MacDermott Family Crest

Terrence O'Carolan was one of the last and the greatest of all the Irish harpers who composed, and a significant number of his works survive. These lyrics written and music composed by O'Carolan for one of his patrons have four quatrains. Only the first and the last are given in O'Sullivan. The subject is a priest as is clear from the title. Nothing further is known about him. He may have been the son of Henry and Mary MacDermott Roe. The MacDermott Roe family of Alderford were Carolan's principal patrons and oldest friends. In one of the verses, Carolan addresses Fr. Brian as 'planda ón gCairraic' which suggests the possibility that he was stationed at Carrick-on-Shannon. ...Donal O'Sullivan vol. 2 pg. 51.

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Le Turlough O'Carolan A Bhriain Mhic Dhiarmuda, a chara na saoithe, A bhuime na mbocht, na mbaintreabh 's na ndileacht, Do chuisle taoi ar mire sa flochuigh le daoineacht, Do chuid -se dhon tubuiste go dtuitidh ar daoithibh. Leiciom na gártha agus déanam pléaráca Fá thuairim do shláinte; má fíor dho MacCába Níl faoiseadh a ndan dúinn, a shaoidhthe gan sárugha, Is iombó! a bhfaca sibh samhail mo Bhriain-se?

Údar anaithnid O Brian MacDermot, O friend of the sages O nurse of the poor, the widow, and the orphan Your pulse lively in the flocking of people Your part of disaster may it fall on the ignorant. Gentle praise and merrymaking About your health, if true for McCabe There's no release due to us, oh sage unequalled, And, oh boy! have you seen the likes of my Brian?

These pop-up phonetics are an approximation provided by a student of Irish. For standard Caighdeán phonetics, consult the pocket dictionary Fóclóir Póca.
Notations are courtesy of Carolan, the Life and Times and Music of an Irish Harper by Dónal O'Sullivan vol. 1 p. 208 Celtic Music Edition 1983.

Courtesy of Vivian and Jack, IrishPage.com, July 2007.
Cabhair ó Proinsias Osborne
First quatrain O'Sullivan vol 2 p 51
Last quatrain O'Sullivan vol 1 p 72
Replay background music: Brian Roe

Filleadh go liosta
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