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Arrane mysh ny Baatyn-Skeddan
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A Song about the Herring Boats
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Cooinee-jee, shenn as-aeg,
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Remember, old and young,
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’Sy vlein shiaght cheead yeig,
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In the year seventeen hundred
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Kiare-feed as shiaght, er cheayn Ghoolish
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And eighty seven, on the Douglas sea ;
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Myr haink eh gy-kione,
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As it so came to pass,
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Va eeaystagh vie ayn,
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A good fishing there was,
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Lesh earish feer aalin as villish.
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With, sweet and very fine weather.
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Ny-yeih cha nee beayn,
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Yet not for ever,
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Darr yn earish cha kiune,
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Did the weather stay as calm;
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My daink kione y chiagktin dys jerrey,
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Before the weekend ended,
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Son va neeal yn aer,
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The countenance of the sky,
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Soilshagh ’magh danjeyr,
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Exhibited danger,
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Va sterrym feer agglagh er-gerrey.
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There was horrific storm soon impending.
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Oie’l vian dy feer jeean,
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On St Matthew's Eve, very keenly,
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Choud's va’n Fload ec y cheayn,
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Whilst the fleet was at sea,
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Haink dewilys, as paart jeu ren scarrey,
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An inclemency came, and some of them separated,
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Veih dy chooilley nhee,
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From every thing,
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Va deyr da nyn gree,
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That was dear to their hearts,
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Eer bioys, liorish dewillys ny marrey,
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Even life, by the cruelty of the sea.
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Te doillee dooin ghra,
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It is hard for us to say,
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Cre whilleen as va,
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How many there were,
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Oie’l vian, feer ching ec nyn ghreeghyn;
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On St Matthew’s eve, truly sick at heart (their hearts)
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Cloan faagit gyn-ayr,
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Children left without a father,
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Va keayney dy geyre,
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There was bitter weeping,
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As mraane son nyn sheshaghyn jeeaghyn.
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And women looking for their partners.
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Trooid Skeeyll-y-Chreest,
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Throughout Rushen Parish,,
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Va seaghyn as erreeish,
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There was sorrow and pity,
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Mraane jeeaghyn son nyn vendeilee -,
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Women looking for their defenders ;
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Skimmee Hom Chinlaee,
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Tom Kinley’s crew,
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V’ad keayney nyn-yeï,
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They were crying for them,
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As sheshaght Yuan Voore Croit-y-Caley.
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And the crew of Juan Moore from Croit-y-Caley.
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Thom Ghrimsther myrgeddin,
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Tom Grimshaw too,
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Va caill’t ’syn oie cheddin,
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Was lost the same night,
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Marish y chooid elley jeh e gheiney;
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Together with the rest of his men,
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Cha row dooinney jeu bio,
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Not a man of them alive,
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Jeh’n nane as feed shoh,
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Of this twenty-one;
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Nyn gaarjyn dy sharroo va keayney.
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Their friends were so bitterly weeping.
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Fastyr aalin feer v’eh,
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It was a beautiful afternoon,
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Tra hiauill adsyn jeh,
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When hey sailed off,
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Voish Doolish marish baatyn elley ;
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From Douglas, along with other boats ;
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As rosh ad yn voayl
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And they reached the spot,
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Va’n skeddan dy ghoaill
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Which herrings occupied,
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Dyn smooinnaght er assee ny skielley.
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Without thought of harm or hurt.
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Agh gerrit va’n traa,
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But, how short was the time,
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Ren yn earish caghlaa,
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When the weather changed,
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Yn gheay niar dy niartal ren sheidey;
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The East wind blew mightily;
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Dy leah dhatt yn cheayn,
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Soon the sea swelled,
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Lesh sterrym as sheean,
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With storm and sound (noise),
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Haink dorrin lesh dewillys, as fliaghey.
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A tempest came with cruelty, and rain.
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Eisht hrog ad dy leah,
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Then they got up quick,
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Nyn shiauill roish y gheay,
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Their sails before the wind,
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Dy jeeragh lesh purt Ghoolish Shiaulley ;
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Straight towards Douglas port ???
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Tra rosh ad yn vaie,
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When they reached the bay,
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Va’n cheayn magh er draie,
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The sea (tide) had gone out,
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As yn earish er-gholl foddey smessey.
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And the weather had gone far worse.
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Ec aker ’sy vaie
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At anchor in the bay,
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Cha faggys dan traie,
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So close to the shore,
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Cre berree da ny baatyn va markiagh,
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What way past for the boats that were riding (at anchor),
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S’dorraghey myr ve
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So dark it was,
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Fegooish soilshey er y chey,
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Without a light on the quay
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Ayns aggle nyn maaish vad farkiagh.
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In fear of their lives they were waiting..
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Dy fieau er y cheayn,
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To wait on the sea,
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Dy lhieeney dy lane,
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To fill up (the tide) full
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Ve chennid feer agglagh dy jarroo ;
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It was a terrible position indeed;
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Caabhil failleil,
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Cables failing,
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As baatyn sinkeil,
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And boats sinking,
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As scoltey ayns peeshyn cheet thalloo,
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And splitting into pieces coming ashore.
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Ve cha dorraghey doo
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It was so dark black,
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Nagh bleayr daue yn soo
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That the current was not clear to them
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Ny tonnyn va freayney stiagh harroo;
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The billows were breaking over them;
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Nagh atchimagh v’eh,
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How dreadful it was,
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Lesh dorrin as kay,
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With storm and fog,
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Dy roie roish y gheay dys thalloo.
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To run to land before the wind.
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Er-creau voish yn cheayn,
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Trembling from the sea, waves,
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Lesh sterrym as sheean,
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With storm and sound (noise),
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Ny tonnyn myr sleityn v’ad girree;
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The waves, like mountains they were rising ;
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As ooilley’n traa shen,=
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And all that time,
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Va’n cheayn brishey bane,
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The sea was breaking white,
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Nagh bleayr daue’n phurt v’ad dy yeearree.
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So that the port they yearned for wasn’t clear.
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Mysh oor roish y laa,
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About an hour before day,
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Ve smooinit van tra,
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It was thought to be the time,
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Hie Grimsther dy roie son y thalloo
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Tom Grimshaw went to run for the land,
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Veh hene as Juan Voore,
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Himself and John Moore ;
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Caill’t ’syn un oor,
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Lost in the same hour,
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As ooilley ny Skimmee va maroo.
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And all the crew who were with them.
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Myrgeddin Kinlaie,
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So too was Kinley,
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Ec faagail yn vaie,
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At leaving the bay,
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Cha bleayr da yn raad dy roie jeeragh;
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The way to run wasn’t clear to him ;
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Traa sdorraghey ve,
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Such a dark time it was,
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V'eh bwoailt noi’n chey,
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He was struck against the quay,
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As va’n vaatey sinkit chelleeragh.
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And the boat was sunk right away.
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Cha row saase 'sy theihll,
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There was no means in the world,
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Nyn gour dy scapail,
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For them to escape,
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Yn vaase va kiongoyrt rish nyn sooillyn ;
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Death was right before their eyes ;
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Yn eam oc va treih
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Their calling was miserable,
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Lesh cree er ny lheïe ,
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With hearts melted,
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Ec toshiaght sinkeil boayl va whilleen.
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At the start of the sinking where there were so many.
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Dy hrial nyn sehleï,
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To test our skill,
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Cha voddagh shin reih,
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We could not choose .
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Nyn lheid as vad shoh ooilley cooidjagh ;
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These and their like all together ;
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Ny deiney mie cheayïn,
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The good seamen,
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Ayns y vinnid shen,
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In that minute,
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Ny tonnyn vaaish ren ad y choodagh.
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The deadly waves covered them.
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Son nyn gaarjyn gheyr,
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For our good friends,
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Vadyr oc shilley jeÏr,
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Those who were theirs shed tears,
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Chammah mraane, as mraane hreoghe as cloan veggey,
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Wifes, as well as widows and small children;
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Lesh osnaghyn hreih,
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With miserables sighs,
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V’ad currit lhieu thie,
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They were brought home,
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As oanluckit marish nyn gheiney.
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And buried along with their men.
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