Roisin Dubh Lyrics
The sheet music for mandolin / banjo and tin whistle notes are included. Traditional. Black Róisín, is often described as a code name used by the Irish when referring to Ireland., This tribute tells Ireland (Black Roisin) not to be sad as our fellow Catholic nations of Spain and the Pope in Rome were providing support. The narrator is said to be Red Hugh O'Donnel. The popular patriotic tune was used by the Irish Composer Sean O' Riada for the main theme of his musical score for the epic Irish gaelic film Mise Erin, sometimes this tune is called ''Mise Eire or Black Rose. The youtube video is by a friend of mine, Christy Sheridan.
"Róisín Dubh" (pronounced Row-sheen Dove, meaning "Little Black Rose") is a famous Irish folk song with deep historical, political, and emotional significance. The song is often interpreted as a symbolic lament for Ireland during times of oppression and struggle.
Summary and SymbolismAt its core, "Róisín Dubh" is a love song on the surface, but it also serves as a powerful allegory for Irish nationalism and resilience.
Historical ContextThe song likely dates back to the 16th or 17th century, a time when Ireland faced suppression under English rule. Many Irish poets and musicians used metaphorical imagery to express patriotic sentiment without fear of punishment, and "Róisín Dubh" became a subtle yet powerful rallying cry for those seeking Irish independence.
Key Themes
Notable RecordingsMany artists have performed "Róisín Dubh," including The Chieftains, Sinéad O’Connor, and Seán Ó Riada, each bringing their unique interpretation to this timeless anthem.
Summary and SymbolismAt its core, "Róisín Dubh" is a love song on the surface, but it also serves as a powerful allegory for Irish nationalism and resilience.
- Symbol of Ireland:
"Róisín Dubh" is often used as a personification of Ireland, much like "Éire" or "Kathleen Ní Houlihan" in Irish literature. The "little black rose" is a poetic metaphor for the nation itself—beautiful yet troubled. - Longing and Lament:
The song expresses deep longing, with the speaker pledging devotion to "Róisín Dubh" and vowing to remain steadfast despite adversity. The mournful tone reflects Ireland’s historical suffering under foreign rule. - Hope and Freedom:
Despite its sorrowful themes, "Róisín Dubh" also contains a sense of hope for Ireland’s eventual liberation. The speaker promises to stay faithful and fight for "her" until freedom is achieved.
Historical ContextThe song likely dates back to the 16th or 17th century, a time when Ireland faced suppression under English rule. Many Irish poets and musicians used metaphorical imagery to express patriotic sentiment without fear of punishment, and "Róisín Dubh" became a subtle yet powerful rallying cry for those seeking Irish independence.
Key Themes
- Loyalty and Devotion: The speaker’s love for "Róisín" is unwavering, even through hardship and loss.
- Suffering and Oppression: The song reflects centuries of Irish struggles, making it a poignant symbol of resilience.
- Nature Imagery: Like many Irish ballads, "Róisín Dubh" uses nature to express longing, love, and hope.
Notable RecordingsMany artists have performed "Róisín Dubh," including The Chieftains, Sinéad O’Connor, and Seán Ó Riada, each bringing their unique interpretation to this timeless anthem.
A Róisín, ná bíodh brón ort ná chás anois
tá do phárdún ó'n Róimh agus ó'n bPápa agat
tá na bráithre ag teacht thar
sáile agus ag tríall thar muir
'S ni ceilfear fíon Spáinneach ar mo Róisín Dubh
Tá grá agam i mo lár dhuit le blíain anois
grá cráite, grá cásmhar, grá ciapaithe
grá a d'fhág mé gan sláinte, gan rían, gan ruith
is go bráth, bráth, gan aon fháil a
leagadh ar mo Róisín Dubh
Beidh an Éirne ina tuilte dearga 's an spéir 'na fuil
beidh an saol ina choghadh craorach
is réadfar chnoic
beidh gach gleann sléibhe ar fuid Éireann
agus móinte ar crith, la eigin
sula n-eagfaidh mo Róisín Dubh
tá do phárdún ó'n Róimh agus ó'n bPápa agat
tá na bráithre ag teacht thar
sáile agus ag tríall thar muir
'S ni ceilfear fíon Spáinneach ar mo Róisín Dubh
Tá grá agam i mo lár dhuit le blíain anois
grá cráite, grá cásmhar, grá ciapaithe
grá a d'fhág mé gan sláinte, gan rían, gan ruith
is go bráth, bráth, gan aon fháil a
leagadh ar mo Róisín Dubh
Beidh an Éirne ina tuilte dearga 's an spéir 'na fuil
beidh an saol ina choghadh craorach
is réadfar chnoic
beidh gach gleann sléibhe ar fuid Éireann
agus móinte ar crith, la eigin
sula n-eagfaidh mo Róisín Dubh
Roisin Dubh Song
DARK ROSALEEN aka ROSIN DUBH
O MY Dark Rosaleen,
Do not sigh, do not weep!
The priests are on the ocean green,
They march along the deep.
There 's wine from the royal Pope,
Upon the ocean green;
And Spanish ale shall give you hope,
My Dark Rosaleen!
My own Rosaleen!
Shall glad your heart, shall give you hope,
Shall give you health, and help, and hope,
My Dark Rosaleen!
Over hills, and thro' dales,
Have I roam'd for your sake;
All yesterday I sail'd with sails
On river and on lake.
The Erne, at its highest flood,
I dash'd across unseen,
For there was lightning in my blood,
My Dark Rosaleen!
My own Rosaleen!
O, there was lightning in my blood,
Red lightning lighten'd thro' my blood.
My Dark Rosaleen!
All day long, in unrest,
To and fro, do I move.
The very soul within my breast
Is wasted for you, love!
The heart in my bosom faints
To think of you, my Queen,
My life of life, my saint of saints,
My Dark Rosaleen!
My own Rosaleen!
To hear your sweet and sad complaints,
My life, my love, my saint of saints,
My Dark Rosaleen!
Woe and pain, pain and woe,
Are my lot, night and noon,
To see your bright face clouded so,
Like to the mournful moon.
But yet will I rear your throne
Again in golden sheen;
'Tis you shall reign, shall reign alone,
My Dark Rosaleen!
My own Rosaleen!
'Tis you shall have the golden throne,
'Tis you shall reign, and reign alone,
My Dark Rosaleen!
Over dews, over sands,
Will I fly, for your weal:
Your holy delicate white hands
Shall girdle me with steel.
At home, in your emerald bowers,
From morning's dawn till e'en,
You'll pray for me, my flower of flowers,
My Dark Rosaleen!
O MY Dark Rosaleen,
Do not sigh, do not weep!
The priests are on the ocean green,
They march along the deep.
There 's wine from the royal Pope,
Upon the ocean green;
And Spanish ale shall give you hope,
My Dark Rosaleen!
My own Rosaleen!
Shall glad your heart, shall give you hope,
Shall give you health, and help, and hope,
My Dark Rosaleen!
Over hills, and thro' dales,
Have I roam'd for your sake;
All yesterday I sail'd with sails
On river and on lake.
The Erne, at its highest flood,
I dash'd across unseen,
For there was lightning in my blood,
My Dark Rosaleen!
My own Rosaleen!
O, there was lightning in my blood,
Red lightning lighten'd thro' my blood.
My Dark Rosaleen!
All day long, in unrest,
To and fro, do I move.
The very soul within my breast
Is wasted for you, love!
The heart in my bosom faints
To think of you, my Queen,
My life of life, my saint of saints,
My Dark Rosaleen!
My own Rosaleen!
To hear your sweet and sad complaints,
My life, my love, my saint of saints,
My Dark Rosaleen!
Woe and pain, pain and woe,
Are my lot, night and noon,
To see your bright face clouded so,
Like to the mournful moon.
But yet will I rear your throne
Again in golden sheen;
'Tis you shall reign, shall reign alone,
My Dark Rosaleen!
My own Rosaleen!
'Tis you shall have the golden throne,
'Tis you shall reign, and reign alone,
My Dark Rosaleen!
Over dews, over sands,
Will I fly, for your weal:
Your holy delicate white hands
Shall girdle me with steel.
At home, in your emerald bowers,
From morning's dawn till e'en,
You'll pray for me, my flower of flowers,
My Dark Rosaleen!
Roisin Dubh Tin Whistle sheet music Notes In D
OTHER VERSIONS OF RÓISÍN DUBH (The Little Black Rose)
At about this time, the most popular of all Gaelic songs be- came yet another nationalist metaphor for Ireland. A seven- verse poem attributed to the sixteenth century bard Owen Roe MacWard, the ballad sings of love through the first six quatrains and becomes a "rebel paean" only in the last verse.
Included here are three translations of that last verse from the Irish. The first is literal; the second is by the 1916 rebel poet Pádraig Pearse; the third is the famous effort by James Clarence Mangan that turned this little love song into a sort of English-language "Gaelic National Anthem."
The sea will be turned to red tides and the sky to blood;
The world is in crimson battle on the edges of the heaths;
Every mountain glen in Ireland, every bog, shall rumble;
Ere the day shall die my Little Black Rose.
The Erne shall rise in rude torrents,
bills shall be rent, The sea shall roll in red waves,
and blood be poured out, Every mountain glen in Ireland,
and the bogs, shall quake Some day,
ere shall perish my Little Dark Rose!
(Pádraig Pearse)
O! the Erne shall run red
With redundance of blood,
The earth shall rock beneath our tread,
And flames wrap hill and wood,
And gun-peal, and slogan-ery.
Wake many a glen serene,
Ere you shall fade, ere you shall die,
My Dark Rosaleen!
My own Rosaleen!
The judgement Hour must first be nigh,
Ere you can fade, ere you can die,
My Dark Rosaleen!
James Clarence Mangan
At about this time, the most popular of all Gaelic songs be- came yet another nationalist metaphor for Ireland. A seven- verse poem attributed to the sixteenth century bard Owen Roe MacWard, the ballad sings of love through the first six quatrains and becomes a "rebel paean" only in the last verse.
Included here are three translations of that last verse from the Irish. The first is literal; the second is by the 1916 rebel poet Pádraig Pearse; the third is the famous effort by James Clarence Mangan that turned this little love song into a sort of English-language "Gaelic National Anthem."
The sea will be turned to red tides and the sky to blood;
The world is in crimson battle on the edges of the heaths;
Every mountain glen in Ireland, every bog, shall rumble;
Ere the day shall die my Little Black Rose.
The Erne shall rise in rude torrents,
bills shall be rent, The sea shall roll in red waves,
and blood be poured out, Every mountain glen in Ireland,
and the bogs, shall quake Some day,
ere shall perish my Little Dark Rose!
(Pádraig Pearse)
O! the Erne shall run red
With redundance of blood,
The earth shall rock beneath our tread,
And flames wrap hill and wood,
And gun-peal, and slogan-ery.
Wake many a glen serene,
Ere you shall fade, ere you shall die,
My Dark Rosaleen!
My own Rosaleen!
The judgement Hour must first be nigh,
Ere you can fade, ere you can die,
My Dark Rosaleen!
James Clarence Mangan
Below is the list of sheet music and tin whistle songs that are in my ebooks. This is the largest collection of tin whistle songs ever put together.[over 800 songs ] Including folk, pop and trad tunes plus German And French songs along with Christmas Carols.
All of the sheet music tabs have been made as easy to play as was possible.
The price of the ebooks is €7.50 . All the songs have lyrics .
All of the sheet music tabs have been made as easy to play as was possible.
The price of the ebooks is €7.50 . All the songs have lyrics .
Irish / Gaeilge Ebook Of Songs For Tin Whistle. Price €6.90.
You'll be directed to the download page after payment.
You'll be directed to the download page after payment.
Another version which uses the same title.
