It was actually recorded and mixed in 5 nights and to be honest we were very naive about the whole studio recording thing, this can be seen when "tuatha" is compared with "kingdom". There are certainly some great parts on the album but overall it really pisses me off when I hear it because the songs deserved a lot more than they got. The production is very bad, we left in a lot of obvious mistakes thinking we would get away with them and as a result it just sounds amateurish. You will notice on "kingdom" the track - "catte raid of cooley", is an extension of the track "tain bo cuailgne" from "tuatha. We felt that this could have been done better so we completely reworked the middle section. We plan to eventually re-record most songs from "tuatha" and release them as bonus songs on our forth coming albums.
- Cruachan interview, Ancient Spirit, 2002
CRUCHAN released their debut album on this day in 1995 through Nazgul's Eyrie Productions, Germany.
The lyrics for this song, and its title, are taken from the early Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge. You can find a translation at the University College Cork text archive, lyrics are from the section beginning around line 67.
Atchíu fer find firfes cles
co lín créchta fora chnes
lúan láith i n-airthiur a chind
óenach m-búada a thulchind.Fail secht n-gemma láith ngaile
for lár a dá imlisse
fil fuidrech fora glinni
fil leind n-deirg n-drolaig immi.Dofil gnúis as gráto dó
dobeir mod don banchureo
duni óc is álaind dath
dofeith deilb n-dracuin don chath.Cosmail innas a gaile
fri Coin Culaind Murtheimne
nocon fetar cúich in Cú
Chulaind asa caini clú
acht rofetur-sa amne
is forderg in slúag sa de.Atchíu fer mór forsin maig
dobeir tres dona slógaib
cethri claidbíni cles n-án
fil i cechtar a dá lám.Dá gáe bolga immosbeir
cenmothá colg dét is sleg
ardaric imbert don t-slúag
sain gním fris téit cach n-arm uád.Fer i cathfochrus bruit deirg
dobeir in cosmail cach leirg
ardaslig tar fonnad clé
cotagoin in ríastarthe
delb domárfas fair co se
atchíu imrochlád a gné.Ro gab toscugud don chath
mani airlestar bid brath
dóich lim iss é dobobsaig
Cú Chulaind mac Súaldaim.Slaidfid for slúagu slána
fochiuchra for tiugára
fáicfidi leis míli cend
ní cheil in banfáith Fedelm.Snigfid crú a cnesaib curad
do láim laích bid lánpudar
oirgfid ócu imregat fir
do chlannaib Dedad meic Sin
beit cuirp cerbtha caínfit mná
la Coin na Certa atchíu-sa.