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**Andrius** · 01-20-2011, 08:34 PM

(Pet hate moment: just a complete aside stating that I hate the spelling "colleen". Tt's a phonetic interpretation of the irish word, so there is no "Irish usage" for the word "colleen" at all. Cailín, however, we do use.

I get that Colleen is used as a name, which is fair enough. )

But I love and adore this song. I think I remember posting (possibly on @) about how the story in the song reminds me of the selkie and similar folktales that a part of the folk heritage of this part of the world. Lots of stories deal with people turning into animals and v.v. be it seals, swans, merfolk, or whatever. So there's another link to the geographical region of the British Isles - lyrically as well as musically.

01-20-2011, 08:34 PM	#10
Andrius Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 430 Senior Member	(Pet hate moment: just a complete aside stating that I hate the spelling "colleen". Tt's a phonetic interpretation of the irish word, so there is no "Irish usage" for the word "colleen" at all. Cailín, however, we do use. I get that Colleen is used as a name, which is fair enough. ) But I love and adore this song. I think I remember posting (possibly on @) about how the story in the song reminds me of the selkie and similar folktales that a part of the folk heritage of this part of the world. Lots of stories deal with people turning into animals and v.v. be it seals, swans, merfolk, or whatever. So there's another link to the geographical region of the British Isles - lyrically as well as musically.
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