1394.] on Old Irish Song. 171 



Delbath, and also the Daghda' s harp hanging upon the wall. This 

 was the harp in which the music was spell-bound, so that it would 

 not answer, when called forth, until the Daghda evoked it, when he 

 said : " Come, Durdabla ; come, Coircethairchuir (the two names of 

 the harp). Come, Samhan ; come, Camh, from the mouths of harps 

 and pouches and pipes. The harp came forth from the wall then, 

 and killed nine persons in its passage ; and it came to the Daghda, 

 and he played for them the three musical feats which give distinction 

 to a harper, viz., the Suantree (which, from its deep murmuring, 

 caused sleep), the Gauntree (which, from its merriment, caused 

 laughter), and the Golltree (which, from its melting plaintiveness, 

 caused crying). He played them the Golltree, until their women 

 cried tears ; and he played them the Gauntree, until their women and 

 youths burst into laughter ; he played them the Suantree, until the 

 entire host fell asleep. It was through that sleep that they (the 

 three champions) escaped from those Fomorians who were desirous to 

 slay them." 



This passage is of threefold interest. It indicates the pojmlar 

 belief in the introduction of music into Ireland by the Tuatha da 

 Danann, a mysterious race, by some regarded as an offshoot of the 

 Danai, whom tradition declares to have conquered and civilised the 

 country and then to have disappeared from it into fairyland. Again, 

 it contains the first reference in Irish literature to the harp or cruit, 

 destined to become our national instrument. Lastly, it describes 

 three styles of Irish music, of each of which we have characteristic 

 examples that have descended to the present day. For the Gauntree, 

 which was provocation of mirth and frolic and excited spirit, is 

 represented by the jigs, reels, planxties, and quick-step marches ; the 

 Golltree, or the sorrowful music, still lingers in the keens or 

 lamentations, and some of our superb marches of the wilder and 

 sadder type ; and the Suantree survives in many a beautiful Irish 

 hush song. 



The Irish sleep-compelling airs have not attracted the notice they 

 deserve. Moore ignored them altogether, but Dr. Petrie prints many 

 of them, and points out their resemblance to the slumber-tunes still 

 in vogue in India and elsewhere in the East. They certainly support 

 the tradition of the oriental affinities of the Early Irish. 



The first period of Irish bardic literature may roughly be said to 

 be that of epic poetry interspersed with songs. Fine exemplifications 

 of these are to be found in the ' Silva Gadelica,' a recent translation 

 of a series of Early Irish tales by Mr. Standish Hayes 0' Grady. 

 The music to which they were sung has perished or become 

 dissociated from these lyrics, but some of their measures are identical 

 with those of rustic Irish folk tunes. We now come to the bardic 

 period, thus described by the poet Spenser in ' A View of the State 

 of Ireland ' : — 



" Iren. — There is amongst the Irish a certain kind of people 

 called Bardes, which are to them instead of Poets, whose Profession 



n 2 



