"Ag Críost an Síol" (; meaning "Christ's is the seed") is an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
poem, later set to music by
Seán Ó Riada
Seán Ó Riada (; born John Reidy; 1 August 1931 – 3 October 1971), was an Irish composer and arranger of Irish traditional music. Through his incorporation of modern and traditional techniques he became the single most influential figur ...
and subsequently widely used as a
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...
.
Origins
There are conflicting accounts of the origins of ''Ag Críost an Síol''.
Some sources describe the poem as "traditional" or "an old anonymous prayer".
Another source says that it was in fact written in 1916 by Father
Michael Sheehan (Micheál Ó Síocháin) of
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
, a co-founder of Coláiste na Rinne, the Irish College in
An Rinn
Ring (, its official name) or Ringagonagh ( ) is a parish within the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht na nDéise area in County Waterford, Ireland. It lies on a peninsula about south of Dungarvan. The main settlement is the village of Ring or Ringvill ...
, County Waterford, who later became assistant Archbishop of
Sydney, Australia.
A third source, published within the lifetime of Fr. Sheehan, credits the words to the similarly named Fr. Michael Meehan (Micheál Ó Míocháin) (1810-1878), long time Parish Priest of the parishes of Moyarta and Kilballyowen in County Clare.
The words were set to music by
Seán Ó Riada
Seán Ó Riada (; born John Reidy; 1 August 1931 – 3 October 1971), was an Irish composer and arranger of Irish traditional music. Through his incorporation of modern and traditional techniques he became the single most influential figur ...
as the
offertory hymn in his 1968 setting of the mass, ''Ceol an Aifrinn'' (literally, "Music of the Mass"; known in English as the "Ó Riada Mass"), which is used to close a number of Irish traditional music gatherings, such as
summer schools
Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...
.
Sean O'Riada (1931-1971) Musician and Composer
Cork Institute of Technology, accessed 7 February 2015
Text
Irish text
Ag Críost an síol, ag Críost an fómhar;
in iothlainn Dé go dtugtar sinn.
Ag Críost an mhuir, ag Críost an t-iasc;
i líonta Dé go gcastar sinn.
Ó fhás go h-aois, is ó aois go bás,
do dhá láimh, a Chríost, anall tharainn.
Ó bhás go críoch, ní críoch ach athfhás,
i bParthas na ngrás go rabhaimid.
English translation
Christ's is the seed, Christ's is the crop,
in the rickyard of God may we be brought.
Christ's is the sea, Christ's is the fish,
in the nets of God may we be caught.
From growth to age, from age to death,
Thy two arms, O Christ, about us.
From death to end, not end but rebirth,
in blessed Paradise may we be.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ag Criost an Siol
20th-century Irish literature
1916 poems
Irish Christian hymns
Irish-language songs