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.
Shamrock Shore
The Irish Rovers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were taken on board by a pleasant crew, bound for Amerikay
Fresh water then we did take on, five thousand gallons or more
In case we'd run short going to New York far away from the shamrock
shore.
2. Then fare thee well, sweet Liza dear and likewise unto Derry town
And twice farewell to my comrades brave that dwell on that sainted
If fame or fortune shall favour me, and I to have money in store
I'll go back and I'll wed the wee lassie I left on Paddy's green
shamrock shore.
3. At twelve o'clock we came in sight of famous Mullin Head
And Innistrochlin to the right stood out on the ocean's bed.
A grander sight ne'er met my eyes than e'er I saw before
Than the sun going down 'twixt sea and sky far away from the shamrock
shore.
4. We sailed three weeks, we were all seasick, not a man on board was free
We were all confined unto our bunks and no-one to pity poor me.
No father kind nor mother dear to lift up my head, which was sore
Which made me think more on the lassie I left on Paddy's green shamrock
shore.
5. We safely reached the other side after fifteen and twenty days,
We were taken as passengers by a man and led round in six different
ways,
Then each of us drank a parting glass, in case we'd meet no more
And we drank a health to old Ireland and Paddy's green shamrock shore.
We landed on the other side
In three and thirty days
And drinking over a parting glass
We all went our separate ways
We took each comrade by the hand
In case we might never meet more
And we drank a health
To old Ireland
And Paddy's green shamrock shore.
The Irish Rovers’ “Shamrock Shore” is a nostalgic song about a man who leaves his homeland behind to seek his fortune in America. The lyrics are emotional and powerful, as they describe the journey of the singer and his group of companions as they sail from Derry quay to New York. The song starts off on a positive note, as the singer describes the pleasant crew that they are traveling with and the five thousand gallons of fresh water they have taken on board. But as they sail on for three weeks, things start to get tough, and the men find themselves seasick and confined to their bunks. Despite these difficulties, the singer can’t help but think of the lassie he left behind on Paddy’s green shamrock shore.
The song is full of emotion and longing for home, and the singer’s yearning to return to Ireland and be reunited with his loved ones is palpable. He bids farewell to his friends and to his homeland, hoping that one day he will be able to return and marry the girl he left behind. The final lines of the song are bittersweet, as the singer and his comrades land on American soil and go their separate ways, drinking a final toast to their homeland and the shore they have left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
From Derry quay we sailed away on the twenty-third of May
On the 23rd of May, we left Derry quay on a ship, embarking on our journey to Amerikay.
We were taken on board by a pleasant crew, bound for Amerikay
A friendly crew welcomed us aboard a ship headed for Amerikay.
Fresh water then we did take on, five thousand gallons or more
We loaded up on fresh water, enough to reach New York so far from the lingering memory of shamrock shore.
In case we'd run short going to New York far away from the shamrock shore
We had enough fresh water on board to ensure we would not run short while being so far away from home.
Then fare thee well, sweet Liza dear and likewise unto Derry town
I bid farewell to my dear Liza and to Derry town.
And twice farewell to my comrades brave that dwell on that sainted ground
I bid farewell twice to my brave comrades who remain on the sainted ground of my homeland.
If fame or fortune shall favour me, and I to have money in store
If fortune smiles upon me and I become wealthy,
I'll go back and I'll wed the wee lassie I left on Paddy's green shamrock shore
I will return to Paddy's green shamrock shore to marry the girl I had to leave behind.
At twelve o'clock we came in sight of famous Mullin Head
We spotted the famous Mullin Head at noon.
And Innistrochlin to the right stood out on the ocean's bed
Innistrochlin stood out to the right of us on the ocean's bed.
A grander sight ne'er met my eyes than e'er I saw before
I had never seen a grander sight than the sun setting between the sea and sky so far from the shamrock shore.
We sailed three weeks, we were all seasick, not a man on board was free
We sailed for three weeks and were all seasick, not a single person was unaffected.
We were all confined unto our bunks and no-one to pity poor me
We were all confined to our bunks and there was no one to feel sorry for me.
No father kind nor mother dear to lift up my head, which was sore
There was no kind father or dear mother to comfort me when my head was sore.
Which made me think more on the lassie I left on Paddy's green shamrock shore
This made me think even more about the girl I had to leave behind on Paddy's green shamrock shore.
We safely reached the other side after fifteen and twenty days
After 15 or 20 days, we safely arrived on the other side.
We were taken as passengers by a man and led round in six different ways
A man took us in as passengers and led us in six different directions.
Then each of us drank a parting glass, in case we'd meet no more
Each of us had a final drink, in case we never saw each other again.
And we drank a health to old Ireland and Paddy's green shamrock shore
We raised a toast to the old country of Ireland and to Paddy's green shamrock shore.
We took each comrade by the hand in case we might never meet more
We shook each other's hand, knowing that we might never see each other again.
And we drank a health to old Ireland and Paddy's green shamrock shore
We lifted our glasses to drink to Ireland and to Paddy's green shamrock shore.
Contributed by Riley W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ian Burt
on Bluenose
You have missed out a verse.