Mairi's Wedding
Encyclopedia
Mairi's Wedding is a Scottish
folk song originally written in Gaelic by Johnny Bannerman for Mary McNiven. Written using a traditional Scottish
tune, it was first played for McNiven in 1935 at the Old Highlanders Institute in Glasgow
's Elmbank Street. Hugh S. Roberton translated the Gaelic version into English
in 1936.
It is also a Scottish country dance
, 40 bar, reel time, devised in 1959 by James B. Cosh.
The English Translation reading:
wrote two additional verses for the movie 'Passed Away
'. They are the only ones heard clearly in the movie. The song also appears in the deleted scenes of the 3-disc special edition DVD of Peter Jackson
's 2005 version of "King Kong
." It is heard while Naomi Watts
and Jamie Bell
are dancing on the deck of the tramp steamer 'Venture' as it steams toward Skull Island
. The song is not heard in the movie itself, however, so it is not clear whether its presence on the DVD is the result of Kong score composer James Newton Howard
, who replaced Howard Shore
, Shore himself, or the producer of the DVD.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
folk song originally written in Gaelic by Johnny Bannerman for Mary McNiven. Written using a traditional Scottish
Music of Scotland
Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which has remained vibrant throughout the 20th century, when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music...
tune, it was first played for McNiven in 1935 at the Old Highlanders Institute in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
's Elmbank Street. Hugh S. Roberton translated the Gaelic version into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in 1936.
It is also a Scottish country dance
Scottish country dance
A Scottish country dance is a form of social dance involving groups of mixed couples of dancers tracing progressive patterns according to a predetermined choreography...
, 40 bar, reel time, devised in 1959 by James B. Cosh.
Original Gaelic version
The Gaelic version begins:- "S i mo ghaol-sa Màiri Bhàn
- Màiri bhòidheach sgeul mo dhàin,
- Gaol mo chridh'-sa Màiri Bhàn,
- S tha mi 'dol 'ga pòsadh."
The English Translation reading:
- She's my darling, Fair Mary
- Pretty Mary, story of my song,
- Darling of my heart, Fair Mary,
- And I'm going to her wedding'
Recorded versions
Mairi's Wedding has been recorded by a wide variety of musicians.- The Alans, "The Houston Sessions"
- Alexander BrothersAlexander BrothersThe Alexander Brothers are an easy-listening folk-music duo from Scotland, who have been performing since the 1950s.Tom Alexander and Jack Alexander were born in Cambusnethan, near Wishaw...
"Best of" - Moira AndersonMoira AndersonMoira Anderson, OBE is a Scottish singer.- Life and career :Following an education at Lenzie Academy, Anderson quickly established herself at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow before getting her big break in the media after a successful audition at the BBC.She landed her...
on "The Best of Scotland: Twenty Tracks of Traditional Scottish Music" - Moira AndersonMoira AndersonMoira Anderson, OBE is a Scottish singer.- Life and career :Following an education at Lenzie Academy, Anderson quickly established herself at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow before getting her big break in the media after a successful audition at the BBC.She landed her...
, "A Land for All Seasons" - Bantry BayBantry BayBantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km wide at the head and wide at the entrance....
, "Set the Sails" - Neil Barron and His Scottish Dance Band, "The Reel Party" http://www.musicinscotland.com/acatalog/Neil_Barron_His_Scottish_Dance_Band_The_Reel_Party_CD.html
- Bushwhackers Band, "Dance Album"
- Van MorrisonVan MorrisonVan Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
and The ChieftainsThe ChieftainsThe Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
, Irish HeartbeatIrish HeartbeatIrish Heartbeat is the eighteenth album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is a collaboration with the traditional Irish musical group The Chieftains, released in 1988... - The Clancy BrothersThe Clancy BrothersThe Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music singing group, most popular in the 1960s, they were famed for their woolly Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularizing Irish traditional music in the United States. The brothers were Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Tom Clancy, Bobby Clancy...
- The CorriesThe CorriesThe Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s. Although the group was a trio in the early days, it was as the partnership of Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne that it is best known.-Early years:...
, "Kishmul's Galley" - Paul DooleyPaul Dooley-Personal life:Dooley was born Paul Dooley Brown in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the son of Ruth Irene , a homemaker, and Peter James Brown, a factory worker. Dooley was a cartoonist as a youth and drew a strip for a local paper in Parkersburg. He joined the Navy before discovering acting while at...
"Rip the Calico" - Teresa Doyle "If Fish Could Sing"
- The Ecclestons "The Home Fires"
- EDF (Patrick Ewen, Gérard Delahaye, Mélaine Favennec), "Kan tri" (this song is performed in French and is untitled "La noce à Marie")
- Fiddler's GreenFiddler's Green (band)Fiddler’s Green is a German band from Erlangen that plays independent Irish speedfolk, formed in 1990. Their first concert under the name of Fiddler’s Green was at the Newcomer-Festival in Erlangen in November 1990, where the band came second...
, "Drive Me Mad!" - The Foggy Few "Pint of No Return" http://www.rockeweb.com/foggy-few.htm - a Norwegian folk-rock band
- Estonian folk group Folkmill, on "Topelt Rosin," 1998.
- Clive GregsonClive GregsonClive Gregson is an English singer/songwriter, musician and record producer. He has toured in bands, provided backup for well-known musicians, and written songs that have been covered by Kim Carnes, Norma Waterson and Nanci Griffith.-Solo:At the end of 1984 Gregson released his first solo record,...
used the same tune for a song called "Mairi's Divorce" on his album "People and Places" - The High KingsThe High KingsThe High Kings are an Irish ballad group. They were formed on Carick on Suir by Fibarr Clancy and Martin Furey.Brian Dunphy , and Broadway/pop/country singer Darren Holden were later recruited having wowed the world with their own solo careers on broadway in musical reviews, such as Riverdance...
, "The High Kings" - Noel Hill, "The Irish Concertina Two"
- Christy Hodder "Celtic Energy" http://www.lochabermusic.com/cardio.htm
- The King's SingersKing's SingersThe King's Singers is a British a cappella vocal ensemble who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s...
, "Annie Laurie: Folk Songs of the British Isles" - The King's SingersKing's SingersThe King's Singers is a British a cappella vocal ensemble who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s...
, "Mairi's Wedding" - David Kinnaird, "Mairi's Wedding"
- John MartynJohn MartynJohn Martyn, OBE , born Iain David McGeachy, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a forty-year career he released twenty studio albums, working with artists such as Eric Clapton and David Gilmour...
, "Sunday's Child, part of the message" - Kenneth McKellarKenneth McKellar (singer)Kenneth McKellar was a Scottish tenor.-Career:McKellar studied forestry at the University of Aberdeen, after graduation working for the Scottish Forestry Commission. He later trained at the Royal College of Music as an opera singer...
on "Wild Conserves" - Orthodox CeltsOrthodox CeltsOrthodox Celts is a Serbian band which plays Irish folk music combined with rock elements. Despite their unusual sound the band is one of the top acts of the Serbian rock scene and has influenced several younger bands, most notably Tir na n'Og and Irish Stew of Sindidun.The band started their...
, "Green RosesGreen RosesGreen Roses is the third studio album by the Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Orthodox Celts released in 1999.- Tracklist :# "St. Patrick Was A Gentleman" - 02:19# "Sindidun" - 03:42# "Green Roses" Green Roses is the third studio album by the Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Orthodox Celts...
" - The Rankin FamilyThe Rankin FamilyThe Rankin Family is a Canadian musical family group from Mabou, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The group has won many Canadian music awards, including 15 East Coast Music Awards, six Juno Awards, four SOCAN Awards, three Canadian Country Music Awards and two Big Country Music Awards.- Career...
taking it to number one in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. From the album The Rankin FamilyThe Rankin Family (album)The Rankin Family is the debut album by Canadian folk music group The Rankin Family. The album was originally self-released by the siblings in 1989...
, 1989. - RapaljeRapaljeRapalje is a Dutch Celtic folk band which performs Irish, Scottish and Dutch folk music and sings in Dutch as well as in English.- Recordings :The band recorded 8 CD's, of which 3 were later compiled into 1 album, and 1 DVD.* 1998: Into Folk...
, "Rakish Paddies" - Anne Roos, on "Haste to the Wedding" http://www.celticharpmusic.com/Audio/HasteToTheWedding.html, an album of Celtic harp wedding music
- Alan StivellAlan StivellAlan Stivell is a Breton musician and singer, recording artist and master of the celtic harp who from the early 1970s revived global interest in the Celtic harp and Celtic music as part of world music.- Background: learning Breton music and culture :Alan was born in the Auvergnat town of Riom...
, "Brian Boru" - Andy StewartAndy Stewart (musician)Andrew "Andy" Stewart MBE was a Scottish singer and entertainer.-Career:The use of tartan patriotism and stereotypical Scottish humour goes back to Sir Harry Lauder and music hall songs. In the 1960s this strand was continued by the entertainer Andy Stewart.He was born in Glasgow, Scotland in...
"Donald, Where's Your Troosers?" - Richard Thompson, as an instrumental to "Nobody's Wedding" on Henry the Human FlyHenry the Human FlyHenry the Human Fly was the first solo album by British singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson. It was originally released in Britain in April 1972 on the Island label and in the US on the Reprise label....
- Trasna Ceilidh Band, "Trasna Ceilidh Band"
- Waking Maggie, "Hit the Bricks"
- The WigglesThe WigglesThe Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album...
, "Hoop Dee Doo" - Robert WilsonRobert Wilson (tenor)Robert Wilson was a Scottish tenor. After beginning his career with the Rothesay Entertainers in Scotland, Wilson joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, with whom he performed from 1931 to 1937...
, "The Voice of Scotland" - The Rumjacks, "Sound As A Pound"
Use in Movies
Jim CorrJim Corr
James Steven Ignatius "Jim" Corr is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. He is a member of the Irish folk/rock band The Corrs, the other members being his three younger sisters Andrea, Sharon and Caroline. He is also a DJ....
wrote two additional verses for the movie 'Passed Away
Passed Away
Passed Away is an American ensemble comedy film from 1992.- Cast :*Bob Hoskins - Johnny Scanlan*Jack Warden - Jack Scanlan*William Petersen - Frank Scanlan*Diana Bellamy - BJ*Don Brockett - Froggie*Helen Lloyd Breed - Aunt Maureen...
'. They are the only ones heard clearly in the movie. The song also appears in the deleted scenes of the 3-disc special edition DVD of Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's 2005 version of "King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
." It is heard while Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
and Jamie Bell
Jamie Bell
Andrew James Matfin "Jamie" Bell is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Billy Elliot , King Kong , Hallam Foe , Jumper , Defiance , The Eagle and The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn .- Early life :Bell was born in Billingham, in the Borough of...
are dancing on the deck of the tramp steamer 'Venture' as it steams toward Skull Island
Skull Island
Skull Island is a fictional island first appearing in the 1933 film King Kong and later appearing in its sequels and in the two remakes. It is the home of the eponymous King Kong and several other species of creatures, mostly prehistoric and in some cases species that should have been extinct long...
. The song is not heard in the movie itself, however, so it is not clear whether its presence on the DVD is the result of Kong score composer James Newton Howard
James Newton Howard
James Newton Howard is an American composer best known for his scores to motion pictures. He is one of the most popular and respected composers for cinema, and has scored over 100 films...
, who replaced Howard Shore
Howard Shore
Howard Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer, notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he won three Academy Awards. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg,...
, Shore himself, or the producer of the DVD.