manx celtic music and dance

Arrane Oie Vie - the Manx traditional good night song

21 Nov 2024


An article for The Manx Independent (17th November 2024) written by Dr Chloë Woolley, Manx Music Development Officer at Culture Vannin.
 

“Arrane Oie Vie” or The Goodnight Song is the Isle of Man’s traditional parting song –  equivalent to “Auld Lang Syne” or “The Parting Glass” from Scotland and Ireland. Sung with a final ‘Jough-y-dorrys’ (drink of the door) in hand, it is still considered the proper way to draw to a close a good Manx gathering: “T’eh traa goll thie as goll dy lhie” – It’s time to go home and go to bed.

Particularly fitting for this time of year, when social gatherings still bring friends together around a roaring log fire, the song captures the essence of the darkening night and the fading glow of the “chiollagh” — the hearth’s warm light slowly turning to black.

The song is often mentioned in descriptions of the traditional Oie’ll Verree. 

The Oie’ll Verree on Christmas Eve would follow a regular church service in the chapel, once the vicar had gone home. Freed from formalities, solo singers would take turns to perform long Manx Gaelic carvals by candlelight in the aisles. This could continue for hours, and often grew lively as the bored young people would throw peas at each other! After this, the revellers headed to the local tavern, where they would sip ale spiced with pepper. The evening would finally end with a rendition of  “Arrane Oie Vie”, sung in Manx.

“Time to go home and go to bed,
The chair under me urges me to go.
We must make a move.
‘Tis drawing to time for bed.

Darkness has come, we must go home;
Black grows the hearth’s warm light;
That is our sign to go to rest.
It’s almost time to say, ‘good night.’”

Maughold inventor, explorer and poet, William Kennish describes the scene in his poem of 1844; “The Manx Ilvary”:

“After the parting verse was sung,
And jough y dorrys drank,
And the large Christmas candle had
Within the socket sank,
They of the host of Brumish Veg
Then took a parting leave,
And thus the merry rustics all
Closed that auspicious eve.”


Kennish's poem also reveals that the young men would then walk the young women home, where they might be invited in to stay the night by the fireside, in close contact, as the parents slept above!
Known Island-wide, “Arrane Oie Vie” was also collected from Edward Corteen from Glen Mona in Maughold, Margaret Cowley from The Rheast in Bride, and Thomas Taggart from Grenaby. Tom Taggart was well known for playing the cello, referred to as ‘The Fiddle’ or ‘Himself’, with which he led the hymns in Kerrowkeill Chapel on the slopes of South Barrule. 

It has been recorded prolifically over the years too, by The Lhon Dhoo and Lhon Vane choirs in the 1950s, then Manx language champion Brian Stowell, singer Emma Christian, electro-acoustic band Moot, and young band The Reeling Stones. More recently, American musician Carol Walker produced a version for mountain dulcimer, and it features on albums by Ruth Keggin and Rachel Hair, Kate Dowman and Mec Lir, who are currently in the running for ‘Live Act of the Year’ in the Scots Trad Music Awards!

You can learn “Arrane Oie Vie” from Manx Gaelic singer Phil Gawne, who has produced a video tutorial for Culture Vannin on manxmusic.com: 

Photo credit: Tom Taggart with his ‘fiddle’, Grenaby, Isle of Man c. 1900 iMuseum PGN 02138 Manx National Heritage

 

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