I've been trying to find the words for this one - Staimpí. Apparently it's on Mudcat, but I don't seem to be able to get access to their website at the moment.
Here they are singing it - courtesy of Ronan Browne (I had the pleasure of seeing them at the Irish College in Paris some time back)
Does anyone have the words to it? Le do thóil?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF1Q71teGEw

Is that in Irish? Sounds Gaelic to me.

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It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
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I've finally found it on Mudcat and that the real title is Raithineach a Bhean Bheag, but I should have looked at the same video on YouTube LG Amhrán - the words are there too. Barra na hAoine is on Logainm where they situate it in Donegal (Owenkillew and Barnahone). Perhaps they're singing it too fast, I don't know - I had understood that Seán Corcoran had good Irish.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCx-lHIUj6Y

I think this is Catríona Ní Cheannabháin singing it here - I imagine the words would easier to follow, I hope so anyway.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP7GATHU5mk (stiofan777)

Wow, that's very different from the dialect that I am learning!
I'm glad that you managed to find the words to this song; I can't really make out what he's saying.

Raithineach A Bhean Bheag

Do chuireas mo gearrchaile go Barra na hAoine
Ag iarraidh staimpí nó cácaí milse,
Nuair a tháinig sí abhaile ní bhlaisfeadh fear an tí é,
Raithineach a bhean bheag déanfaimid arís é

Raithineach a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag
Raithineach a bhean bheag, staimpí agus im air
Raithineach a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag,
Raithineach a bhean bheag is déanfaimid an ciste.

Tá thigh mór fairsing i mBarra na hAoine:
Bíonn bean acu á glanadh is bean eile acu á scríobadh
Bean eile acu á fláscadh os cionn corcáin ar a dicheall
Is seanbhean ar a corraghiob á leathadh ar an ngriosaigh

Raithineach a bhean bheag déanfaimid arís é
Raithineach a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag
Raithineach a bhean bheag, staimpí agus im air
Raithineach a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag,
Raithineach a bhean bheag is déanfaimid an ciste.

Nuair a ghluaiseann Máire, Siún agus Síle
Nóra agus Cáit is sásta a bhid siad
An juga ar an gclár is a cháirt dá lionadh
Is mo cheol go brách sibh, a mhná cois Aoine

Raithineach a bhean bheag déanfaimid arís é
Raithineach a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag,
Raithineach a bhean bheag, staimpí agus im air
Raithineach a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag,
Raithineach a bhean bheag is déanfaimid an ciste.

(I don't understand the use of the word - raithineach/raithneach here)

Thanks for posting the lyrics. I'd have never figured out what that guy with the weird pronunciation was saying.


Here's my guess: Maybe she is from a place called Ráithín and the person singing the song is addressing her. Ráithíneach would be the genitive form of Ráithín, so maybe a person from there would be called Ráithíneach – or maybe Raithineach is the actual name of the bean bheag.

Note: Truth to tell, I'm just guessing and don't really know what I'm talking about.

I was thinking it was a type of edible seaweed.
I couldn't find that but I found "ráithín" in Ó Dónaill. To "build up sods, clamp". I think it applies to a reek of turf. But I suppose it could apply to a turf fire too. Built it up and get ready to cook the steampaí with butter. But I'm only guessing.

A different but similar word is "raithneach" (ferns), I suppose there could be dialectical differences there, but I never heard of anybody eating those.

_________________
___________________________________________________________

It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
___________________________________________________________

This becoming more and more complicated. There is a thread about it on Mudcat, but I'm still having enormous problems getting to it. Meanwhile on Yahoo Answers, there's a suggestion that raithneach in another version is rachaimid, which would make more sense, but it seems strange that the second word could replace or be confused with the former. There's also a suggestion that staimpí is a euphemism for sex, not at all what Seán said when he explained briefly what this song was about, when they were in Paris - either he didn't know or he didn't want to let on. From what he said, I had understood that staimpí were a variety of potato, and the man of the house sent the woman out to get only that one and not another, but in fact it's another word for boxty apparently.

Here's the other version - from Cork

Amhráin a Steaimpí (Rathineach a Bhean Bheag)

Is anall ó Shasana a tháinig an Steaimpí
'Gus thíos i gCorcaigh a chuireadh an slacht air
Bhí siúcra á fhuineadh agus bolgam braindí
'S an té beadh á ithe sin gur mhire ná an stail é.

Curfá
Raithineath a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag
Raithineach a bhean bheag is deinimís an ciste
Raithineath a bhean bheag, a bhean bheag, a bheag bheag
Raithineach a bhean bheag is deinimís an ciste.

Scilling sa lá a bhí do chócaire an steaimpí
Do bheadh agus coróin dá ndeinidís i gceart é
Ach do dheinidís a mún air 's do chuimlidís a más de,
'S 'na thaobh san do dheintí é do bhris sé amach dom.

Ar mo ghabáil ó thuaidh dhom tré bharra na hinse
Cé casfaí orm ach an triúr ban críonna.
Bhí duine acu á scagadh tré thóin a sheana-bhriste.

'S é an tAthair Diarmuid an dochtúir diachta
An sagart is fearr a tháinig sa tír seo
Do chuireadh sé mallact ar lucht steaimpí á scríobadh
Le heagla fiacla na seanbhan chríonna

Do chuireas-sa mo chailín-sa isteach sa Steamer
Ag iarraidh grátóra chun an steaimpí á scríobadh
Ach bhí an glas ar an doras is an eochair ag Síle
Seachnaidh an steaimpí le heagla na síoltha.

There seems to be a fair amount of erotic cuisine going on here and no end of innuendo - steaimpí has become singular and I'm wondering whether it comes from steamed potatoes and whether raithneach (ferns) would be a nickname for his lover - the ferns being something to lie down on. Isn't An Bínsín Luachra a rush bed to lie down on in similar circumstances?