A Spooky Poem in Irish

Der Erlkonig / Rí na Sióg

Éist leis an dán scanrúil seo!

Listen to this scary poem!

'Rí na Sióg' is an Irish language translation by Eoin McEvoy of the very famous original German poem 'Der Erlkonig'.

(Follow @EoinMcEvoy on Youtube for more Irish language content).

This is a very atmospheric poem, with a scary ending. Eoin's translation depicts the father's frantic chase through the night on horseback, and is perhaps even more chilling than the original!

Rí na Sióg / King of the Fairies

The original poem was written by the famous German poet Goethe in 1782. The poem was based on a Danish or German legend, in which the death of a child by a supernatural being, the King of the Fairies, is depicted. 'Der Erlkonig' is the most famous ballad written by Goethe. The poem has also inspired many other works of art, including a musical composition by Schubert.

Éist agus léigh / Listen and read

Download a bilingual English /Irish text below and listen and read simultaneously. Reading and listening are excellent ways to improve your Irish. Careful listening will help with pronounciation, and reading is a great way to build up a rich stór focal / vocabulary.

Click here to download the bilingual text

How to learn Irish

Reading and listening to as much good quality Irish language content as possible is a great way to learn Irish. Make sure that the content is not too difficult however, so that you don't lose confidence! All About Irish offers Irish language courses for all levels from Beginner to Advanced. Read more about the wide range of courses which are available here. Aon cheist? Any questions? Send us a message to All About Irish here: Contact All About Irish