Oikan Ayns Bethlehem

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Here’s the O’Reilly Consort’s gorgeous and inimitable version of the She is singing in Manx Gaelic hymn Oikan Ayns Bethlehem:

Lyrics in both Gaelic and English:

 Gaelic.

Nish lhisagh shin yn feailley shoh
Y reayll lesh creeaghyn glen
Ayns cooinaghtyn jeh Yeesey Chreest
Oikan ayns Bethlehem

Daag Eh cooyrtn sollys E Ayr
Goaill er yn dooghys ain
Ruggit jeh Moidyn ghlen gyn chron
Oikan ayns Bethlehem

Eisht ainleyn Niau ren boggey ghoaill
Haink lesh ny naightyn hooin
Ginsh jeh Saualtagh ruggiy jiu
Oikan ayns Bethlehem

Nagh mooar yn insblid as y ghraih
V’ayns Yeesey Chreest yn Eayn
Tra ghow Eh er cummey Harvaant
Oikan ayns Bethlehem

Ard gloyr da Jee ‘syn yrjid heose
Ta reill ayns maynrys beayn
Aigney mie Yee nish soilhit dooin
Oikan ayns Bethlehem

English:

Now ought we this festival

To keep with pure hearts
In memory of Jesus Christ
An infant in Bethlehem

He left the bright Courts of His Father
Taking on our human form
Born of the pure Virgin
An infant in Bethlehem

Then the angels of Heaven rejoiced
And came to us with the tidings
Telling of the Saviour born today
An infant in Bethlehem

How great the humility and the love
Which was in Jesus Christ the Lamb
When He took the form of His Servant
An infant in Bethlehem

Great glory to God in the highest
Who rules in eternal happiness
The mind of God is now made clear to us
An infant in Bethlehem