- Written by
- [Traditional]
- Language
- Gaelic
- Comments
-
Dúlamán (Irish for "channel wrack", a type of edible seaweed), is an Irish folk song. The text of the song relates to the Irish practice of gathering seaweed, which has been done for various purposes, including as fertilizer, bathing, and food.
The song is about the mother telling the daughter that the men are coming and the girl wanting to look like she’s good housewife material, i.e., showing them she can spin. In the second verse, the mother and daughter are talking about how unattractive the fellow is (the dulaman gaelach); however, in the third and fourth verse they’ve decided that he looks like he could afford to spend some money on them, as he can dress himself fairly well. In the fifth verse, the fellow promises the girl a present as an enticement to marriage. However, in the sixth verse the girl’s daddy (who is also a ‘dulaman gaelach’ – the names change in this verse) demands to know the fellow’s (the ‘dulaman maorach’ now) intentions; and, the daddy declares in the last verse that he’ll not let the fellow take his daughter away. However, the upstart says that he’ll just kidnap her!
There are many traditional and contemporary versions of the song's melody. Among the best known settings (derived from the Scottish strathspey "Cutting Ferns") is that of Clannad, who recorded it for their 1976 album Dúlamán. A slower melody was recorded by Altan on their 1993 album Island Angel. - Licensing
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Song
Versions
Dúlamán written by [Traditional] Gaelic
| Title | Performer | Release date | Info | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dúlamán | Clannad | 1976 | |||
| Dúlamán | Celtic Woman | January 30, 2007 |