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Ciad Turas Mhic Dhòmhnaill a Ghlaschu

When I Went Down to Glasgow First

Listen to this song: ‘Ciad Turas Mhic Dhòmhnaill a Ghlaschu’ (When I went down to Glasgow First)

Remember: you can change the speed in the settings.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the whole song! Tha thu a’ dèanamh fìor math—you’re doing really well!

There is a transcription available on the same page.

If you don’t understand any words, try looking them up in your dictionary or the LearnGaelic faclair.

In this funny yet poignant song made by Uilleam (Billy) Marshall, and sung by Donnchadh MacFhionghain (Duncan MacKinnon) we hear the story of a Highlander on his first visit to the city.

This is a macaronic song, where different languages – Gaelic and English here – are mixed to comic effect to highlight the differences between the two languages and cultures.

It was a style popular among Gaels who moved to Glasgow.

Iomlaid (inversion) features quite a bit as well!

There is another shorter version which shows how much the audience enjoy the song: