://www.celticlyricscorner.net/compilations/oteannaibh.htm
Other songs in Scottish Gaelic | Songs in other languages
[top]
Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com
You can support this site by Buying Me A Coffee, via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways.
If you find all the adverts annoying, there is now an Ad-free version of Omniglot which you can access for a small monthly or annual donation.
This website and its content is copyright of Simon Ager - © Simon Ager 1998-2026. All rights reserved. All images were created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Feel free to use them for personal, educational or non-commercial purposes, and don't forget to mention where they came from. More details about copyright
[top]
