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Erin’s Lovely Home

[ Roud 5175 ; Ballad Index GrHo021 ; Mudcat 121853 ; trad.]

George ‘Geordie’ Hanna sang Erin’s Lovely Home to Robin Morton in his sister Sarah Anne O’Neill’s home near Derrytresk, Coalisland, Co Tyrone in 1977. This recording was included in the following year on the siblings’ Topic album of traditional songs of a Tyrone family, On the Shores of Lough Neagh. Geordie Hanna also sang it on his posthumous 2002 album The Fisher’s Cot. John Moulden noted on the original album:

This is not the usual song of this title which tells of parental opposition to a girl’s marriage [which is Roud 1427]. Instead it is an emigration song probably transmitted by ballad sheet. Eddie Butcher of Magilligan sings it also. Geordie`s version is again from the McMahons, this time from Paddy‘s wife Mary, though she had it from Paddy‘s grandfather. Fever was a fact of emigrant ships during the time of the Famine in Ireland. Conditions were appalling and typhus was often brought on board among the passengers. It’s estimated that of over 100,000 emigrants to Canada almost 40,000 died, 17,000 of them during the voyage (Woodham Smith, C.: The Great Hunger: Four Square Books, 1964, p.234). “If crosses and tombs could be erected on the water”, wrote a United States Commissioner for emigrations, “… the whole route of the emigrant vessels from Europe to America would long since have assumed the appearance of a crowded cemetery”.

Geordie Hanna’s grandson Niell Hanna sang Erin’s Lovely Home on his 2017 album Autumn Winds. He noted:

My Grandfather sang this emigration song which he learned from Jimmy Robinson of Maghery. An Irish family sell their land and set sail from Belfast. This song captures the fate of many Irish men and women who lost their lives on the journey across the sea.

Packie Cunningham from Co Fermanagh sang Erin’s Lovely Home to Keith Summers in between 1977 and 1983. This recording was included in 2014 on the Musical Traditions anthology of more traditional songs from around Lough Erne’s shore I Pray You Pay Attention.

Damien O’Kane sang Erin’s Lovely Home Erin’s Lovely Home in 2015 on his Pure album Areas of High Traffic. He noted:

This song of emigration (from Shamrock, Rose & Thistle [by Hugh Shields]) is most definitely from the post-Famine period in Ireland where parents where forced to leave with their families and risk their lives at sea to “…seek a comfort for our children to dwell” as it reads in the song. As stated in the book where I found it (Shamrock, Rose & Thistle), “…the song recalls one of the most serious hazards to which emigrants where exposed: sickness at sea”.

Owen Ralph sang Erin’s Lovely Home on his 2018 album Chamber Folk.

Lyrics

Geordie Hanna sings Erin’s Lovely Home

My father, he being a farmer reared to industry
He had four sons to manhood grown, and lovely daughters three
Our land’s too small to serve us all so some of us must roam
With sisters two I bid adieu to Erin’s lovely home

My father, he sold the second cow and he borrowed twenty pounds
It was in the pleasant month of May that we sailed from Belfast town
With thousands more we left our shore in safety to roam
Our friends may mourn for we’ll ne’er return to Erin’s lovely home

We hadn’t been long sailing till fever it seized our crew
Falling like the autumn leaves and overboard were threw
The ocean waves they rolled o’er our graves, our bed the ocean foam
Our friends may mourn for we’ll ne’er return to Erin’s lovely home.

Packie Cunningham sings Erin’s Lovely Home

You fine bred sons of Erin’s Isle come listen unto me
’Til I relate and communicate of a mournful tragedy
The land’s too small to serve us all we’re forced all to roam
And leave the land where we were reared called Erin’s lovely home.

My father was a farming man reared to industry
He had two sons, grew up being big, and likewise daughters three
For the want of trade, there were thousandsmade across the seas to roam
And leave the land where we were reared called Erin’s lovely home

My father sold a second cow, and borrowed twenty pounds
’Twas early in the month of June we sailed from Derry town
There were thousands more around the shore was anxious for to roam
And leave the land where we were rearedcalled Erin’s lovely home

We’re scarcely three months sailing when a fever touched the crew
They were falling like the autumn leaves bidding friends and wives adieu
‘Til they offered a prayer to heaven at last that never we did roam
And leave the land where we were reared called Erin’s lovely home

Then my sister, she took ill, and life was taken away
It grieves me more to see her body thrown out into the sea
For the watery waves rolled o’er her grave, so far away from home
Friends may roam but you’ll not come back to Erin’s lovely home

So now we’re in America where thousands like us roam
We have no friends to welcome us, like a fool from far from home
But workmen they get wages no matter where they roam
So I’ll hope to meet my sister sweet in Erin’s lovely home.

(Spoken) That’s it.

Damien O’Kane sings Erin’s Lovely Home

You patron sons of Paddy’s land, come listen unto me
Communicate ’til I relate, this mournful tragedy
For the want of trade had thousands made, all anxious they might roam
To leave the land where we were reared, called Erin’s lovely home

My father was a farming man, and reared to industry
He had two sons they were man big, and loving daughters three
Our land was small to serve us all, some of us had to roam
To leave the land where we were reared, called Erin’s lovely home

My father sold his second cow and borrowed twenty pound
All in the merry month of May, we sailed from Derry quay
There were thousands more along the shore, all anxious they might roam
To leave the land where we were reared, called Erin’s lovely home

We were scarcely seven days at sea, when a fever plagued our crew
They were failin’ like the autumn leaves, bidding friends and lives adieu
We raised a prayer to heaven that ever we did roam
To leave the land where were reared, called Erin’s lovely home

Alas, my sister she fell sick, her life was taken away
It grieved me ten times more, to see her body thrown astray
Down in the deep her body lies, it rolls in the terrible foam
Her friends may mourn but she’ll ne’er return, to Erin’s lovely home
Her friends may mourn but she’ll ne’er return, to Erin’s lovely home