Sí Bheag Sí Mhor Traditional Cache

Sí Bheag and Sí Mhor (Sheebeg and Sheemore) are two hills in Co. Leitrim which are assoiated with the supernatural race, known as sídhe or fairies.

'Sí Bheag Sí Mhor' is also the title of a beautiful harp tune, written by the 17th century Irish harpist and composer Turlough O'Carolan.

"In an account of his visit to the area in 1828, Edward O'Reilly tells of two ranges of hills. On the highest part of one of the ranges "is one of those ancient conical heaps of stones and earth called motes or raths, so common in this country, and which the popular voices says are inhabited by the Daoine Maithe, the "Good People", which the country people dare not venture to call by the name of fairies. This mote, and the mountain on which it stands, are much celebrated in the popular poems and songs of Ireland under the name of 'Sigh Mor'."

On the other range, near Squire Reynold's home was another mote, 'Sigh beg' [54° 00.780', N7° 57.726' - It can be seen to the North-East from the cache location] which was also reputed inhabited by fairies. According to local tales during the period in which Fionn Mac Cubhail and Fianna Eirionn were defeated, one of Fionn's heroes (perhaps Fionn himself), who was killed, was entombed in Sigh beg and a warrior of the other side was buried in Sigh mor. The battle of the two continued to be carried out by the immortals of Sig beg and Sig mor."

Note: As with many Irish place names there are probably more than 2 million different ways of spelling the names of these two hills. However, they are all pronounced 'Sheebeg' and 'Sheemore' (more or less).

Turlough O'Carolan (Irish name Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin) was a blind, itinerant Irish harper and composer whose great fame is due to his gifts for composition and verse. He is considered by many to be Ireland's national composer and to have been the last of the wandering Irish bards that moved from great house to great house. He was also one of the last Irish harpers who composed and luckily for us a significant number of his works survive in single line melody.

O Carolan was was born in 1670 near Nobber, County Meath and died March 25, 1738 at the home of his patron Mrs. MacDermott Roe in Alderford, County Roscommon. He is buried 15 km from the cache location at Kilronan Abbey, near Ballyfarnon, Co. Roscommon.

Carolan's father, John, moved his family to Ballyfarnon between Lough Key and Lough Allen, when Carolan was fourteen years old to take employment as a blacksmith with the MacDermott Roe family. Mrs. MacDermott befriended the boy and gave him an education. Around the age of 18 Carolan was blinded by smallpox.

O Carolan on the old Irish £50 note

Even before his illness Carolan had shown talent for poetry and may have been taught, by a harper Named MacDermott Roe (possibly Ruari dall who lived with the MacDermott Roes). Carolan studied for three years more at the end of which Mrs. MacDermott Roe gave him a harp, a horse and some money to begin his career as an itinerant harper.

For the following forty-five years Carolan would travel throughout Ireland playing his music in the last of the great gaelic houses and composing many tunes (planxties) for his patrons.

You'll find more information on O'Carolan and his music HERE, HERE and HERE (some more staff notation).

'Sí Bheag agus Sí Mhor' is said to be the first tune Carolan composed. After leaving Alderford at the age of 21, Carolan stopped at Squire Reynold's house at Lough Scur. Mr. Reynolds, who had been a harper and poet himself, was not apparently impressed by Carolan's musical abilities and asked him if he composed. When Carolan replied he did not, Squire Reynolds remarked he "might make a better hand of his tongue than of his fingers." Reynolds planned to leave a few days and suggested Carolan make a tune out of a local legend of a "battle between the kings of the gentry [fairies]." Upon his return Carolan had composed this tune.

You can listen to the tune by clicking the links below (performed by Nick Kroes)

Streaming Real Player Version (mono)

Streaming WinAmp / Windows Media Player Version (stereo) (if you have a fast connection.)

You can also download the whole tune here.
This is a better sounding stereo MP3 file.
Right click and select 'Save Link as...' to save the file to your computer.