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.
St. Brendan's Fair Isle
The Irish Rovers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard many stories both lovely and wild
About the great dragons and monsters that be
That swallow the ships when they sail on the sea.
Though I was an artist with canvas and paint
I sailed with St. Brendan and his jolly saints
We told the good people goodbye for a while
We sailed for St. Brendan's fair isle.
We'd been on the ocean for 94 days
When we came to a spot where the sea was ablaze
Those demons from Hades were dancing with glee
And burning the sailors alive on the sea
St. Brendan he walked on the blistering waves
He threw those demons right back to their caves
And all of the saints wore a heavenly smile
We sailed...
One night while the brethren were lying asleep
A great dragon came up from under the deep
He thundered and light'nend and made a great din
He awakened St. Brendan and all of his men
The dragon came on with his mouth open wide
We threw in a cross and the great dragon died
We skinned him and cooked him and feasted a while
We sailed...
At last we came onto that beautiful land
We all went ashore and we walked on the sand
We took our longbows and we killed us a boo
We roasted it up and had hot barbecue
And after a while we were singing this song
We noticed the island was moving along
We ate and we drank and we rolled in great style
We sailed...
St. Brendan said "Boys, this is much to my wish
"To ride on the back of the world's biggest fish.
"Hold on to the line that is pullin' the ship
"We'll need it some day if this fish takes a dip."
We sailed every ocean, we sailed every sea
We sailed every spot that a sailor could be
In 44 days we sailed 10 million miles
We sailed...
The Irish Rovers’ song, St. Brendan’s Fair Isle, narrates the story of a young man growing up in Ireland and hearing tales of sea monsters and mythical creatures. As an artist, he sails with St. Brendan, a legendary Irish monk who was believed to have sailed across the Atlantic in the 6th century. The group of sailors come across demons and dragons but with St. Brendan's help and divine intervention, they are successful in defeating them. Finally, after 94 long days, they arrive at St. Brendan's fair isle, a beautiful land moving on the back of the world's largest fish. They hunt and feast before continuing to sail the seas.
The song is a ballad that celebrates Irish mythology and folklore. It highlights the importance of adventure, courage, and faith, and how these qualities can lead to triumph over adversity. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a young man looking for adventure and finding it in the high seas. He sails away from Ireland with St. Brendan, but their journey is not a typical one. It is full of obstacles and challenges that they must overcome.
The song has become popular due to its catchy tune and inspiring lyrics. It captures the essence of a traditional Irish ballad, with a strong story and uplifting message. It is a testament to the resilience and resourcefulness of the Irish people, who have faced many difficulties throughout history.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a lad on the Emerald Isle
As a young boy growing up in Ireland
I heard many stories both lovely and wild
I listened to many tales, some enchanting and some fantastical
About the great dragons and monsters that be
Legends of mighty beasts and creatures
That swallow the ships when they sail on the sea.
That devour vessels as they sail across the ocean.
Though I was an artist with canvas and paint
Even though I was more inclined towards painting and art
I sailed with St. Brendan and his jolly saints
I joined St. Brendan and his merry followers on a voyage
We told the good people goodbye for a while
We bid farewell to our loved ones for the time being
We sailed for St. Brendan's fair isle, fair isle
We set out to reach the beautiful island belonging to St. Brendan
We'd been on the ocean for 94 days
After 94 days of sailing
When we came to a spot where the sea was ablaze
We encountered a region of the ocean that was burning
Those demons from Hades were dancing with glee
Evil spirits were rejoicing in the misery of sailors
And burning the sailors alive on the sea
Setting the sailors ablaze while they were at sea
St. Brendan he walked on the blistering waves
St. Brendan treaded on the scorching water surface
He threw those demons right back to their caves
He banished the demons back to their underground abode
And all of the saints wore a heavenly smile
All the saints present had a look of contentment on their faces
We sailed...
We continued our voyage.
One night while the brethren were lying asleep
At night while the companions were asleep
A great dragon came up from under the deep
A colossal dragon emerged from the depths
He thundered and light'nend and made a great din
He caused thunderous sounds and flashes of lightning as he roared.
He awakened St. Brendan and all of his men
He woke up St. Brendan and his entire crew.
The dragon came on with his mouth open wide
The dragon lunged towards us with its jaws wide open
We threw in a cross and the great dragon died
We cast a cross into the beast's mouth and it perished
We skinned him and cooked him and feasted a while
We later cooked and consumed the dragon as a feast.
At last we came onto that beautiful land
Finally, we arrived at the beautiful island
We all went ashore and we walked on the sand
Everyone disembarked and stepped onto the beach
We took our longbows and we killed us a boo
We hunted and killed a certain animal with our longbows
We roasted it up and had hot barbecue
After cooking it, we had a hot barbeque session
And after a while we were singing this song
After some time, we started singing this tune
We noticed the island was moving along
The island appeared to be drifting along
We ate and we drank and we rolled in great style
We ate, drank, and had a grand time
We sailed...
We set sail again.
St. Brendan said "Boys, this is much to my wish
St. Brendan exclaimed to his disciples
"To ride on the back of the world's biggest fish.
"To journey on the immense fish's back.
"Hold on to the line that is pullin' the ship
"Grasp the rope that is towing the vessel.
"We'll need it some day if this fish takes a dip."
"It will come in handy one day if this fish submerges."
We sailed every ocean, we sailed every sea
We traversed every sea and every ocean
We sailed every spot that a sailor could be
We charted every location where a seafarer could tread
In 44 days we sailed 10 million miles
In a period of 44 days, we covered a distance of 10 million miles by sea.
We sailed...
We kept sailing on.
Contributed by Christian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ian Burt
on Bluenose
You have missed out a verse.