Gaelic and Celtic Customs
from the Hebrides and Beyond
Fada's Farsaing (Far and Wide) is a series of articles by Liam O Caiside in English but with Gaelic words and phrases interwoven in the text. The articles describe a wide range of Gaelic and Celtic customs. These pages were originally published in the "Scottish Radiance" e-magazine and have been reproduced here with the kind permission of the Scottish Radiance editor, Sharma Krauskopf.
The Selkirk Grace
The Selkirk Grace is attributed to Robert Burns but some believe that it existed before his time. The grace is used extensively in Scotland and by people of Scottish descent all over the world, especially at Burns' Suppers - the graphic of haggis was taken while it was being piped in at a Burns Supper at Haggs Castle Golf Club in Glasgow.
Scots Gaelic translation Some hae meat and canna eat,
and some wad eat that want it,
but we hae meat and we can eat,
and sae the Lord be thankit.Tha biadh aig cuid, 's gun aca càil;,
acras aig cuid,'s gun aca biadh,
ach againne tha biadh is slàint',
moladh mar sin a bhith don Triath.
There is an MP3 spoken version of the Scots version of the grace.
Audio Clip from LCOM Lismor Records
Robert Burns Collection
Return to Fada's Farsaig Index
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