“Aliliú na Gamhna” is an Irish folk song, simply translated as “Ah, the calves” or “Oh, the cows”.
As she reminisces on her youth spent living near a lake, in a small cottage, spending her days caring for her cows and their offspring.
[4][5] There are, likely, other traditional songs that could be related to this one—thematically, lyrically and melodically—, originating from Ireland, as well as further afield in the Celtic nations of the British Isles, as well as Brittany, Galicia, etc.
Seoladh na Gamhna tells of a girl or woman trying to find her missing cows, but the exact narrative varies.
Fetch me a vessel so I may gather all the cream The music of the world fills my ears and is always around me But sweeter still, the lowing of the calves calling me home Let us go to the fair and see the calves We can put them up in the valley They'll graze on the finest heather and tufts of gorse And when summer ends, they'll come home A modern-traditional version of this song was released in 1997 by the Irish-American band Solas on their sophomore album Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers (Shanachie Records).