SONGS I LOVE: “Theme from ‘Harry’s Game'”

Today’s “Songs I Love” is a two-fer: a new song for you to listen to, and some trivia about the band that wrote it!

The 1982 British TV mini-series Harry’s Game was notable for two things. Firstly, many people consider Harry’s Game to be the best film depiction of “The Troubles” (the issues that plague Northern Ireland to this day) ever made. Secondly, the series’ theme song – “The Theme to Harry’s Game” – was a worldwide smash hit, and propelled the band behind it to worldwide recognition. The song has been used in countless movies, TV shows and commercials. Americans might be familiar with the song from the opening scenes of the Harrison Ford film Patriot Games, or a popular Volkswagen commercial on the late 80s. Have a listen and see if you remember it:

[audio:clannad.mp3]

Clannad is the band behind the song. The band was founded in a remote part of Ireland in the early 1970s by members Máire Ní Bhraonáin (Moya Brennan), Ciarán Ó Braonáin (Ciarán Brennan), Pól Ó Braonáin (Pól Brennan), Noel Ó Dúgáin (Noel Duggan), and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin (Pádraig Duggan). Máire’s sister Eithne would later join the band on a part-time basis, then enjoy a brief stint as a full-time member, before striking out on her own using the Anglicized version of her name: Enya.

The name “Clannad” is an abbreviation of the Irish phrase “An Clann As Dobhar”, which means “the family from Dore” (Clannad hail from Gweedore, a remote district in County Donegal, Ireland; interestingly, Irish is the predominant language in this area). Amusingly, the band were approached by a policeman one day, and the members feared that they were in trouble for some reason. In fact, the policeman was bringing them an entry form for a local “Battle of the Bands” type of contest. The band hadn’t even thought about a name for themselves yet, so someone proposed “Clann As Dobha”, which someone else abbreviated as Clannad. And the name stuck.

“The Theme to Harry’s Game” is also notable in that it’s the only song sung entirely in Irish (Gaelic) to ever hit the British music charts.

Many people have wondered what the lyrics to the song are, so I’ll reprint them for you below:

Imtheochaidh soir is siar
A dtainig ariamh
An ghealach is an ghrian

Chorus:
Fol lol the doh fol the day
Fol the day fol the day

Imtheochaidh an ghealach’s an ghrian
An Daoine og is a chail ‘na dhiadh

Repeat chorus

Repeat chorus

Imtheochaidh a dtainig ariamh
an duine og is a chail ne dhiadh

Repeat chorus

English translation:

I will go east and go west,
To the places from whence came
The moon and the sun

The moon and the sun will go,
And the young man
With his reputation behind him

I will go wherever he came from –
The young man with his reputation behind him.

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