canasg choral music publishing - Meal do bhrògan dùbha, Neill

SG1508

Meal do bhrògan dùbha, Neill

(Enjoy your black shoes, Neil!)

traditional Gaelic words and tune

arranged by Sheena Phillips
for soprano, alto, tenor and bass chorus

SATB performance time approx 1m 00s when sung twice through

Arranger's note

This is a lively and rhythmically varied piece of Gaelic puirt-a-beul ('poorsht-a-beel') or mouth music – the name for songs written to accompany dancing. The song urges Neil to make good use of his black shoes (presumably out dancing) while his eagle-eyed mother is away.

Traditionally, puirt-a-beul is sung unaccompanied and in unison but the tunes harmonise very well. Frequently they are sung in sequences of three or four, each song leading without a break into the next. This song works well as the second in the following set of four: Tha mi sgith; Meal do bhrògan; An tàillear mhór; Gaol mo chrìdh-sa Màiri Bhàn (all published by Canasg).

Music

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Hear a MIDI file of the song

Words

Meal do bhrògan dùbha, Neill (enjoy your black shoes, Neill!)

Meal do bhrògan, caith do bhrògan
Meal do bhrògan, dubha Neill
Meal do bhrògan, caith do bhrògan
Meal do bhrògan, dubha Neill
Meal do bhrògan, caith do bhrògan
Meal do bhrògan, dubha Neill
Nuair a rachadh i 'na siubhal
Meal do bhrògan dubha Neill.

Aon sùil tha dà shùil air màthair Neill Duibh
Dà shùil air màthair Neill
Aon sùil tha dà shùil air màthair Neill Duibh
Dà shùil air màthair Neill
Aon sùil tha dà shùil air màthair Neill Duibh
Dà shùil air màthair Neill
Nuair a rachadh i 'na suibhal
Meal do bhrògan dubha Neill.

traditional Gaelic song

Translation

Enjoy your shoes, wear your shoes,
Enjoy your black shoes, Neil ..
When she goes off on her journey,
Enjoy your black shoes, Neil!

One eye, two eyes there are on
Dark-haired Neil's mother ..
When she goes off on her journey,
Enjoy your black shoes, Neil!

Canasg editors

Full pronunciation guide provided

Price

The price of this piece depends on the number of singers in your group. This is a single payment for a licence to make as many copies as you need for your group to rehearse and perform the song as often as you wish. Copies of the song must not be given, lent or sold to any other group.

Number of singers in your group
up to 12 singers	13 to 24 singers	25 singers or more
£3 (approx US$5.00)	£6 (approx US$10)	£9 (approx US$15)
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Companion pieces

An tàillear mhór is the next song in Mouth Music Set 2.

Browse the Scots and Gaelic section of the Canasg catalogue for more songs like this one. To go there now, click on the 'catalogue' box to the right.

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