OzTennis

I was re-listening to this song a few days ago and thought how appropriate the words are for people who are thinking of, or have, migrated. It is about the mass migration of the Irish to the USA; the first migrant to enter Ellis Island was 'Annie Moore from Ireland, all of 15 years'.

Isn't it true how the land you move to is an isle of hope and and isle of tears and an isle of freedom and yet the isle of home is always on your mind?

It has been done by stacks of people but the versions I have are by the Three Irish Tenors and Sean and Dolores Keane.


Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears
(Brendan Graham)

On the first day on January,
Eighteen ninety-two,
They opened Ellis Island and they let
The people through.
And the first to cross the treshold
Of that isle of hope and tears,
Was Annie Moore from Ireland
Who was all of fifteen years.

CHORUS:

Isle of hope, isle of tears,
Isle of freedom, isle of fears,
But it's not the isle you left behind.
That isle of hunger, isle of pain,
Isle you'll never see again
But the isle of home is always on your mind.

In a little bag she carried
All her past and history,
And her dreams for the future
In the land of liberty.
And courage is the passport
When your old world disappears
But there's no future in the past
When you're fifteen years

Chorus

When they closed down Ellis Island
In nineteen fourty-three,
Seventeen million people
Had come there for sanctuary.
And in Springtime when I came here
And I stepped onto it's piers,
I thought of how it must have been
When you're fifteen years.


On the same tape I have this song which is about a couple split up because he is transported to Botany Bay for stealing the Englishman's corn during the famine.

The Fields of Athenry

-1-

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
Michael they are taking you away
For you stole Trevelyn's corn
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.

Chorus

Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

-2-

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matter Mary when your free,
Against the Famine and the Crown
I rebelled they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.

Chorus

-3-

By a lonely harbor wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she'll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

Chorus

Must be feeling a bit sentimental before the RWC final eh!

OzTennis

seang

if you like the music - get a good book to go with it -thomas kenneallys -the great shame

OzTennis

And another one from the same tape about the boy who goes off to the new land to build a life for him and his lady:

Far Away In Australia
Traditional

Sweetheart I'm bidding you fond farewell
Murmured a youth one day
I'm off to a new land my fortune to try
And I'm ready to sail away

Far away in Australia
Soon will fate be kind
And I will be ready to welcome the lass
The girl I left behind


Must we be parted?! his fairer one cried
I cannot let you go
Still I must leave you, the young man replied
But for only a while you know

Far away in Australia
Soon will fate be kind
And I will be ready to welcome the lass
The girl I left behind

Whether in success or failure
I will always be true
Proudly each day in that land far away
I'll be building a home for you

Far away in Australia
Soon will fate be kind
And I will be ready to welcome the lass
The girl I left behind

Daily she waits at the old cottage gate
Watching the whole day through
Till that sweet message comes over the wave
And in the new world they're joined as two

Far away in Australia
Soon will fate be kind
And I will be ready to welcome the lass
The girl I left behind

OzTennis

OzTennis

Thanks for the recommendation - I'm a voracious reader as well so I will look for that. I've read a couple of other books by Kenneally and of course there was the film Schindlers Ark.

OzTennis

seang

IMHO this is the best work he ever did.weaves the tales and lives in to a wonderful true story.and the end sentence (when you read it)is so true

OzTennis

I saw the film, please remind me of the end sentence in the book


OzTennis

Other recommended reading on the theme is 'Out of Ireland' by Christopher Koch (a Tasmanian). It is about a fictional character who is transported to Van Diemen's Land but it is craftily weaved into the true story of the 'Young Irelanders' who werel similarly migrated compulsorily for their political views.

OzTennis

Seang

Found this:

http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/author...ofireland.html

OzTennis

seang

sorry Oztennis i was talking about the great shame

btw- the other book you mention seems similar to great shame -in it kenneally tells the story of 4 young irelander leaders who were sent to Van D/land .follows their story from Ireland to Aus and eventully to US where two of them end up facing each other on opposite sides in the civil war!!Its a good read /true story and very well researched.

OzTennis

OK, and you don't want to spoil the ending for me when I read it do you. Ditto Out of Ireland to what you said for Great Shame.

OzTennis