DESCRIPTION:
Hó-bha-in

Curfá / refrain:

Hó-bha-ín, hó-ba-ín, hó-bha-ín mo ghrá ,
Hó-bha-ín mo leana agus codail go lá .
Hó-bha-ín mo leana is hó-bha-ín mo roghain,
Hó-bha-ín mo leana is gabh amach a bhadhbh badhbh.

(Hó-bha-ín, hó-ba-ín, hó-bha-ín my darling,
Hó-bha-ín my child and sleep till day..
Hó-bha-ín my child is hó-bha-ín my dearest one,
Hó-bha-ín my child and clear out you evil spirit evil spirit.)

Agus d'imigh do Mhama le Filipe Dall
Agus níl 'fhios a'm beo cé hé!

(And your Momma went off with blind Filipe
And on my life I don't know who he is!)

Curfá / refrain:

Is ta capall an tsagairt i ngáirdín Sheáin Ghabha,
Mura gcuire tú as í, ó déanfaidh sé foghail.

(And the priest's horse is in the garden of Sean the Blacksmith,
If you don't put her out she'll trash it.)

Curfá / refrain:

This is a melodic gem from the tradition of lullabies that Ireland shares with other traditional cultures, but with a spicy dash of humour thrown in - the Irish just cannot be serious for long!
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Róisín Elsafty is a young mother from Connemara who grew up with the traditions of story, song, dance and music for which that fabled province, one of the few remaining parts of Ireland where Irish, spoken by six million people in 1841, is still widely spoken. Among her first cousins is the singer, Peadar Ó Ceannabháin: http://www.grafxsource.com/MCS/Cuid_den_tSaol.html

Róisín is a remarkable example of how her people have managed to come to terms with the modern world while retaining much of what is old and cherished. Her father is from Egypt hence the surname 'Elsafty'. She has a Phd. in Chemistry from the University of Nottingham. While a research student there she met and later married English fellow researcher Simon. They now live near Dublin where their young family are being brought up with the best of old Ireland and the best of the wider world. Irish is their home language and the language of many of their visiting family and friends.

This combination of ancient and modern is also to be found in her approach to the great tradition of sean nós (old style) singing, until recently always sung and unaccompanied.

Normally sung as an unaccompanied 'sean nós' song it is beautifully enhanced in this recording by a sensitive and gentle accompaniment.

From the CD 'Róisín Elsafty 'Má Bhíonn Tú Liom Bí Liom' ('If you are with me be with me'):

http://www.roisinelsafty.com/