A popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group that saw their beginni… Read Full Bio ↴A popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group that saw their beginning in the 1960s, The Irish Rovers are particularly well-known for their hit recording of Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn," although a great many more of their characteristically happy and oft-comical songs remain well-known to this day. In 2010, the band celebrated 45 years as recording artists, with their latest CD, "Gracehill Fair" and filming the DVD/television special "Home in Ireland", shot entirely on-location, throughout the northwest coast of Ireland. George Millar says, “It’s basically The Irish Rovers ‘Coming Home’ because this is our home, for all of us. We want to show the world what the northwest Irish coast is like. I’ve traveled the world now for over 40 years and there’s nothing like it.”

In 1968, the predecessor of the Juno’s named The Irish Rovers Canada’s, “Folk Group of the Year”, and the following year, they received a Grammy nomination for “Folk Performance of the Year”.

As hosts of three national television series in Canada and Ireland, through the 1970's and 80s, The Irish Rovers increased the popularity of Irish music by way of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).

Canada's Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, personally asked the band if they could “please become Canadian” so that they could officially represent Canada throughout the world. Since then, they have represented Canada at no less than five world Expos, and in recognition for a quarter century of contributions to the International music world, The Irish Rovers won the Performing Rights Organization's (PROCAN) 'Harold Moon Award'.

Although all members of the band hail from Ireland, a number of their biggest hits were often "non-Irish". Their own rousing, traditional Irish compositions, however, do comprise the bulk of their music.

By the 90’s, their songwriting was even more prolific than their early years, and production of albums wasn’t about to slow down. Since they desired the freedom that as a younger band, they could not afford, in ’93 The Irish Rovers established their own record company, Rover Records. Their songs tell the story of the Irish, whether it’s a lost love, a sailor on leave, or the simple good taste of a Guinness. Rover Records has put out their last eleven albums, including Celtic Collection, Come Fill Up Your Glasses, Down by the Lagan Side, Another Round, Still Rovin', a Christmas album, and their greatest hits, 40 Years A-Rovin'.

Founding member George Millar is from Ballymena, original member Wilcil McDowell is from Larne, John Reynolds from Belfast, Sean O'Driscoll from Cork, Ian Millar from Ballymena, and percussionist Fred Graham is also from Belfast.

Former members include founding member Jimmy Ferguson who passed away in 1997 and Joe Millar.

Banks of Newfoundland
The Irish Rovers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We'll rub her round and we'll scrub her round
With holy stone and sand
And we'll say farewell to the Virgin Rocks
On the Banks of Newfoundland

You bully boys of Belfast town
I'd have you to beware
When you sail on them packet ships

No denim jackets wear
But have a monkey jacket and cover up your hands
For there blows cold Norswesters on the Banks of Newfoundland

We had Joe Jynch of Ballinahinch Mike Murphy and some more
I tell you boys they suffered like hell
On the way to Baltimore
They pawned their gear at Liverpool
And sailed as they did stand
And they froze to death up their aloft
On the Banks of Newfoundland

The mate he stoold on the focle head
And loudly he did roar
Come rattle her in me lucky lads
We're bound for America's shore
Come wipe the blood off that dead man's face
And heave to beat the band
For there blows cold Norwesters on the Banks of Newfoundland

And now we're off the hook me boys
And the land's all white with snow
Soon we'll see the pay table and spend all nights below
And to the docks they come in flocks

Saying it's snugger with me
Than it is at sea on the Banks of Newfoundland

Overall Meaning

The song Banks of Newfoundland by The Irish Rovers portrays the tough and treacherous times of sailors during their voyage. The first two lines of the song portray the harsh lifestyle of the sailors, describing how they have to constantly clean and maintain their ship using holy stones and sand. The next few lines are a warning to the sailors from Belfast about the dangers of sailing the packet ships towards Newfoundland. They are told to cover up their hands with monkey jackets and avoid wearing denim jackets because of the extreme cold weather on the banks of Newfoundland.

The next few stanzas describe the difficulties faced by the sailors, including their experiences with death and freezing to death aloft. The song ends on a somewhat positive note, talking about how the sailors are off the hook, and soon they will see the pay table and spend their nights below decks. They conclude that being on land is much better than being at sea on the Banks of Newfoundland. The song portrays the hard life and experiences of sailors during their voyages, highlighting their immense bravery and loyalty towards their job.

Line by Line Meaning

We'll rub her round and we'll scrub her round With holy stone and sand And we'll say farewell to the Virgin Rocks On the Banks of Newfoundland
We will clean the ship obsessively to bid farewell to the Virgin Rocks on the Banks of Newfoundland.

You bully boys of Belfast town I'd have you to beware When you sail on them packet ships No denim jackets wear But have a monkey jacket and cover up your hands For there blows cold Norswesters on the Banks of Newfoundland
Sailors from Belfast are warned not to wear denim jackets onboard packet ships on the Banks of Newfoundland, rather wear a monkey jacket and cover their hands due to the cold, harsh Northwesterly winds.

We had Joe Jynch of Ballinahinch Mike Murphy and some more I tell you boys they suffered like hell On the way to Baltimore They pawned their gear at Liverpool And sailed as they did stand And they froze to death up their aloft On the Banks of Newfoundland
Joe Jynch, Mike Murphy, and others suffered terribly on their journey from Liverpool to Baltimore on the Banks of Newfoundland. They pawned their belongings and sailed without proper clothing, leading to their death from exposure.

The mate he stoold on the focle head And loudly he did roar Come rattle her in me lucky lads We're bound for America's shore Come wipe the blood off that dead man's face And heave to beat the band For there blows cold Norwesters on the Banks of Newfoundland
The mate yelled to the crew on the Banks of Newfoundland to make way for America. He also instructed them to clean up the blood from a dead crew member's face and work hard against the cold Northwesterly wind.

And now we're off the hook me boys And the land's all white with snow Soon we'll see the pay table and spend all nights below And to the docks they come in flocks Saying it's snugger with me Than it is at sea on the Banks of Newfoundland
The crew is excited to be off the Banks of Newfoundland and on land covered with snow. They look forward to getting paid and staying below deck. On the docks, they mention how much nicer life is on land than at sea on the Banks of Newfoundland.

Contributed by Juliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS