Raven-tressed colleens

there is one of a number of wonderful phrases in the Riverdance song "Lift the Wings"

"Lift the wings,
that carry me away from here and,
Fill the sail,
That breaks the line to home.
But when I'm milies and miles apart from you,
I'm beside you when I think of you, a Storin, a Gra."

The phrase 'breaks the line to home' is unusual Is it a typical Irish or English term?

I have never heard it. It might be a sailing term rather than specifically English or Irish. (I can do the Gaelic, though!)

DFG

Dia dhuit, DFG. In the context of Riverdance, 'breaks the line to home' refers to the various Irish diasporas when people had to leave Ireland for a better life in other parts of the world. Many lost contact with their families and loves they left behind at home.

'A stóirín' (storeen) = 'my little treasure'
'A grá' (graw) = 'my love'

And who said the French are the most romantic people? They're only just trotting after us Irish!

Many thanks to both of you!

I totally agree with you Shae. Irish songs can break your heart completely, lift your spirits sky high - there is so much romance and emotion in Irish poetry and music. In fact the accent accentuates that (ooh, sorry about that sentence). A lilting Irish accent telling a tale - oh yeah, sorry to all you French guys out there, but I have to agree I reckon the Irish win the romance award hands down.

it is true that the Celtic accents are gentler on the ear than many others: studies for call-centres
repeatedly find that people like the sound.

that's probably why I like the songs of Marie Brennan and Clannad with barely a Gaelic word in my vocabulary.

being a guy, I must say that the accent of an Irish lass is one of the most lovely sounds in the world.

I wouldn't want to bet against you also liking red-heads either...

One of my most gorgeous girlfriends was the red-head daughter of an Irishwoman [sigh].

"1952 Vincent Black Lightning" anybody?

Lewis --- I believe that you and I have led interesting lives. Hope it continues for both of us!

Yes, Lewis. Richard Thompson!

While I acknowledge the fantasy angle (and I can still hear Lewis sighing from here), isn't the whole 'redheaded' Irish image a bit of a fallacy? Isn't the true 'supposedly traditional' colouring, jet black hair, pale skin and errr... green eyes (just wasn't sure for a minute whether green or blue, but I'm pretty sure green) - which frankly sounds pretty stunning to me.

Oh and Ward, you're right of course, works the other way around too. A man with an Irish accent - hmmmmmm.....

I reckon that there are two main versions of the archetypical Irish colleen (apologies on spelling) - the red-head and the raven-tressed with both sharing the same pale complexion and blue/green (even light grey) eyes.

I like to think celtnicity encompasses both (what with me being one of those pale ones with dark-hair and blue/grey eyes myself) - whatever tribe my ancestors came from, even at school I was described as having the appearance of typically celtic ancestry when the geography teacher went round the class.

...and I can draw endless celtic knots - as sure a test as the Virgin detector from a few weeks back!

"Crazy Man Michael" this time anybody? or perhaps the "Rakes of Kildare"?