Còisir Lunnainn | Marking ancient festivals through song

16 Cèit 2023: Là Fhèill Mhanuis | 16 Apr 2023: St Magnus’ Day

​Manus	St Magnus
San dàrna phìos dhen phròiseact againn, bidh sinn a’ cuimhneachadh Là Naoimh Mhanuis, latha-fèiste air nach bidh a’ mhòr chuid a’ smoaicheadh, nuair a smaoineachas iad air cultar is dualchas na Gàidhlig. Ach a rèir Alasdair MacGilleMhìcheil san leabhar ainmeil aige, Carmina Gadelica, bha an latha seo air a chuimhneachadh fhathast air a’ Gàidhealtachd san 19mh linn.	​The 16th of April marks the feast of St Magnus. This saint from the Northern Isles might not be the first to come to mind when thinking about Gaelic culture, but according to Carmina Gadelica, his feast was kept across the Highlands well into the 1800s.
​B’ e Iarla Arcaibh agus na h-Eileanan a Tuath a bh’ ann an Naomh Manus san 12mh linn còmhla ris a bhràthair Hakon, agus tha an sgeulachd aige ri leughadh ann an Seanchas Arcach nan Lochlannach. A rèir MhacGhilleMhìcheil, b’ e duine bragail is feargach a bh’ ann an Hakon agus bha farmad air ris a’ bhràthair, a bha coibhneil agus ciùin, leis gum bu chaomh leis an t-sluagh e na b’ fheàrr na esan fhèin. Mar sin, chuir Hakon Manus gu bàs air an 16mh den Ghiblean 1115 gus Arcaibh a riaghladh leis fhèin. Thathar a’ cantainn gun d’ rinn Manus ùrnaigh airson anam Hakon nuair a bhuail e e leis an tuagh aige.	Magnus Erlendsson was the Earl of Orkney and the Northern Isles in the early 1100s, holding the position jointly with his cousin Haakon Paulsson. The Ornkeyinga Saga tells the history of Orkney and Shetland under Viking rule. Haakon believed himself to be the most highly born of his family. Carmichael describes him as an “arrogant and wrathful” man. Magnus, however, was well loved for his piety and gentleness. On 16 April 1115, Haakon tricked Magnus into a meeting on the island of Egilsay where he had Magnus put to death. It was said that as Haakon’s man struck Magnus with his axe, the saint prayed for the souls of his executioners.
Beagan bhliadhnaichean às dèidh sin, dheigheadh Manus a naomhachadh mar martair ann an 1135 agus bhiodh a chuirp air ath-adhlachadh ann am Baile na h-Eaglaise ann an Arcaibh air an àite far an deigheadh Mòr-Eaglais Naoimh Mhanuis a thogail.	​Magnus was canonised in 1135. His nephew Rögnvald, St Ronald of Orkney, founded St Magnus’ Cathedral in Kirkwall in his uncle’s memory. St Magnus’ relics were brought there, where they remain to this day.

An t-òran	The song
​Chaidh an t-òran seo a sgrìobhadh le Alasdair Camshron le faclan à Carmina Gadelica Alasdair Gilleasbaig MacGilleMhìcheil. Seo e ’s e ga ghabail le Simon Stallard. Anns an t-òran seo, bidh am bàrd a’ guidhe ri Manus Dìon agus iùl a thoirt dha.	The words to this song are taken from Alasdair Carmichael’s Carmina Gadelica and set to new music by Alasdair Cameron. It is performed here by Simon Stallard. The words are a prayer to St Magnus asking for his protection and guidance.

A Mhanuis mo rùin	O Magnus of my love
​(Mar a chruinneachadh le Alasdair Gilleasbuig MacGilleMhìcheil)	(As collected and translated by Alasdair Carmichael)
​A Mhanuis mo rùin, Is tu dhèanadh dhuinn iùl, A chuirp chùbhraidh nan dùl, Chuimhnuich oirrn. Cuimhnuich a naoimh nam buadh, A chomraig ’s a chomhn an sluagh, Cobhair oirnne n’ ar truiagh, ’S na trèig sinn. A Mhanuis mo rùin, Is tu dhèanadh dhuinn iùl, A chuirp chùbhraidh nan dùl, Chuimhnuich oirrn.	O Magnus of my love, Thou it is who would’st us guide, Thou fragrant body of grace, Remember us. Remember us, thou Saint of power, Who didst encompass and protect the people, Succour thou us in our distress, Nor forsake us. O Magnus of my love, Thou it is who wouldst us guide, Thou fragrant body of grace, Remember us.

​Òrain Laithean-Fèsite 2023	​Feast-day songs, 2023
Air a’ Ghàidhealtachd, bhiodh roghainn farsaing de làthaithean-fèise a’ toirt ciall dha atharrachadh nan ràithean anns na seann làithean. Cha tèid a mhòr-chuid dhiubh a chomhrrachadh an latha an-diugh, ach nuair a sgìrobh Alasdair Gilleasbaig MacGilleMhìcheil an leabhar ainmeil aige, Carmina Gadelica san 19mh linn, bhiodh tòrr òrain is dàin gan gabhail air feadh na Gàidhealtachd airson na làithean sònraichte seo. B’ e esan a chruinnich a’ chuid mhòr dhiubh air a bheil sinn fhathast eòlach san linn againn fhìn.	​In Gaelic Scotland, the turning of the year was once marked by ancient festivals. Today, most of these are no longer marked, but in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Alexander Carmichael travelled the length and breadth of Gaelic-speaking Scotland to collect and preserve the songs that were sung to mark these occasions. He gathered these and other traditional sayings, verses and stories into a hefty three-volume work called Carmina Gadelica.
​Am bliadhna, bidh Còisir Lunnainn a’ gabhail taghadh dhen òrain seo a tha air an sgrìobhadh às ùr le Alasdair Camshron, fear de na beusan againn. Cha mhòr gach mìos, bidh sinn a’ roinn ‘post’ beag air na meadhannan sòisealta againn le beagan fiosrachaidh mun òran agus mu sheann chleachdaidhean, dualchas agus traidiseanan na Gàidhealtachd.	​This year, members of Còisir Lunnainn will be performing and sharing new arrangements of some of these feast-day songs written by Alasdair Cameron, one of our basses. Every few months, we’ll share a song with some information about the old customs and traditions of the Highlands and Islands.