'Illean Bithibh Sunndach
In order to see this content you need to have both enabled and installed. Visit for full instructions
This is a rousing song though some of the lyrics are sad and relate to an emotive subject. Emigration occurred at various times from Scotland to places in North America, Australia and New Zealand. The destination in this song is Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada. This was at one time a popular destination for Gaels, and Cape Breton still has strong ties to Gaelic culture. The author of the song is looking forward to a new life in the new world but there’s also a hint of sadness about leaving the homeland. This performance is by Sineag MacIntyre, let’s listen to the whole song to get a feel for it.
In order to see this content you need to have both enabled and installed. Visit for full instructions
Chorus first, so let’s familiarise ourselves with the vocabulary:
| Shortened version of gillean, boys |
| boys |
| voyage |
The first three lines are:
| Boys, be happy, Going on the voyage, Leaving our country |
The next three lines are:
| Without hope of doing well there, Boys, be happy, Going over the ocean |
Once you are comfortable, let’s put the six lines together to create the whole chorus:
| Boys, be happy, Going on the voyage, Leaving our country, Without hope of doing well there, Boys, be happy, Going on the voyage |
How did you get on? Let’s gets started learning the first verse. As before, let’s crack on with the vocabulary:
| hearty |
| clothes, in this context it refers to the cloth, or sails. |
| loving |
| sailing |
The first two lines of the first verse are quite hearty and urge the men to get on their way:
| Hearty, loving boys, Hoist the sails |
The verse continues in the happy boisterous manner:
| A group of my dear folk, Are setting sail on Friday |
Let’s put the two lines together:
| Hearty, loving boys, Hoist the sails, A group of my dear folk, Are setting sail on Friday |
