A Chaoimhín, an urrainn dhutsa clàrachadh a dhèanamh? neo an dèan mise fhìn e? (ach tha mi a' creids nach bruidhinn mi cho math riut)

'S ioma rud a dhith orm is a Gaelic puirt-a-beul. Puirt = tunes, beul = mouth. The literal translation is "mouth tunes" although it is usually written as "mouth music" in English. This port is a Strathspey, a form of music native to Scotland, for the origins see this explanation of the Strathspey from Reeling in the Strathspey (Will Lamb) * [see link below]. Puirt-a-beul is a song written primarily for dancing to. The lyrics are of secondary importance - the rhythm in this song is the most important aspect and takes precedence over the rhythm and stresses of the Gaelic.

The lyrics in puirt (plural of the word port = dance tune) are often humorous, frivolous or meaningless vocables, but nonetheless have been carefully crafted to make the rhythm of the song work correctly. In MacCormaig's 'Hebridean Waulking Songs' it was stated that the order in which such vocables are sung is what identifies each waulking song from every other waulking song, and determines how it is sung, and not the verses. Hence, the 'refrain' is the key to each song, and carries a kind of 'oral code' from which the singers derive the way to sing each song, perhaps the same is also true of Puirt a beul vocables.

Some Gaelic singers do not believe in publishing translations of puirt-a-beul. This song though is probably from Lewis and has been popularised by appearing on several albums (e.g. Capercaillie's Crosswinds) . The origins of puirt are unclear and are often thought to have resulted from the banning of pipes after the 1745 uprising - even though there is no basis for this assumption, or the religious opposition to musical instruments (at its height in the mid 19th century). It is important to realise how interwoven puirt-a-beul is with both fiddling and various forms of dance - the song, tune and dance all go together as an entity. In Cape Breton, the Gaelic speaking fiddlers all know the words to the songs they play.

For these musicians, puirt-a-beul is not a substitute for fiddling but an inseparable component of it. For you can't know a tune properly (i.e. with its inherent Gaelic rhythm intact) unless you know the words which give it that rhythm. This is why many fear for the future of Cape Breton fiddling, which seems so strong with so many talented young fiddlers around. Puirt was not used only for step dances (see here for a example of Step Dancing) but for country dances as well-there are tunes and tempos for jigs, reels and Strathspeys. There is a Cape Breton dance and port about a loom weaving. In this dance, the dancers are squatted or crouched and leap up to simulate the rise and fall of the harnesses on the loom, whilst others weave in and out to indicate the shuttle flying back and forth. In Cape Breton people also perform step dances around a row of lighted candles, which they extinguish one by one with the soles of their feet while dancing.

Following the persecution and ethnic cleansing of Scots to other parts of the colonies (often referred to as "The Clearances") puirt has spread beyond Scotland, Ireland and Nova Scotia to other parts of the world and is said to have influenced Appalachian music and bluegrass. For examples of puirt from many cultures, see the Celtic Mouth Music record

Christine Primrose has recorded the song with "Mac-talla". Mouth Music got it from a 78 recording by Calum Cameron. Calum is active in the Edinburgh Gaelic scene. Mac-talla are the particularly good group for traditional Gaelic song and their renditions of puirt-a-beul are excellent.

The song is sung by repeating each verse followed by the chorus twice. There are two "versions" to the song. One version has mostly vocables or nonsense words for the chorus except when the chorus is sung for the second time, the last line of the chorus is replaced by the last line of the previous verse. This is the version recorded by Capercaillie and Mac-talla. The other version has real words for the chorus and the chorus does not change after each verse. This is the version in "Eilean Fraoich" and the Mod music.

The tune itself is published under three titles - 's ioma rud a dhith orm (= I need many things), Mór a' Cheannaich (Morag, daughter of the merchant) and Domhnall dubh an Domhnallaich (black haired Donald MacDonald). Mórag is cognate with the English name "Sarah". The alternate forms, Morag, Moraig and Mhorag are simply different grammatical uses of the same name.

Déanta, seolfaidh mé chugad le ríomhphost é, a Redwolf.