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Altan Lyrics Trivia Quiz

A quiz on the lyrics of one of my favorite groups. Unless I state otherwise, I give you the lyric and you give me the song it comes from. Altan plays traditional Celtic, so be warned! Most of their lyrics will be in Gaelic!

A multiple-choice quiz by SuperRo. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
SuperRo

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
83,744

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
180

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. "Tiocfaidh m'athair a sh� �g�, anuas f�n tr�igh a h-�b�. Is gheobhaidh s� mise 'mo bhrad�n bhog bh�idhte, 'gabh�il i ts�ile i mBaile Le�il." Hint

Donal Agus Morag

An Bhean Uda� Thall

An Mhaighdean Mhara

An Cailin Gaelach

NEXT>

Question 2 of 15

2. "Chuaigh m� chun aonaigh is dh�ol m� mo bh�, ar ch�ig phunta airgid is ar ghin� bhu� �ir. M� �laim an t-airgead is m� bhronnaim an t-�r..."

Hint

Caide Sin Do'n Te Sin

Ceol A'Phiobare

Dulaman

'Si Do Mhaimao I

NEXT>

Question 3 of 15

3. "Bh� m�ran daoine uasal ann, bh� tuatanaigh na h-Alban ann. Bh� 'n maistir scoile is an ministir ann, bh� an laoch Mac Amhlaigh ann."
Hint

Donal Agus Morag

Tuirse Mo Chroi

An Mhaighdean Mhara

Deirin De

NEXT>

Question 4 of 15

4. Here's something in English. "All through the first part of the night, we did lie in sport and play." Hint

Ten Thousand Miles

Island Angel

Blackwaterside

Green Grow the Rushes

NEXT>

Question 5 of 15

5. "A mh�ithair mh�n �! cuir na roithl�an go dt� m�. T� cosa dubha d�bailte ar an d�lam�n gaelach."

Hint

D�lam�n

Ta Me Mo Shui

Stor, A Stor, A Ghra

Ta Mo Chleamhnas A Dheanamh

NEXT>

Question 6 of 15

6. "Nuair a shilfeas a' f�on, beidh an long ar a' tr�dh..."
Hint

Ta Me Mo Shui

An Cail�n Gaelach

Ta Mo Chleamhnas A Dheanamh

Mo Choill

NEXT>

Question 7 of 15

7. "And the rocks may melt and the seas may burn if I no more return..."
Hint

Horse With A Heart

Soillse Na Nollag

Time Has Passed

Ten Thousand Miles

NEXT>

Question 8 of 15

8. This song is about a selkie who has married a human. After many years, she finds her magic sealskin and returns to the sea. Which song am I talking about? Hint

An Saighdi�ir Tr�igthe

An Mhaighdean Mhara

An Fhailling�n Mhuimhneach

An Buachaill�n B�n

NEXT>

Question 9 of 15

9. "There's no' but care on every hand. In every hour that passes, oh.
That signifies the life of man..." Hint

Drowsy Maggie

Green Grow The Rushes

The Flower of Magherally

Harvest Storm

NEXT>

Question 10 of 15

10. "T� bunadh a' t� 'na lu� is t� mise liom f�in. T� na coiligh ag glaoch 's t� 'n saol ina gcodladh ach m�."
Hint

�irchill an Chreag�in

Tuirse Mo Chro�

T� M� I Mo Shu�

Tr�thn�na Beag Ar�ir

NEXT>

Question 11 of 15

11. "D'oscail s� a beil�n 'gus labhair s� B�arla. 'S � duirt s� 'Pray sir, and let me be.'" Hint

Cail�n na n-�rla Donn

An Cail�n Rua

An Cail�n Gaelach

Cail�n na Gruaige B�ine

NEXT>

Question 12 of 15

12. "Winter is cold, spring melts the snow." Hint

The Snowy Path

The Cat That Ate the Candle

Time Has Passed

The Sunset

NEXT>

Question 13 of 15

13. Which song begins "One evening fair, to take the air...?" Hint

Dulaman

Ten Thousand Miles

Green Grow the Rushes

Blackwaterside

NEXT>

Question 14 of 15

14. "Gabh thusa 'na mulla� 'gus mise 'na m�inte, 's or� gr� mo chro�, 's ca bith fear a leanfaidh s� b�odh s� go deo aige, cuach mo lon dubh bu�."
Hint

Sl�inte Theilinn

An Cail�n Deas Og

The Trip to Cullenstown

Cuach mo Lon Dubh Bu�

NEXT>

Question 15 of 15

15. Which Altan song title translates simply to "She's Your Granny"? Hint

'Ar Bhruach Na Carraige Baine

'Si Do Mhaimeo I

Ceol A'Phiobaire

An Grianan

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Tiocfaidh m'athair a sh� �g�, anuas f�n tr�igh a h-�b�. Is gheobhaidh s� mise 'mo bhrad�n bhog bh�idhte, 'gabh�il i ts�ile i mBaile Le�il."

Answer: An Bhean Uda� Thall

This is a very old folk song with hazy origins and many different versions circulating (someone told me that one version was included in "Child Ballads"). "An Bhean Uda� Thall" is a call and response type ballad in which The Girl (An Cailin) lures the young Wife (An Bhean) down to the river and drowns her in order to steal her wealthy husband.

The Wife begs for her life and her children's lives, but is refused by The Girl. The Wife then brings a curse down upon The Girl. The "sh� �g�" here is An Bhean addressing An Cailin - roughly, sh� �g� means something like a changeling or an evil fairy, a young girl who is a betrayer and a deceiver. Appropriate enough in this instance.

2. "Chuaigh m� chun aonaigh is dh�ol m� mo bh�, ar ch�ig phunta airgid is ar ghin� bhu� �ir. M� �laim an t-airgead is m� bhronnaim an t-�r..."

Answer: Caide Sin Do'n Te Sin

Translation: "I went to the fair and sold my cow for five pounds of silver and a yellow guinea of gold. If I drink the silver and if I give away the gold, O what is that to anyone else?"

3. "Bh� m�ran daoine uasal ann, bh� tuatanaigh na h-Alban ann. Bh� 'n maistir scoile is an ministir ann, bh� an laoch Mac Amhlaigh ann."

Answer: Donal Agus Morag

This is a wedding song. Donal and Morag are apparently the couple being joined in holy matrimony, as the song later says "Donal, it was Donal, it was Donal who made the wedding..."

4. Here's something in English. "All through the first part of the night, we did lie in sport and play."

Answer: Blackwaterside

There was a music video out for "Blackwaterside". It's one of their more well-known songs, another update of a traditional ballad.

5. "A mh�ithair mh�n �! cuir na roithl�an go dt� m�. T� cosa dubha d�bailte ar an d�lam�n gaelach."

Answer: D�lam�n

Dulaman is actually about a type of Irish seaweed. Clannad also did a version of this song, and I recently learned that there's a Celtic band named D�lam�n.

6. "Nuair a shilfeas a' f�on, beidh an long ar a' tr�dh..."

Answer: Mo Choill

"Mo Choill" means "My love".

7. "And the rocks may melt and the seas may burn if I no more return..."

Answer: Ten Thousand Miles

Another traditional song. "Fare you well, my own true love/Farewell for a while/I'm going away, but I'll be back/If I go ten thousand miles."

8. This song is about a selkie who has married a human. After many years, she finds her magic sealskin and returns to the sea. Which song am I talking about?

Answer: An Mhaighdean Mhara

"An Mhaighdean Mhara" translates to "mermaid".

9. "There's no' but care on every hand. In every hour that passes, oh. That signifies the life of man..."

Answer: Green Grow The Rushes

The lyrics to this song were actually adapted from a poem of the same name by Robert Burns.

10. "T� bunadh a' t� 'na lu� is t� mise liom f�in. T� na coiligh ag glaoch 's t� 'n saol ina gcodladh ach m�."

Answer: T� M� I Mo Shu�

The title of this song means "I Am Awake." It's basically about a guy who's losing sleep over a girl.

11. "D'oscail s� a beil�n 'gus labhair s� B�arla. 'S � duirt s� 'Pray sir, and let me be.'"

Answer: An Cail�n Gaelach

"An Cail�n Gaelach" means "The Irish Girl", but in this song, the Irish girl speaks English.

12. "Winter is cold, spring melts the snow."

Answer: Time Has Passed

Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh wrote "Time Has Passed" after Frankie Kennedy, her husband and the co-founder of Altan, died of cancer.

13. Which song begins "One evening fair, to take the air...?"

Answer: Blackwaterside

"One evening fair, to take the air, down by Blackwaterside..."

14. "Gabh thusa 'na mulla� 'gus mise 'na m�inte, 's or� gr� mo chro�, 's ca bith fear a leanfaidh s� b�odh s� go deo aige, cuach mo lon dubh bu�."

Answer: Cuach mo Lon Dubh Bu�

"Cuach mo Lon Dubh Bu�" is from "The Blue Idol", Altan's most recent album as of August 2002. "The Blue Idol" was released in February of 2002.

15. Which Altan song title translates simply to "She's Your Granny"?

Answer: 'Si Do Mhaimeo I

"'Ar Bhruach Na Carraige Baine" translates to "The Brink of the White Rock," "Ceol A'Phiobaire" is "The Music of the Piper", and "An Grianan" refers to the sunshine. Thanks for playing my quiz! I was able to check a lot of my Gaelic spelling and translations of traditional songs at the webpage of Aine Cooke, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/8998/, so if you're interested in Gaelic, pay her a visit.

Source: Author SuperRo

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bullymom before going online.
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