Why not try singing the tune yourself? Below is the sheet music for the main chorus, as well as the melody for each verse. Sing your way through history! The book provides a child-friendly introduction to the Young Pretender, his fight for the British throne, his defeat at Culloden and his flight to the Isle of Skye, where he sought refuge with the help of Flora MacDonald. A New Zealand artist shares his memories of time spent with his father, and the sound of him whistling the song on their way home as dusk fell. A sailor from the Isle of Skye, describes his connection with the spirituality of piece and the Loch on which he sails. Calum Kennedy included a version on Songs of Scotland and Ireland (Beltona 1971), and Rod Stewart recorded two versions of the song with The Atlantic Crossing Drum & Pipe Band during the sessions for Atlantic Crossing between 1974 and 1975. They were given an official release on the deluxe re-release of the album in 2009.

It was extremely popular in its day and, from its first recording by Tom Bryce on 29 April 1899, [6] it became a standard among Scottish folk and dance musicians. From the 1960s onwards, it became even more widely known and has remained popular in mainstream music genres. This new appetite for all things Jacobite is not restricted to film and TV’ This guest post from Floris Books highlights the enduring popularity of the traditional Scottish song ‘The Skye Boat Song’ and introduces their new beautifully illustrated take on this dramatic and much-loved ballad for a young audience. You can also listen to a performance of The Skye Boat Song by a traditional Gaelic singer – why not sing along? Sing me a Song of a Lad that is Gone by Robert Louis Stevenson". Poetry Foundation. 24 May 2018 . Retrieved 12 October 2021. Some verses of the Skye Boat Song have been sympathetically reworked to adapt it for young readers. As Senior Commissioning Editor, Eleanor Collins notes, ‘This is not the first time that someone has reconsidered the lyrics of the Skye Boat Song. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote his own version in the nineteenth century, and likewise, the Outlander series altered the song for their own purpose, notably changing the chorus.’ Acclaimed violinist Tasmin Little shares her own arrangement of the piece and explains why it works so well musically.George Donaldson of Celtic Thunder sang it in the 2015 show "Heritage" (arr. Phil Coulter) and on the CD and DVD of the same name. Celtic Thunder Limited. USA Sony Music Entertainment.

a b c "10 facts about Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites". History Extra. Immediate Media Company. 12 May 2016 . Retrieved 12 October 2021. . Songs of the North (20th edition: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project.Sir Harold Edwin Boulton wrote the celebrated lyrics, which starts with the famous line; 'Speed bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing', in the 1870s after becoming interested in Scottish folk songs at Oxford University. The text of the song gives an account of how Bonnie Prince Charlie, disguised as a serving maid, escaped in a small boat after the defeat of his Jacobite rising of 1745, with the aid of Flora MacDonald. The song draws on the motifs of Jacobitism although it was composed nearly a century and a half after the episode it describes. [3] Especially Stevenson's version, which gives the boat's course (Mull was astern, Rum on the port, Eigg on the starboard bow) seems to describe Charles's flight from the mainland, but that is unhistorical. The only time Charles was in Skye was when he left Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides to avoid the increasingly thorough government searches. It is unlikely that a boat from Benbecula would sail south of Rum to travel to Skye. McColl, Norton. "Discography". Paul Robeson Centennial Celebration. University of Chicago . Retrieved 12 October 2021. The song tells the tale of Bonnie Prince Charlie (Prince Charles Edward Stuart and grandson of James II and VII of Scotland) and his flight from Benbecula to the Isle of Skye, following his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. It was the final attempt by the Stuarts to reclaim the throne after their last monarch Queen Anne died, at which point the crown was then passed to George I from Hanover. Bonnie Prince Charlie's supporters, however, believed he was the rightful heir to the throne. Kuntz, Andrew. The Fiddler's Companion: A Descriptive Index of North American and British Isles Music for the Folk Violin and Other Instruments.