Bonny Portmore
"Bonny Portmore" is an Irish traditional folk song which laments the demise of Ireland's old oak forests, specifically the Great Oak of Portmore or the Portmore Ornament Tree, which fell in a windstorm in 1760 and was subsequently used for shipbuilding and other purposes.
The melody of this song was first published 1840 in Bunting's "Ancient Music of Ireland" and was collected from the playing of Ulster harper Daniel Black in 1796. (Ref: articles by Jon Bartlett in Three-Quarter Times: The Newsletter of the Vancouver Folk Song Society Vol XXIII, No. 8: 29 November 1993 and Vol XXIII, No. 4: 27 May 1998.)
The old oak is believed to have stood on the estate of Portmore Castle near Portmore Lough, County Antrim.
Lyrics
As with most folk songs, there are many variations. This is one version. The first verse can be used as a refrain, or repeated at the end.
O bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand
And the more I think on you the more I think long
If I had you now as I had once before
All the lords in Old England would not purchase Portmore.
O bonny Portmore, I am sorry to see
Such a woeful destruction of your ornament tree
For it stood on your shore for many's the long day
Till the long boats from Antrim came to float it away.
All the birds in the forest they bitterly weep
Saying, "Where shall we shelter or where shall we sleep?"
For the Oak and the Ash, they are all cutten down
And the walls of bonny Portmore are all down to the ground.
Notable recordings
- Saskatoon folk singer Paddy Tutty released her recording of this song on her 1983 cassette "Paddy Tutty" and again on her 1986 recording "Who Liveth So Merry." The first version is still available on her CD "The Roving Jewel" released in 2000.
- Loreena McKennitt performed this song on her 1991 album The Visit, and it was subsequently used in the film Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1994). A new version of the song was recorded by Laura Creamer for the 1995 episode "Homeland" of Highlander: The Series. Laura Creamer's version was re-used in the episodes "Dramatic Licence" (1996), "Armageddon" (1997) and the series' final episode, "Not To Be" (1997).
- The Rogues, an American Celtic band played this song in their concerts.
- In 2000 the song was used in the film Highlander: Endgame, this time recorded by Jennifer McNeil.
- It was recorded by Gregorian for their album Masters of Chant Chapter II (2001).
- Donegal singer Aoife recorded the song for her 2003 album The Turning Of The Tide.
- Kate Crossan performed this song on her 2001 album Voice of the Celtic Heart with Oliver Schroer.
- Lucinda Williams recorded this song for the album Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, produced by Hal Willner
- Celtic Dreamer recorded this song Bonny Portmore (chill out remix) for the album, Private Room Lounge Session, Vol.1
- TranciT3k recorded this song for his 2010 tribute album Tribute to Folk songs
- The song was used also as credits song in the film Kill the Irishman.
- Dan Gibson along with Michael Maxwell released the album Emerald Forest: A Celtic Sanctuary which contain a beautiful and extremely uplifting instrumental version of Bonny Portmore mixed with natural birds sound.
- Canadian folk singer Eileen McGann recorded this song on her 1995 album Journeys.
- Spanish orchestral group Ensemble XXI recorded this song for their album Retratos del Mar (Portraits of the Sea), by Eugenia Boix (2006).
- "Bonny Portmore" was covered by Laura Marling and Jonathan Wilson for AMC's Revolutionary War drama Turn. The song played over the ending montage of Episode 105 "Epiphany" and will be available on the show's original soundtrack.
- The song is also performed by 3 Pints Gone on their latest album, "It's About Bloody Time."
- In 2014, The Rails (James Walbourne and Kami Thompson) released the album Fair Warning, on which their acoustic cover of "Bonnie Portmore" is the opening track.