The Ninepenny Fidil (Fiddle) is a song about playing a fiddle and about meeting a leprechaun.
The song was written by Seosamh Mac Cathmhaoil and arranged by Herbert Hughes to old Irish melody.
Below you can listen to a video of the song, followed by the lyrics.
The Ninepenny Fidil
My father and mother were Irish,
And I am Irish too
I bought a wee fidil for ninepence,
And it is Irish too
I’m up in the morning early
To meet the dawn of day
And to the lint-white’s* piping,
The many’s the tune I play!One pleasant eve in June time
I met a lochrie man,
His face and hands were weazen**,
His height was not a span.
He boor’d me for my fidil,
"You know" says he, "Like you,
My father and mother were Irish,
And I am Irish too!"He took my wee red fidil,
And such a tune he turned,
The Glaise in it whisper’d,
The lionan in it m’urned’
Says he "My lad, you’re lucky,
I wish t’ I was like you,
You’re lucky in your birth star,
And in your fidil, too!"He gave me back my fidil,
My fidil-stick also
And stepping like a may-boy,
He jump’d the Leargaidh Knowe
I never saw him after,
Nor met his gentle kind:
But, whiles, I think I hear him,
A-wheening in the wind!My father and mother were Irish,
And I am Irish too,
I bought a wee fidil for ninepence
And it is Irish too.
I’m up in the morning early
To greet the dawn of day
And to the lintwhite’s piping,
The many’s the tune I play.*A lint-white is a linnet (a small finch)
**Wizened
This song was sung by Maureen Hegarty in the video.
This article was posted on Saturday, March 16th, 2013 at 10:05 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, Folk Music, Folk Songs, Holiday Songs, Holidays Around the World, Ireland, Music, St. Patrick's Day, St. Patrick's Day Songs, USA, YouTube. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
7 Responses to “"My father and mother were Irish, and I am Irish too" – A Song with Video”
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January 14th, 2017 at 1:04 am
I learned this song from my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. McCaulluph. Still brings back great memories.
June 5th, 2017 at 8:02 pm
This song is lovely. I know the first line to belong to a children’s game that is sung to the tune “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”. The game was played similar to tag and is documented as early as 1902 in the U.S. Because of the tune, the lyrics then are quite different throughout the song but it starts the same.
June 6th, 2017 at 1:31 pm
That’s interesting Daniel. Would you like to share that song/game with us? -Mama Lisa
November 3rd, 2017 at 1:29 pm
I looked on here to see if I could find the song I was taught over 60 years ago as a child:
My Father and Mother are Irish
They live on Irish stew
They bought a tin kettle for nine pence
And that was Irish too.
I have some Irish ancestry so assume it may have come down the line, but now I wonder if it was a family joke based on the one you have here!
August 6th, 2018 at 3:12 am
Dad used to sing the 2nd verse something like:
We churned the butter in Dad’s old boot
We churned the butter in Dad’s old boot.
We churned the butter in Dad’s old boot.
And that was Irish too.
December 16th, 2022 at 1:28 am
M’y Irish mum sung this song with her own version as she advanced in Alzheimer’s disease … her version was short. It began the same and ended with…and all that it could play (sniff sniff) was over the hills and far away! She did a lot of theatrics from start to finish and made many people smile and laugh with her wee rendition!
December 9th, 2023 at 10:35 am
Hello, My Dad used to sing the Irish Fiddle song and play his violin to us. He is now long dead, and I can’t ask him this…I have asked many Irish Gaelic speakers what the translations of Glaise and Lionan are. No one could tell me. Can you please ? An email is welcome. There is a version by Tom Sweeney but he uses the words Heart and Soul…
Lastly what is the Leargaidh Knowe.?