Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil

"Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil" ([d̪ˠənˠ ˈiːçə uːd̪ˠ ɪ ˈmʲɛhɪlʲ], archaic spelling: Don Oidhche ud I mBeithil,[1] "That Night in Bethlehem") is a popular Irish-language Christmas carol, of unclear origin.[2][3] It is played as a reel in ³
₄ time.[4][5]

"Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil"
Christmas carol

Origins

It has been described as going back to the 7th century AD.[6][7][8]

Lyrics

Don oíche úd i mBeithil, beidh tagairt ar ghrian go brách Don oíche úd i mBeithil, go dtáinig an Briathar slán Tá gríosghrua ar spéartha, 's an talamh 'na chlúdach bán Féach íosagán sa chléibhín, 's an Mhaighdean in aoibhneas grá Ar leacain lom an tsléibhe, go nglacann na haoirí scáth Nuair in oscailt gheal na spéire, tá teachtaire Dé ar fáil Céad glóir anois don Athair, i bhFlaitheasa thuas go hard Is feasta fós ar talamh, d'fheara, dea-mhéin síocháin.[9][10]

I sing of a night in Bethlehem A night as bright as dawn I sing of that night in Bethlehem The night the Word was born The skies are glowing gaily The earth in white is dressed See Jesus in the cradle Drink deep in His mother's breast And there on a lonely hillside The shepherds bow down in fear When the heavens open brightly And God's message rings out so clear Glory now to the Father In all the heavens high And peace to His friends on earth below Is all the angels cry

Notable recordings

• Anne-Marie O’Farrell produced a 1988 version.[11]
• The Chieftains performed the song on the 1991 album The Bells of Dublin.
• A version appears on Celtic Woman's 2006 album A Christmas Celebration.[12]

References

1. "Wren Song - Authentic Celtic Music & Ballads".
2. Fleischman, Aloys (December 5, 2016). "Sources of Irish Traditional Music c. 1600-1855: An Annotated Catalogue of Prints and Manuscripts, 1583-1855". Routledge – via Google Books.
3. Woods, Sylvia (February 28, 2015). "That Night in Bethlehem: A Traditional Irish Christmas Carol Arranged for Solo Harp". HAL LEONARD Publishing Company – via Google Books.
4. UMBARGER, MARY (April 15, 2011). "Harp Song - The Golden Thread". Mel Bay Publications – via Google Books.
5. "A Southern Celtic Christmas". www.propermusic.com.
6. "StackPath". www.bitesize.irish.
7. Glatt, John (February 29, 2012). "The Chieftains: The Authorised Biography". Random House – via Google Books.
8. Anderson, Bradford A.; Kearney, Jonathan (April 19, 2018). "Ireland and the Reception of the Bible: Social and Cultural Perspectives". Bloomsbury Publishing – via Google Books.
9. "Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil lyrics and chords - Celtic Woman". SongsInIrish.com.
10. "Don Oíche úd I mBeithil - To That Night In Bethelehem". www.irishpage.com.
11. "Anne-Marie O'Farrell". Contemporary Music Centre. September 20, 2018.
12. Long, Siobhán Dowling; Sawyer, John F. A. (September 3, 2015). "The Bible in Music: A Dictionary of Songs, Works, and More". Rowman & Littlefield – via Google Books.