"Ar a Ghabháil Chun a Chuain Damh" (''As I Went to the Harbour'') is an Irish

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

. It is also known as "Béal Átha hAmhnais", which is the Irish name for the town of

Ballyhaunis Ballyhaunis () is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is at the crossroads of the N60 and N83 National secondary roads and on the railway line linking Dublin to Westport and Ballina. Ballyhaunis is within both the Roman Catholic and civil pa ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

, Ireland. The song has six verses and roughly follows common

strophic form Strophic form – also called verse-repeating form, chorus form, AAA song form, or one-part song form – is a song structure in which all verses or stanzas of the text are sung to the same music. Contrasting song forms include through-composed, ...

, although the melody of even-numbered verses differs slightly from the melody of odd-numbered verses. The song has a complex rhythmic structure with varying time signatures, and it has a vocal range of a

minor tenth In music, the third factor (chord), factor of a chord (music), chord is the note (music), note or pitch (music), pitch two scale degrees above the root (chord), root or tonality, tonal center. When the third is the bass note, or lowest note, of th ...

Recorded versions

The song has been recorded several times by various artists. The following is an incomplete list of known recordings of the song. * Aine Ni Ghallchobhair - ''Recording date unknown.'' Her recording contains vocals only. Original release by

Gael-Linn Records Gael Linn () is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation focused on the promotion of the Irish language and the arts. The organisation's funding includes government and lottery sources. History Gael Linn was founded in May 1953, followin ...

between 1957 and 1961. Reissued in 1979 on a compilation album '' Na Ceirníní 78 1957-1960'', and then in 2004 on another compilation album '' Seoltaí Séidte-Setting Sail''. * Na Filí - ''1972, as Béal Atha h-Amhnais''. From their third album '' Na Filí 3'', released by Outlet in 1972 on vinyl, reissued in 1997 on CD. Their version includes

whistle A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of Fipple, fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a s ...

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

and

pipes Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circu ...

accompaniment and interludes. *

Clannad Clannad () were an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings , and (Moya) (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginn ...

- ''1980, spelled Ar a Ghabhail 'n a 'Chuain Damh''. Arguably the most famous recording of the song is the opening track on Clannad's 1980 album ''

Crann Úll ''Crann Úll'' is the fifth album by Irish folk group Clannad released in 1980. It is also the first Clannad album to feature younger sister Eithne Ní Bhraonáin (later known as Enya). She appears as supporting vocalist on the track "Gatherin ...

''. Their version includes a lengthy outro/jam session containing both flute and guitar solos and a distinctive repeated riff played on a

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from 1954 to 1983. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptually similar to ...

. A different version can be found on the live album '' Turas (Live, 1980 Bremen)'', where it forms a medley with An Ghiobóg. * Aoife - ''1991, spelled Ar A Ghabhail 'n A Chuain Domh''. Her version was released as the first track of her début album ''

Loinneog Cheoil ''Loinneog Cheoil'' is the début album by Irish singer Aoife Ní Fhearraigh. The albums features mainly traditional material in Irish from the Gweedore and Rosses areas of County Donegal. Track listing Side 1 / Taobh 1 # Neansaí Mhíle Gr ...

'', and it follows a harmonic structure similar to the Clannad version. *

Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill (; born 1955) is an Irish traditional singer from Kells, County Meath. She is known for her work with the short-lived, but very highly regarded Skara Brae and her collaborations with her sister Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, a ...

Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill is an acclaimed Irish traditional singer, keyboard player, and composer. She is considered one of the most influential female vocalists in the history of Irish music. Throughout her career, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill has worke ...

and

Dónal Lunny Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozaik, LAPD ...

- ''1999, spelled Ar a Ghabháil 'un a' Chuain Dom''. Their version appeared on their 1999 album '' Idir an Dá Sholas''. It contains a repeat of the first verse at the end.

Clannad version

Ciarán Brennan Clannad () were an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings , and (Moya) (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginni ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

Electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...

- ''(though uncredited, the keyboard part may have been provided by

Enya Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...

, as she was a supporting member of Clannad during the recording of this and the next album)''.Enya can be seen and heard playing the Wurlitzer electric piano on a BBC performance of Clannad from 1982. Available o
YouTube
Retrieved 21 July 2019 * Máire Ní Bhronáin -

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

* Pól Ó Braonáin -

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

* Noel Ó Dúgáin -

Guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

* Pádraig Ó Dúgáin -

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ar a Ghabhail 'n a 'Chuain Damh Clannad songs Irish folk songs Songs in Irish Songs with unknown songwriters Year of song unknown