Raven-tressed colleens

Posted by Lewis on September 23, 2004

In Reply to: Irish colouring posted by Lotg on September 22, 2004

: : : : : : : : : : : there is one of a number of wonderful phrases in the Riverdance song "Lift the Wings"

: : : : : : : : : : : "Lift the wings,
: : : : : : : : : : : that carry me away from here and,
: : : : : : : : : : : Fill the sail,
: : : : : : : : : : : That breaks the line to home.
: : : : : : : : : : : But when I'm milies and miles apart from you,
: : : : : : : : : : : I'm beside you when I think of you, a Storin, a Gra."

: : : : : : : : : : : The phrase 'breaks the line to home' is unusual Is it a typical Irish or English term?

: : : : : : : : : : I have never heard it. It might be a sailing term rather than specifically English or Irish. (I can do the Gaelic, though!)

: : : : : : : : : : DFG

: : : : : : : : : Dia dhuit, DFG. In the context of Riverdance, 'breaks the line to home' refers to the various Irish diasporas when people had to leave Ireland for a better life in other parts of the world. Many lost contact with their families and loves they left behind at home.

: : : : : : : : : 'A stóirín' (storeen) = 'my little treasure'
: : : : : : : : : 'A grá' (graw) = 'my love'

: : : : : : : : : And who said the French are the most romantic people? They're only just trotting after us Irish!

: : : : : : : : :
: : : : : : : : :

: : : : : : : : Many thanks to both of you!

: : : : : : : I totally agree with you Shae. Irish songs can break your heart completely, lift your spirits sky high - there is so much romance and emotion in Irish poetry and music. In fact the accent accentuates that (ooh, sorry about that sentence). A lilting Irish accent telling a tale - oh yeah, sorry to all you French guys out there, but I have to agree I reckon the Irish win the romance award hands down.

: : : : : : it is true that the Celtic accents are gentler on the ear than many others: studies for call-centres
: : : : : : repeatedly find that people like the sound.

: : : : : : that's probably why I like the songs of Marie Brennan and Clannad with barely a Gaelic word in my vocabulary.

: : : : :
: : : : : being a guy, I must say that the accent of an Irish lass is one of the most lovely sounds in the world.

: : : : I wouldn't want to bet against you also liking red-heads either...

: : : : One of my most gorgeous girlfriends was the red-head daughter of an Irishwoman [sigh].

: : : : "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" anybody?

: : : Lewis --- I believe that you and I have led interesting lives. Hope it continues for both of us!

: : Yes, Lewis. Richard Thompson!

: While I acknowledge the fantasy angle (and I can still hear Lewis sighing from here), isn't the whole 'redheaded' Irish image a bit of a fallacy? Isn't the true 'supposedly traditional' colouring, jet black hair, pale skin and errr... green eyes (just wasn't sure for a minute whether green or blue, but I'm pretty sure green) - which frankly sounds pretty stunning to me.

: Oh and Ward, you're right of course, works the other way around too. A man with an Irish accent - hmmmmmm.....

I reckon that there are two main versions of the archetypical Irish colleen (apologies on spelling) - the red-head and the raven-tressed with both sharing the same pale complexion and blue/green (even light grey) eyes.

I like to think celtnicity encompasses both (what with me being one of those pale ones with dark-hair and blue/grey eyes myself) - whatever tribe my ancestors came from, even at school I was described as having the appearance of typically celtic ancestry when the geography teacher went round the class.

...and I can draw endless celtic knots - as sure a test as the Virgin detector from a few weeks back!

"Crazy Man Michael" this time anybody? or perhaps the "Rakes of Kildare"?

• Colour me Irish. Smokey Stover 24/September/04