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The Cuillins of Rhum/Home

[ Roud - ; Mudcat 22392 , 53294 ; words Kenneth McLeod, Gordon Bok]

The Cuillin (Scottish Gaelic: An Cuiltheann) is a range of mostly jagged rocky mountains on the Isle of Skye of the Inner Hebrides in Scotland.

Rùm, a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum, is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber. For much of the 20^th century the name became Rhum, a spelling invented by the former owner, Sir George Bullough, because he did not relish the idea of having the title ‘Laird of Rum’. [Wikipedia]

The Coolin of Rùm is printed in Marjory Kennedy-Fraser, Kenneth Macleod: Songs of the Hebrides, London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1917, 1922. The page header states: words by Kenneth MacLeod, pianoforte arranngement by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser, and a footnote says: Copyright 1908 by M. Kennedy-Fraser as The Exile’s Dream; Copyright 1922 by Booses & Co. as The Coolin of Rùm.

Gordon Bok sang Rhum in 1967 on his eponymous Verve Folkways album, Gordon Bok.

Archie Fisher sang The Cuillins of Home in 1988 on his Snow Goose/Greentrax album Sunsets I’ve Galloped Into…. He also recorded it earlier in the 1970s for an album for Tommy Makem and Liam Clacy’s Blackbird label which never saw the light of day. The original tapes were subsequently discovered some 27 years later and so Archie included this and some other tracks in the “Missing Master” of his 2008 CD Windward Away..

The Tannahill Weavers sang The Cuillins of Rhum in 1992 on their Green Linnet album The Mermaid’s Song. They noted:

We learned this song in a very roundabout way from the singing of Archie Fisher. We first heard it “after hours” in San Francisco by someone whose name has disappeared into the mists of Glenfiddich. Subsequent “trackery downery” led us to Archie’s excellent album Sunsets I’ve Galloped Into where it is called The Cuillins of Home. The melody is traditional; Gordon Bok is credited with the lyrics, which seem to be based on the English translation of a Gaelic poem to be found in The Road to the Isles by Kenneth MacLeod. We have used his title The Cuillins of Rhum.

Rhum is an island lying off the west coast of Scotland, famous for its beauty and known locally as “the island where no one worries for very long”. There is a lovely example of this in a story concerning an old married couple living on the island. One night, as they lay in bed, the wife notices that her husband is having difficulty sleeping.

“Archie”, she asks, “Why are you not sleeping? Is something worrying you?” “Och, aye”, says he, “It’s our next door neighbour, Angus Macfadzean. I owe him £500 and I can‘t pay him.” As calmly as you like, his wife gets out of bed, walks to the bedroom window, opens it, and calls out into the evening air, “Angus Macfadzean! My husband does not have £500! He cannot pay you!”

Calmly she walks back to the bed, kisses her husband lovingly on the cheek, and says “There you are dear, off you go to sleep and let him worry now.”

Lyrics

The Coolin of Rùm in Songs of the Hebrides

O Bhrighde! ’tis seaward, the dreamland, the youthland,
O Bhrighde! and seaward the Coolin of Rùm,
Afar in the dreamtide I’m hearing hill waters,
Like lilting of streams by the Coolin of Rùm.

The Grail of the dreamland, the youthland, is lovelit
Beside the hill waters afoam to the sea,
Like tangle at noontide, like snowwreath in moonlight,
And thou who art yearning shalt yearn it to be.

O Bhrighde! ’tis seaward, the dreamland, the grail track,
O Bhrighde! and seaward the Coolin of Rùm,
Afloat on the dreamtide I’m hearing hill waters
Like laughter of streams by the Coolin of Rùm.

Gordon Bok sings Rhum

Far away seaward thy green land, my youth land,
Far away seaward the Cuillin of Rhum,
Though far in the dreamtide I’m hearin’ hill waters
And laughter o’ streams by the Cuillin of Rhum.

When shall I see thy bold shores in the sunlight,
The heather of hills in the risin’ of morn,
The blowin’ grey sea wind goes east in the morning
To run the wild hills of the Cuillin of Rhum.

Archie Fisher sings The Cuillins of Home

Soon I shall see thy bright shores in the sunlight
The heather of hills and the rising of morn
The rolling grey sea-mist blows east in the morning
To run the wild hills of the Cuillins of home

Far away seawards thy green hills are lovely
Where glide the hill waters all down to the sea
They tumble at noontide like snow wreaths in moonlight
As those who heart yearning would yearn it to be

Far away seaward my green land my youth land
Far away seaward the Cuillins of home
While here in my dreamtide I’m hearing hill waters
The laughter of streams by the Cuillins of home

The Tannahill Weavers sing The Cuillins of Rhum

Soon shall I see your bright shores in the morning,
The heather of hills and the rising of morn.
The rolling grey sea mist rolls east in the morning,
To run the wild hills of the cuillins of Rhum.

Far away seaward thy green hills are lovelit,
Where runs the hill water afoam to the sea.
Like tangle at noontime, like snow wreath in moonlight,
As thou who art yearning will yearn it to be.

Far away seaward my queenland, my youthland,
Far away seaward the cuillins of home.
And here in my dream time I’m hearing hill water,
The laughter of streams by the cuillins of Rhum.