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Guitar: Portláirge

735 views · Published 2 August 2009 · 1:28 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: threelegsoman · 2009 · Music
A song I loved from the moment I heard it sung by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. The lyrics are sung in the Irish Gaelic, and though I do not speak that language myself, I have listened to them so often that I hope I make a fair effort at singing them. Those of you who are Erse speakers, please forgive any errors in pronunciation. 
A young man from Tipperary (Thiobraid Árann) goes to Waterford (Portláirge) to find himself a woman. That is the gist of the song I believe. I managed to find the following translation in English when searching for the lyrics on the internet:-
1] One day I was in Portláirge
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
There was wine and punch on the table there
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
The house was full of women there
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
And me drinking to their health
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um

And a woman from Rath left with me
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
And three from Tipperary
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Their people were not pleased
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
They were not but half-pleased
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um

And she left me for a good-for-nothing
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
She was not too nice to me
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
There was the three from Tipperary
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
And they, came back with me
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um

Oh I'll leave from Carraig tomorrow
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
And I'll bring a fine girl with me
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
We'll go through Bhearnan
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
North to Tipperary
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um

I have attempted to sing a couple of verses of this song before, recording over the whistle playing of my friend Gordon from Scotland, but I hope this is a better performance.

To enable me to sing the Gaelic, I used the following simplified phonetic version for the lyrics:-

1
Oh du vee-sa law Port-lawr-rig-uh,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Vee feen iss punch air kl-awr ouwn,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Vee lawn a-tee deh win-nahv ouwn,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Ah-gus mish-egg ol ah slawn-cha,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
2
Ah-gus daily ban oh Rah l-yum,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Ah-gus troor oh Hib-rad Ah-rawn,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Nee r-ow ah-mween-chur saws-ta,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Nee r-ow-adar ochk lah-haws-ta,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
3
Ah-gus daily ban leh sprahs whim,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Iss nee row she row yas l-yum,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Vee un troor oh Hib-rad Ah-rawn,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Ah-gus hawnig sheed arash l-yum,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
4
Oh rah-asa own Karrig ah-mahr-ruck,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Ah-gus tour-ad kal-yeen bra l-yum,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Gau-ameed treed un Vahr-nan,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad-eye-um
Oh whoo-ee guh Hib-rad Ah-rawn,
Fall dow fall dee fall-lah dad--eye--um.
Guitar: Portláirge

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