Yes, there is a whole
bloodline of
Finns and
Finnish-Irish whose last name is
O'Hairychest.
More than 600 years ago, before the arrival of the Vikings, there existed a Finnish clan who called themselves Karvarinta (Karva = hair or stiff fur; Rinta = chest or breast). One can well imagine what the men of the clan might have had a reputation for. The size of the clan was significant enough for them to populate a whole town and the region around it, quite an accomplishment considering the difficulty of making a living in Finland's wintertime 24-hour nights and -40 degrees celsius temperatures.
With the coming of the Vikings, the clan dispersed: some went to Russia, some became Vikings themselves, some remained in Finland, and others moved to Ireland, taking their traditional "Uho" song, hairy chests, stout women and triple-cup goblets with them. In Ireland they became known as the O'Karvarinta clan.
Today, some of the O'Karvarintas have found their way back into Finland, where they proudly continue their traditions of story-telling, music, and hearty hunter's kitchen fare. If you ever find yourself in central Finland in need of a meal good enough to beat your hairy chest over, you can look them up at the Linnankrouvi O'Karvarinta restaurant, 30 or so kilometers from the town of Kivijarvi (a with an umlaut). Juha, the owner, might just pull out his accordion and play the O'Karvarinta uholaulu for you!
Traditionally, the song is played for boys coming of age and for men on special occasions, such as birthdays. Ola!
I'll
translate:
Ola, ola, ola, ola, ollalalalla!
Ola, ola, ola, ola, ollalalalla!
Ola, ola, ola, ola, ollalalalla!
Ola, ola, ola, ola, ollalalalla!
With a
twinkle in his
eye, on his way, is a lucky
Boy Calling, in the summer's
night, my
echo is carried far off
As a close
companion, right behind her, one lucky
Girl will get me
One who then, at the
fence, will
bloom for me!
Chorus:
Ola, ola, ola, ola, ollalalalla!
There to the
dance goes
Urho Karvarintainen!
Ola, ola, ola, ola, ollalalalla!
When everyone sees he's a women's man, he'll
reel in a full
price!
All
dressed up, the
crowd of
Women is
ready
I'll soon get to pick my own
berry from the bunch
First we'll dance just a little, I'll look for a ready
seam
Which, in just a little while, I'll put to
work for me!
Ola, ola, ola, ola, ollalalalla!
There to the
dance goes
Urho Karvarintainen!
Ola, ola, ola, ola, ollalalalla!
When everyone sees he's a women's man, he'll
reel in a full
price!
Dancing there, even now, many boys are kind of
strong
But when I get there, compared to me, their
worth sure does go down!
When we
ramble, the boys'
luck leaves with their
get-up-and-go
Right away the
heros' faces start to
pale!
Ola, ola, ola, ola, ollalalalla!
There to the
dance goes
Urho Karvarintainen!
Ola, ola, ola, ola, ollalalalla!
When everyone sees he's a women's man, he'll
reel in a full
price!