“Our Ship Sails Ready to Bear Away”
Description
The singer's ship prepares to sail. He bids Nora farewell and hopes to meet again. He thinks of all the places in Ireland he will miss: Dublin's hills, Killiney's mount, Wicklow, Avoca's Vale, Delgany, Bray,... and knows he'll remember Ireland.
Notes
Wright-Irish (_Irish Emigrant Ballads and Songs_) pp. 111, 170-173, has two versions of "Our Ship Sails Ready to Sail Away" and one of "Remember Me" and considers them to be variants of the same song. His longest version of "Our Ship ..." and his "Remember Me" share three verses almost exactly; "Our Ship ..." adds six 4-line verses and "Remember Me" adds five 4-line verses and, in these lines, the songs share no lines. "Our Ship ..." is a farewell to Nora, and besides to Dublin, Delgany and Wicklow; "Remember Me" is a farewell to old Ireland boys, and besides to Killarney. My inclination is to keep them as two separate songs. - BS
Cross references
- cf. "Remember Me" (shares opening verses)
Broadsides
- Bodleian, Harding B 26(567), "The Emigrants Farewell to his Country" ("Our ship is ready to beare away"), P. Brereton (Dublin), c.1867
Recordings
- Robert Cinnamond, "Our Ship Sails Ready to Bear Away" (on IRRCinnamond03)
References
- Roud #2995
- BI, RcOSSRBA