A Legacy of the Highland Clearances | |
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| Gaelic | English |
| Muigh air a chuan mhor ghorm Sho seimh cho glan's cho fuar Bha agam aisling bhoidheach Theich m'eagal sa air falbh Chummaic mi thus mo luachag Sheinn thu sailm bho'n taigh Do ghuth thug dhomhsa comhairteachol Cha d'fhairich mi am aonar Gu fada muigh air a chuan Fada muigh air a mhuir Tha deich mil'anam na laighe Guidheam Dhe choir gun d'fhuair iad saors' |
Out on the blue Atlantic
So calm and coll and clear I had a dream so lovely It took away my fear. I dreamt of you my dear one You sang a psalm from home Your voice, it gave me comfort And I felt not alone Far out on the Ocean Far Out on the sea There lies ten thousand souls there And I pray dear God please set them free |
| Background |
Much has been written about the deplorable condition of human cargo ships transporting victims of the Clearances to the New World. Many a leaky tub ended their careers carrying emigrants from Scottish ports with at least forty-nine ships lost at sea between 1847 and 1853. Those individuals lucky enough to board a sea worthy vessel still had to contend with disease and pestilence brought on by squalid and overcrowded circumstances - dysentery and cholera ran rife! Mortality among children was highest and several mournful tales describing these sad voyages have survived within the folklore of Huron Township and Compton County, Quebec. One of the most poignant can be found in a letter from Ripley, Ontario Lewis descendant, Christina Picot to her grandson. The letter describes the tragic death of an infant at sea. An Cuan Siar is based on this correspondence. |
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