Irish Translation Forum

Hi all, I am new to the group, and this is my first question......
Does anyone know the english translation for the Gaelic line in the chorus of 'Whiskey in the Jar' ? (I suppose I only assume it is Gaelic...)

It is a traditional song, and has been covered many times (Thin Lizzie, Metallica, many many others).....I have searched all over the net for lyrics, and many versions spell the line differently. Here are a few spellings:
Well shirigim duraham da
Musha ringum duraham Da
Musha ring dumma do damma da

This is the first line of the chorus, followed by:
Whack fall (or for) the daddy-o
Whack fall the daddy-o
There's whiskey in the jar


I have recently learned to play the tenor Banjo; some friends and I jam this song out now and again, and I can't seem to find any two people anywhere who agree on the lyrics, let alone know what it means......

Any help out there?
Thanks!
Dave

the words aren't irish - merely "words" to go with the song

Thanks for the info; I thought that the multiple spellings I had found were phonetic guesses at an original irish language line......I thought it would have had some meaning at some point in the history of the song, but it seems that it may be just a line of 'scat' singing with the melody......


Much obliged.....
Dave

capecod treeman wrote:Thanks for the info; I thought that the multiple spellings I had found were phonetic guesses at an original irish language line......I thought it would have had some meaning at some point in the history of the song, but it seems that it may be just a line of 'scat' singing with the melody......


Much obliged.....
Dave

It's called "lilting" (also knows as "mouth music")...an important aspect of traditional Irish and Scottish music. There's actually quite an extensive treatment of it in Sawyer's "Celtic Music."

Redwolf

Many Thanks Redwolf,
I will check out Sawyer's work, practice my lilting, and quit trying to figger out what the heck they are all saying.

Best regards,
Dave

We had a special guest cantor last night, a professor of cantorial arts from Hebrew Union College. She did a really interesting talk on various types of liturgical music, including nigun, which is sort of the same thing here -- carrying a tune without words "lai lai lai," "dai dai dai," etc.

It's apparently very ancient: there are even some "nigun" melodies are are said to be passed down from Sinai. Anyway, the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidism, taught that "nigun" -- lilting -- was a good way to prepare the soul for prayer, letting the music sweep away worries, thoughts, and cares without concern for words.