Notes

In his book Old Irish Folk Music and Songs, P.W. Joyce gives a tune called Bean an Tábhairne and observes that there is a tune by the same name in the Stanford-Petrie collection. Joyce doesn’t give any words. Fionán Mac Coluim published a song from Uíbh Ráthach called Bó an Róistigh nó Bean a’ Tabhairne in An Lóchrann in the summer of 1927 and he, too, gave a tune from Petrie: number 1498. This song has some similarities to Goodman’s text but it has suffered corruption in the transmission.

Tavern-keepers and landladies crop up fairly frequently in the amhrán tradition and are often depicted as mean and grasping. The landlady in the chorus of this song, however, is ‘gan aon locht,’ ‘without a single fault/ faultless.’ Is this an accurate description, is it flattery or is it a corruption of the original words? There is a song called Bainne “Duibh na Féile” in Ceol na nÓileán (ed. An tAthair Tomás Ó Ceallaigh) which also deals with an unusual cow and which has the chorus ‘An dtuigeann tú mo chás, a bhean a’ tábhairne, is mé a’ glaoch ort.?’ ‘Do you understand my situation/my problem, o landlady, when I am calling you,’ that is ‘when I am calling on you for more drink.’ This seems likely to be a more accurate version of the chorus.

Breandán ‘ac Gearailt in Vol. 2 of An Blas Muimhneach has a song called An Chiúrach Bhléinfhionn, some verses of which are close to Goodman’s song. A ‘ciúrach’ is a quiet cow and, according to Dinneen’s dictionary ‘an chiúrach bhléinfhionn,’ literally ‘the good, white-loined cow,’ refers figuratively to ‘the barrel of beer on tap.’ There seems to be a case to be made for this being a west Kerry song. ‘Ac Gearailt identifies ‘Eoghan’ as Eoghan Ó Muircheartaigh from Cluain Cumhra in Lios Póil but says that the song was later applied to a ‘fear spallta,’ a man parched with thirst, from Ballyferriter parish. He identifies the kind landlady as Joanie Grainbhil from Baile Eaglaise, He also identifies the location of the síbín or unlicensed premises in Baile Bhoithín and explains that Eoghan was once prosperous with ‘the grass of 14 cows’ but that he lost it all because of his heavy drinking and ended his days as a humble cowherd. ‘Ac Gearailt believes the amhrán may have been composed by the poet Pádraig Ó Briain from Mínárd who was a proponent of temperance and very much against over-indulgence in alcohol. ‘Ac Gearailt gives Na Gamhna Geala as the tune to which this song was sung but Goodman’s tune is quite different.

Songs about cows or using cows as symbols are to be found frequently in amhráin. In this case, I think the ‘Siúr-Dubh-Bhléinfhionn’ is an allegory of drink. Goodman’s ‘Siúr-Dubh’ and ‘ac Gearailt’s ‘Chiúrach’ seem likely to be the same cow. Seán Ó Dubhda in his Duanaire Duibhneach (1933) tells a similar story to ‘ac Gearailt about a síbín. The narrator of the song was, according to Ó Dubhda, refused drink in Carraig and in the village of Ballyferriter so he went to Baile Bhoithín and was made welcome. Ó Dubhda gives An Crúiscín Lán as the tune but says that the poet’s name was not known.

The Duanaire Duibhneach is one of ‘ac Gearailt’s sources for this song. He also mentions two local singers, his late father Jeaic and his uncle Maidhc Mhárthain Mac Gearailt, as sources.

That fine singer from Dún Chaoin, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, has recorded the text from An Duanaire Duibhneach with a newly-written melody by Gerry O’Beirne on her CD Ar Uair Bhig an Lae/ The Small Hours.
I am indebted to Cáit Uí Rinn, Baile Móir, par. Fionn Trá for sharing with me the fruits of her research about the house in which the síbín was located.