Sinead O'Connor - Skibbereen Album - Long Journey Home - The Irish In America (TV series soundtrack) Non-profit making promotion video All credits go to Sinead O'Connor No copyright infringement intended
Both of my grandparents on my father's side have direct ties to Skibbereen. My grandfather's family, at least the survivors, seem to have gone from there to Cork City. My grandmother's close ancestral relative, Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, survived the famine there and began his famous revolutionary career editing the Skibbereen Eagle. I still have relatives there. It was the heart of the worst of The Hunger. One of my ancestors woke up in a house of dead people, rotting corpses. He somehow got the strength to go outside and eat weeds. He survived. The dead couldn't even get a Christian burial but were thrown into nameless unknown pits. I was warned when I first visited to always carry some food in my pockets, for if in wandering across the landscape I crossed a Famine grave pit I would be overcome with uncontrollable hunger. There are cairns of stone where the weathering bones of the dead sometimes stick out. You don't forget such things.
I'm a New England Yankee from Maine, Massachusetts and Boston--Sinead is a true Irish patriot with a golden heart and deep soul. I can feel her power in her words and voice. I was so saddened to here of her personal suffering. God bless her always.
This is truly a gorgeous number, and I put my hands together for Miss O'Connor for doing such a wonderful job. You can hear all the emotion she puts into this song. Rest in peace Miss O'Connor. 🍀😢
You've no right to sing it if you won't finish it.: Oh father dear the day will come When vengeance loud will call And Irishmen both near and far Must rally to the call I'll be the man to lead the van Beneath the flag of green And loud and high we'll raise the cry REVENGE for Skibbereen,
I imagine it - and omitting the line "cursed English" - was a sign of peace, a recognition that the English couldn't anything against it, couldn't save the Irish entirely from their anguish. Taken out because it sounds accusatory, like the English themselves brought it on the Irish
My family came from Ireland in 1864. They stuck out for years trying to stay in their home. My great great great great grandfather worked any job he could, and robbed the rich. Eventually he was caught, and killed in a shootout fighting to ensure his wife and kids could escape. They fled to America with three cents when they got there. His eldest son, my great great great grandpa, went on to own a tayloring business
Same, my great grandfather came from Skibbereen, i would love to be able to go and see the town one day, family lore has it he snuck ontop the ship under a nuns dress (he came when he was a child)
Bless your great-great-great-great grandfather's unfortunate and unnecessary-but-ultimately-necessary sacrifice for his family. Peace to you and yours.
Brings a tear to my eye, my family is from County Mayo, emigrated to London in the 1960's, the government has never cared about the common folk whether they be Irish, English, Scottish or Welsh, we're just cannon fodder to fight their wars and line their pockets, such cruelty how one could stand by and watch others suffer and die should never be forgotten.
I was taught that the English moved the Scottish to Irish lands and the Irish to Scotland and both to alien places just to keep them down. There's a line from one of the Scottish kids in Trainspotting, something like How the fuck were we conquered by such wankers. Of course those guys were heroin users.
Well said. I often feel terrible as an English woman . But it was not my starving class that inflicted hell on Scotland and Ireland. If it was we were ignorant of our actions. No teaching of reality nin our schools. I am crying right now after reading about the use of the Tawser on Scottish kids. I was trying to read a novel but I have anxiety and feel awful..
@@angiecox8781 The tawse was used in Scottish schools a lot. I left school in '77 and can I recall being on the receiving end of one many a time ! P.S. My wife is English so don't feel terrible. There's good and bad in all peoples of the world :)
My family came out to Australia after the famine from Co. Kilkenny I was incredibly emotional when I visited Ireland seeing those old deserted grey stone houses dotting the hills still haunts me
Mine from Wexford, Kilkenny and Cork…..my 3rd great grand (widowed) was evicted in Wexford and her cottage set alight. She died 4 months later ….Her neighbours descendant found the report and shared it with me…..rip E.Turner wherever you lay.
Who else is here are the last episode of Victoria? I really had no idea how bad it was before. I knew there was a really bad famine in Ireland in the 19th century but I didn't realise it was England's fault (not the blight itself that was all over Europe but the fact we were still importing food from Ireland or that we made bread prices so high and rules about Catholics not owning land and then didn't send anything to help).
As an Irish person who learned about the famine all through school, I was disgusted by the episode of Victoria. Yeah, they finally showed what was going on in Ireland, but they still painted Queen Victoria and Robert Peel as good people who were so sad- oh look how much they care, oh look she's upset, oh she doesn't care the maid is a Catholic, how nice of her, oh they want to help, it's just so complicated, best just let a few more hundred thousand children die first- so they can still be heroes in the show. Despite the fact that they knew exactly what was going on and did NOTHING. We're supposed to feel like they're still good people, living in obscene luxury while millions are starving to death, exporting all the food out of Ireland, refusing to send any help, charging obscene rents to all Catholics and evicting them when they fail to pay, enforcing the corn laws to make sure that not only are there no potatoes, but no one can afford any other food. It disgusts me. I'd spit on their graves given the chance. I thank God every day that Ireland was finally freed from British tyranny.
Me. I just watched that episode. Im Spanish but i feel really bad about what happened there. Im not religious but i feel so sad about the good priest who died at the end. He was a good man, he didn't deserve to die. But the world is cruel and somehow good people die more than the corrupted and evil one. I really hope he is in peace.
In truth, Robert Peel did his best to help the Irish during the first year of the Famine. His relief schemes were very successful and no one died in 1845. Queen Victoria gave £2,000 of her own money which is about 100,000 Euro in today's money. If you want to be disgusted by someone be disgusted by that low life scumbag Charles Trevelyan. He was the monster who thought the Famine was a way of solving overpopulation. Edward Bennett who played Trevelyan in Victoria gave a terrifying performance, I think. I'm sure he's a good man in real life and has a good heart, but I still would love to punch him square in the face for his portrayal of a murderer of innocent Irish people. I'm Irish too so I get where you're coming from.
A beautiful arrangement for a haunting song. Sinead O'Connor gets to me more and more as years go by. Bless her for her sincerity and conviction of belief.
long ago i fell in love w sinead! I dearly love her courage, her fighting spirit, her total disregard of pain inflicted by ruling class but she always stands up for the people! her songs stands for real human values and her voice is so beautiful/honest. wish shed do a US tour.
Sinead's dramatic performance depicts this Tragedy perfectly. It made me to familiarise with history of of the Great Irish Famine. We, Poles, do have a lot in common with the Irish people.
The sad truth is the English Government could have saved the people of Ireland during the potato famine. Irish produce was still being exported whilst common folk starved to death.
The English government did the same to the Indian which led to the The Bengal Famine of 1769-1773. It wiped out one third the population of Bengal population. lovely how their riches were built on the graves of many "colonies".
+Dave Webster Let us all help to speed the day when this wonderful earth and its rich resources are held in common for the benefit of all humanity. Working men and women of all lands unite.
+Shauna Windvogel To quote one of my favorite songs (Think Back and Lie of England, by Skyclad): "Stiff upper lip he sipped his tea/atop a mound of babes he killed/to keep our Empire's coffers filled."
+Dave Webster there was no famine: as you correctly say the food waqs taken away (USUALLY UNDER MILITARY ESCORT) By the English! Still their German bitch queen did find £2000 to see that the dogs of Dublin were fed!
She also had the nerve to beg in the world for money for her Irish subjects, so...yeah. When she could have just stopped the export of wheat from Ireland until the blight was over. What a dick move.
My Sincere Condolences to your Family and Close friends for all the Losses that was brought to your Motherland and how Selfish of Parliament not going to the dire need of Ireland's people from Starvation. May all who have suffered from this Cruel Monstrosity be at rest.
I discovered this song cos I was working on the great famine in class .. and it’s a huge discovery for me .. song will always be the best way in order to tell a story, n this one is a story which gonna haunt a lot of people I think, me first .. huge bravo to Sinead O’Connor !
Last verse Oh father dear the day will come When on vengeance we will call And Irishmen both stout and tall Will rally to the cause I’ll be the man To lead the band Beneath a flag of green And loud and high We’ll raise the cry REVENGE FOR SKIBBEREEN TAL
So so so moving so beautiful song that I love sung by Sinead as she made me discover it years ago. One of my favourite if each one can probably be. Sinead sings but not only. I really appreciate her for so so long and forever. Proud to be a woman thanks to Sinead in some ways.
@C.J MacDairmant Average Englishman; nah!.. ofc not. I think if you look at the last decades and century, England has a lot to answer for. Poor people forced or willingly fighting for a flag.
same. Faith, Hope, and Charity. I had to track down this song because it opened up my creativity. Victoria tried to help the famine, but being called crazy (post partum depression) put everything she wanted to do into question. This was in the same dynasty as George III, so everyone thought she inherited his "Madness"
Gearóid O'Fhallúin Don’t be surprised! My Aunt never enjoyed going back because it held so many bad memories of childhood living poor and doing without.
My family heritage started in skibbereen, my great grandad was the town squire (the bell guy) and has his name in centre of town, my nan had to leave skibbereen at 16 to pursue a life and send money back to her family back in 1940s this song really does hit home and is accuate about the place i was raised ❤
U might be my young Cousin++ twice removed! My Uncle was Jeremiah O'Donovan of Skibbereen, his mom Hannah O'Donovan c1894-1968 RIP remained on the Family Farm & watched GrandUncle Jeremiah & 11 others get on many boats 2 God alone knows where!
Let us all help to speed the day when this wonderful earth and its rich resources are held in common for the benefit of all humanity. Working men and women of all lands unite.
Sinead O'Connor - Skibbereen lyrics Oh, Father dear, I oft times heard you talk of Erin's Isle, Her lofty scene, her valleys green, her mountains rude and wild They say it is a pretty place where in a prince might dwell, Oh, why did you abandon it, the reason to me tell? Oh, son I loved my native land with energy and pride 'Til a blight came over on my crops, my sheep and cattle died, The rent and taxes were so high, I could not them redeem, And that's the cruel reason why I left old Skibbereen. Oh, It's well I do remember that bleak December day, The landlord and the sheriff came to drive us all away They set my roof on fire with their demon yellow spleen And that's another reason why I left old Skibbereen. Your mother too, God rest her soul, fell on the snowy ground, She fainted in her anguish seeing the desolation round. She never rose but passed away from life to mortal dream, She found a quiet grave, my boy, in dear old Skibbereen. And you were only two years old and feeble was your frame, I could not leave you with your friends, you bore your father's name, I wrapped you in my Cota-Mor in the dead of night unseen I heaved a sigh and said goodbye to dear old Skibbereen
Está fazendo falta para nós Sinéad O'Connor é a única e melhor voz de todos os tempos. Você foi incrível e extraordinária neste plano. Que sua filha Róisín siga o teu legado ficou pra ser apreciado com muito amor em nossos corações. Estava certa em tudo que fez e falou sobre abusos infantil. Vou te ouvir e amar sempre minha Irlandesa Sinéad O'Connor .❤
O, Father dear, I often hear you speak of Erin's Isle, Her her lofty scenes her valleys green, her mountains rude and wild You said it is a lovely place wherein a prince might dwell, Why have you then forsaken her, the reason to me tell? My son, I loved our native land with energy and pride Until a blight fell on my crops my and sheep and cattle died, The rents and taxes were too high, I could not them redeem, And that's the cruel reason why I left Old Skibbereen. It's well I do remember on a bleak November's day, The landlord and the sheriff came to drive us all away; they set my house on fire with their cursed English spleen And that's another reason why I left Old Skibbereen. Your mother, too, God rest her soul, lay on the snowy ground, She fainted in her anguish seein' the desolation round. She never rose, but passed away from sleep to mortal dream, And found a quiet grave, my boy, in dear old Skibbereen. It's well I do remember the year of forty-eight, When we arose with Erin's boys to fight against our fate; I was hunted through the mountains as a traitor to the Queen, And that's another reason that I left Old Skibbereen. Oh father dear, the day will come when in answer to the call Each Irishman with feeings stern will answer one and all, I'll be the man to lead the van, beneath our flag of green, And loud and high we'll raise the cry," Remember Skibbereen!"
I’m learning about Ireland Skippereen and we heard your song Skippereen and it was so sad and depressing and I almost cried and he cried then my teacher cried almost everybody cried but I was strong and kept my tears back in my eyeballs I heard that people got potato blight so they moved to America and some died and starved to death and some worked in work houses
I was there with my father and son, we had a weird experience , walking on the sidewalk saying hello to passerbys they acted like we weren’t there, not one person male or female they silently went by like we weren’t there. I asked my son are you feeling weird? He replied this is a strange place, like they were ghosts . I felt like they knew we were Americans and still blamed us for not helping them. True story. From Conamara to Kinsale awesome people , Skibereen was like the twilight zone. And i understand why.
This is my ancestral land and people. Nobody but an idiot would blame us Americans for the Famine. God knows enough of us went to America and found refuge there, oncluding my ancestors. Skibbereen is a small and relatively isolated place. Rural Cork people are not necessarily gregarious to pushy strangers. I've made my way there by explaining who my people are and by distant relatives. You were outsiders and it's not a really touristy place. If you ventured into the real back country of Cork and Kerry, like the Reeks, you'd think the people of Skibbereen were the jolly, laughing stage Irish sort.
The same arguments used then are still used today by neo-liberal governments to avoid helping people in need: “Let the free market fix the problem. We’ll just reward their laziness and indolence if we feed them. Let them die, they need to reduce their population anyway.”
O, Father dear, I oft times heard you talk of Erin's Isle, Her lofty scene, her valleys green, her mountains rude and wild They say it is a pretty place where in a prince might dwell, Oh why did you abandon it, the reason to me tell? Oh son I loved my native land with energy and pride 'Til a blight came over on my crops, my sheep and cattle died, The rent and taxes were so high, I could not them redeem, And that's the cruel reason why I left old Skibbereen. Oh, It's well I do remember that bleak December day, The landlord and the sheriff came to drive us all away They set my roof on fire with their demon yellow spleen And that's another reason why I left old Skibbereen. Your mother too, God rest her soul, fell on the snowy ground, She fainted in her anguish seeing the desolation round. She never rose but passed away from life to mortal dream, She found a quiet grave, my boy, in dear old Skibbereen. And you were only two years old and feeble was your frame, I could not leave you with your friends, you bore your father's name, I wrapped you in my cta mr in the dead of night unseen I heaved a sigh and said goodbye to dear old Skibbereen
My family came from Ireland during the famine... They went to Canada, because America was more than they could afford... Called them coffin ships because of how many died aboard.
Oh father dear, and I often hear you speak of Erin's isle Her lofty scenes, her valleys green, her mountains rude and wild They say it is a lovely land wherein a prince might dwell Then, why did you abandon it? Oh, the reason to me, tell My son, I loved my native land with energy and pride 'Til a blight came over all my crops and my sheep and cattle died The rents and taxes were to pay, and I could not them redeem And that's the cruel reason I left old Skibbereen 'Tis well do I remember the bleak November day When the bailiff and the landlord came to drive us all away They set the roof on fire with their cursed English spleen And that's another reason I left old Skibbereen Oh, your mother too, God rest her soul, lay on the snowy ground She fainted in her anguishing, seeing the desolation 'round She never rose but passed away from life to immortal dreams And that's another reason I left old Skibbereen Oh, you were only two years old and feeble was your frame I could not leave you with my friends, for you bore your father's name I wrapped you in my cóta mór at the dead of the night unseen And I heaved a sigh and I said goodbye to dear old Skibbereen Oh well, father dear, and the day will come when in vengeance we will call And Irish men, both stout and tall, will rally unto the call I'll be the man to lead the band beneath the flag of green And loud and high, we'll raise the cry, "Revenge for Skibbereen!"
"Oh well, father dear, and the day will come when in vengeance we will call And Irish men, both stout and tall, will rally unto the call I'll be the man to lead the band beneath the flag of green And loud and high, we'll raise the cry, "Revenge for Skibbereen!"
She is miracles intelligence humanity create how try to sowing all world that we have to love as not meters wich religion dey are one God for all of us Sinead have helped and so posted to be helped to all my power to her damege she isn't a illness all is she need her family and hug love like we all need that God end universal is with you butifole create
My family history told us our kin only survived the famine by smuggling fish. They had to pay rent in the catch (from their own boat and land that had been in the family for generations, until some English lord was "given" it) but hid a bit to feed family and survive. My great grandfather was shot for daring to want his own country in 1916. All but an elderly aunt finally left in 1938 for good, not wanting to fight in another war for European powers. I finally visited the ancestral homestead in 1993. Not much there but a parking lot and a shed now. Sorry, but family history is still too strong to let me not be angry at their treatment. All they wanted was to be left to themselves.
I don’t understand why I can’t find a version of this on iTunes or Amazon music. (Sinead O’Connor’s version, I mean. There are over a dozen versions - but not hers.)
Nowadays they may lump us together, but my hair and my eyes are nothing like yours, and nor is my heart. My family is gone and I am gone from my home, and you will keep my name out of your mouth when you continue your colonization.
Am trying to reach into some family history. I am trying to find a Patrick Harrington who married a Catherine ? in about 1854---they left for England some time later and settled in Hereford. They were my great grandparents......love this song. I perform and paint...my name is adopted.....can anyone point me to a direction of friendly help?
The only Patrick Harrington that married a Catherine (Madden) in 1854 in West Cork was from Cahermore Rosscarbery and they were married on 28th February 1854 in Rosscarbery Parish Church. They had a daughter (Mary) baptised 29th March 1855. Their address at that time was Reenascreena, Rosscarbery. Mary appears to be the only child recorded in Ireland. If you have any detail of further children born in Hereford or elsewhere, let me know and I will look them up for you.
Imagine what a Jewish survivor of the holocaust would feel if the "consensus story" was it never happened. MILLIONS DIED in the Irish famine while the brits took food away at gunpoint. What is wrong with us Irish that we are not "upset" about this?
@@teodorskan Yes...I was thinking more of the book about the Famine called The Great Shame....victims feel shame for being victimized hence the value of such songs...Thanks
Don't know why you think us Irish aren't 'upset' about the famine .....it was genocide. Its happening in Palestine right now and what is the world doing...
What about the last verse about the son returning to Ireland and seeking revenge against the English like a proper Irish folk song? Not pc enough anymore? Still a hauntingly beautiful rendition, nonetheless.