Oiche Nollag na mBan

Cookie

Apologies for the lack of Irish/spelling, but does anyone have the text of this poem? I studied it for my leaving, but can't find it anywhere. Thanks!

simu

Can't find it on Google. It's not in the public domain yet anyway. You'll just have to buy a book that contains the poem or photocopy it in a library, I suppose. (or mug some leaving cert students!:))

sunflower!!

Hi sorry but does anybody know what this poem is about? Im in 6th year and have no clue!!!

Múinteoir

sunflower!! wrote: »

Hi sorry but does anybody know what this poem is about? Im in 6th year and have no clue!!!

I don't have the text to hand either, but it's about Little Christmas Eve (The eve of January 6th, or the last day of Christmas), which is referred to as Nollaig na mBan in Irish.

Grudaire

Múinteoir wrote: »

I don't have the text to hand either, but it's about Little Christmas Eve (The eve of January 6th, or the last day of Christmas), which is referred to as Nollaig na mBan in Irish.

There's loads about the codarsnacht idir solas an coinneal agus dorcha an oíche srl srl.

Nach bhfuil leabhair agat a sunflower? De gnáth tá achoimre ann duit!

Ceilteach

sunflower!! wrote: »

Hi sorry but does anybody know what this poem is about? Im in 6th year and have no clue!!!

Don't have the text to hand either but it goes alittle like this!
Bhí fuinneamh sa stoirm a d'éalaigh aréir, aréir oíche Nollag na mBan
As gealt-teach iargúlta atá lasitiar den ré, is do scréach tríd an spéir le scread......
It abour Ó Ríorain's attitude to death. Basically he's talking about a terrible storm that blew on January 5th and how he'd like a storm like that to blow the night he dies as he doesn't want to know that death is slipping up on him. It's got all the trademarks of an Ríordanach,
there's the alliteration and internal rhyme along the lines of "geata an chomharsan ag gíoscadh mar ghogallach gé", an "bhúir abhainn shlaghdánach mar tharbh". he also talks about the candle of life being extinguished like a slap in the mouth. There's defiance and despondency all rolled into one. it's one of ghe greatest poems written in any language that i can think of (not that i'm especially well-read!). Once again, the above quotations are from memory and may not be 100% accurate, DON'T QUOTE THEM!!!!
you won't find it on the web, his publishers are zealous in their protection of copyright, as is their right.

conchubhar1

Summary of everything you need to know about this poem.

http://www.skoool.ie/skoool/homeworkzone.asp?id=3785


SKOOOL.IE

pog it

Ceilteach wrote: »

Don't have the text to hand either but it goes alittle like this!
Bhí fuinneamh sa stoirm a d'éalaigh aréir, aréir oíche Nollag na mBan
As gealt-teach iargúlta atá lasitiar den ré, is do scréach tríd an spéir le scread......
It abour Ó Ríorain's attitude to death. Basically he's talking about a terrible storm that blew on January 5th and how he'd like a storm like that to blow the night he dies as he doesn't want to know that death is slipping up on him. It's got all the trademarks of an Ríordanach,
there's the alliteration and internal rhyme along the lines of "geata an chomharsan ag gíoscadh mar ghogallach gé", an "bhúir abhainn shlaghdánach mar tharbh". he also talks about the candle of life being extinguished like a slap in the mouth. There's defiance and despondency all rolled into one. it's one of ghe greatest poems written in any language that i can think of (not that i'm especially well-read!). Once again, the above quotations are from memory and may not be 100% accurate, DON'T QUOTE THEM!!!!
you won't find it on the web, his publishers are zealous in their protection of copyright, as is their right.

By any chance could you recommend a particular collection to get that would include most of his poems?

Ceilteach

pog it wrote: »

By any chance could you recommend a particular collection to get that would include most of his poems?

The easiest and biggest collection of his poetry to get is Scáthán Véarsaí . It's got a selection fom all his major collections, but not Oíche Nollag na mBan

cuach

Oiche Nollaig na mBan
Sean O'Riordain

Bhi fuinneamh sa stoirm a ealaigh areir,
Areir Oiche Nollaig na mBan,
As gealt-teach iargulta 'ta laistiar den re
is do scread trid an speir chughainn 'na gealt,
Gur ghiosc geatai comharsan mar ghogallach ge,
Gur bhuir abhainn slaghdanach mar tharbh,
Gur muchadh mo choinneal mar bhuille ar mo bheal
A las 'na splanc obann an fhearg.

Ba mhaith liom go dtiocfadh an stoirm sin fein
An oiche go mbeadsa go lag
Ag filleadh abhaile o rince an tsaoil
Is solas an pheaca ag dul as,
Go lionfai gach neomat le liuraigh on speir,
Go ndeanfai don domhan scuaine scread,
Is na cloisfinn an ciuneas ag gluaiseacht fam dhein,
Na inneal an ghluaisteain ag stad.

Sligoer

:pac: le Sean O'Riordain

http://nuaghaeilge.nuim.ie/documents/19OicheNollaignamBan.pdf

emf91

sunflower!! wrote: »

Hi sorry but does anybody know what this poem is about? Im in 6th year and have no clue!!!

personally i always thought it was about two things:
1. the poets attitude to death
* 2. a struggle with depression.

* im focusin more on point two than one purely because i know people will ask where i got the whole struggle with depression thing from and there alot of sources that talk bout his attitude toward death. and i no for some my explanation will sound stupid but bare in mind this is the first time i have seen the poem in 3 yrs since i done the leaving myself and i dont have the translation so i was alil limited as im writing this from memory

1.the contrast between the light of the candle and the dark of the night
you can see he has a strong faith I.e. "returning home" etc but he is afraid of the moment of death he doesnt want to hear the quietness he doesnt want to hear the "engine" stopping

2. the struggle with a mental illness like depression/bipolar disorder, well this is merely a personal interpretation since the first i read the poem, so get your teachers advice before ya use it as an answer.
a rage can come on all of a sudden, out of nowhere (from behind the moon) he also makes reference to "an gealt" and the "gealt-teach".
and then the sudden change from so busy and destructive in the first paragraph to the calm of the second.

"Gur muchadh mo choinneal mar bhuille ar mo bheal
A las 'na splanc obann an fhearg."

the quenching of the candle changes the tone of the poem everything goes quiet afterwards, like his energy has been lost


( a tip for doing irish poetry for the LC. find something in the poems u can relate to..... if you can relate to it your more likely to remember it.... and when asked themes etc make sure u have quotes to back up what you are saying.)