Heel yo ho, boys; let her go, boys;
Bring her head round, into the weather,
Hill you ho, boys,let her go, boys
Sailing homeward to Mingulay

What care we though, white the Minch is?
What care we for wind or weather?
Let her go boys; every inch is
Sailing homeward to Mingulay.

Heel yo ho, boys; let her go, boys;
Bring her head round, into the weather,
Hill you ho, boys,let her go, boys
Sailing homeward to Mingulay

Wives are waiting on the banks, boys
Looking seaward from the heather
Pull her ‘round, boys and we'll anchor
As the sun sets o’er Mingulay.

Heel yo ho, boys; let her go, boys;
Bring her head round, into the weather,
Hill you ho, boys, let her go, boys
Sailing homeward to Mingulay

Wives are waiting by the harbour
They’ve been waiting since break of day-o
Wives are waiting by the harbour
As the sun sets o’er Mingulay

The barren island of Mingulay is the second southern most island in the Outer Hebrides chain. At the turn of the 20th Century, it was the home of about 160 souls. However, it was abandoned in 1912 and remains uninhabited today.

The Mingulay Boat Song was composed in 1938 by Sir Hugh S. Roberton for the Glasgow Orpheus Choir. Thus, the song has never been sung by the inhabitants of the island.

The Minch is the body of water separating the county of Sutherland on mainland Scotland from the Islands of  Harris and Lewis ranging from 25 to 45 miles in width and 70 miles in length. It was known as Scotland’s Fjord by the Norse. The Minch is thought to have been formed by the largest meteorite strike in the British Isles.

One of my favorite piping/fiddle tunes is Crossing the Minch.

FFrom the Sea to the Shore

FChristian Island