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"Siúil a Rúin" (Roud 911) is a traditionalIrish song, sung from the point of view of a woman lamenting a lover who has embarked on a military career, and indicating her willingness to support him. The song has English language verses and anIrish language chorus, a style known asmacaronic.
The title (pronounced[ˌʃuːlʲəˈɾˠuːnʲ]) translates to "go, my love" (or variants):siúil is an imperative, literally translating to "walk!",a rúin is a term of endearment.
The history of the song is unclear. It has been suggested that the song refers to the "Wild Geese" of theGlorious Revolution. If it does, however, the original version has probably been lost. It is not uncommon that Irish songs were translated into English, with their chorus surviving in Irish, or being transformed into nonsense words (seeCaleno custure me), but in most of these cases, some of the Irish version still survives. It is possible that the song was composed in the 19th century with the conscious intention of styling it after older songs.
As is common in folk music, many lyrical variants of the song exist.
Robert Louis Stevenson refers to the song twice in his novelThe Master of Ballantrae (1889). Referred to as "the pathetic air of 'Shule Aroon'", it is whistled by the Irish Jacobite exile Francis Burke and later sung by the Master of Ballantrae himself to impress his younger brother's wife. The Master describes it as "very moving" and describes it being sung by Jacobite exiles in France: "it is a pathetic sight when a score of rough Irish ... get to this song; and you may see, by their falling tears, how it strikes home to them".[1]
InUlysses,James Joyce had Stephen Dedalus sing the song to Leopold Bloom in Bloom's kitchen (as part of the Ithaca episode). The song can be seen to signal or echo many of the grand themes of the book, referencing loss of language, usurpation, betrayal, loss of leadership and women selling themselves. Bloom responds by singing a song in Hebrew.[2]
"Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier"/"Buttermilk Hill" is a well-known American variant dating to theRevolutionary War, sharing a common melody and similar lyrics.
Folklorist andethnomusicologistAlan Lomax recordedElizabeth Cronin singingSiúil a Rúin ("Shule Agra", literally "Walk, O Love") in the early 1950s, and both the lyrics and the tune of her version are seemingly the foundation of most subsequent recordings, including those ofClannad andCeltic Woman. Her performance can be heard online via the Alan Lomax archive.[3]
"Siúil a Rúin" is one of the most widely sung songs in the Irish repertoire. Well-known performances are byClannad from their albumDúlamán andMary Black on different occasions, e.g. on the BBC's "The Highland Sessions" or withAltan on "Altan Beo – 21 Bliain ag Ceol".
Recordings include Nita Conley Korn and Eileen Estes on their album "The Apple Tree Project," Scantily Plaid on their album, "Just Checking In", Édain on "JOYceFUL", Éilís Kennedy on "One Sweet Kiss",Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill on Donal Lunny's Coolfin, Allison Barber on "Traveling Home",Órla Fallon fromCeltic Woman on thealbum of the same name,Lisa Kelly (who was also with Celtic Woman) on "Lisa", Ciúnas on "Celtic Tiger",Aoife Ní Fhearraigh on "If I Told You",Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill &Iarla Ó Lionáird on "Sult",Anúna on "Invocation" with Lucy Champion,Connie Dover on "The Wishing Well",Akelarre Agrocelta on "La Amenaza Celta", Nora Butler onGeantraí andSiobhan Owen on "Purely Celtic".
The song has also been recorded byKate Price, Lintie, Acabella, Anam, The Irish Group, Caoilte Ó Súilleabháin, Nollaig Casey, Kate Crossan,Carmel Gunning, Rosheen,Sissel Kyrkjebo withthe Chieftains, Sarah English,Janette Geri,[4] and Bruadar. "Siúil a Rúin" is one of the songs inFlatley'sLord of the Dance. Versions of "Buttermilk Hill" have been performed by The Black Country Three, Dan Gibson, Alisa Jones, Julie Felix,Judy Collins, Noah Saterstrom andThe Weavers.
A recognisable version of this song was recorded byPeter, Paul, and Mary entitledGone The Rainbow. It was on the B-side ofThe Hammer Song.
In the 2022 documentary film North Circular, the song is performed live from the back room of The Cobblestone Pub in Smithfield in Dublin by Julie Kavanagh, a singer formerly of the band Twin-Headed Wolf.
On April 25, 2022, a Ukrainian YouTube-singer Eileen published an adapted versionЙди, коханий мій (literallyWalk My Love) on her channel.[5][6] This version resonates with the strengthening of the Russian offensive in 2022 during theRusso-Ukrainian war.
