> Nic Jones > Songs > The Lakes of Shilin
> Tony Rose > Songs > The Lakes of Shilin
> Martin Carthy > Songs > Lakes of Cold Flynn

The Lakes of Shilin / Lakes of Cold Flynn / Loughinsholin

[ Roud 189 ; Laws Q33 ; Ballad Index LQ33 ; trad.]

This Irish ballad tells the story of a young man going swimming in a lake and drowning. It is also known as Willie Lennox and Willie Leonard; and the lake is variously named Col Fin, Col Flynn, Cold Finn, Cool Flynn, Coolfin, Coephin, Coulfin, and Shilin. The named lake is no longer on the map. It may have been an expansion of the River Bann, which is mentioned in Willie Lennox.

Cathie Stewart sang The Lakes o' Shillin in a recording by Bill Leader in his home in Camden Town, London, in 1964 or 1965. This was published in 1965 on the Topic LP The Stewarts of Blair. Hamish Henderson commented in the album notes:

Irish songs have enjoyed tremendous popularity in Scots bothies and farm kitchens. Most of them were probably brought over by harvesters and itinerant labourers, though Greig thought that some at least may have been learned by Scots soldiers from Irish comrades-in-arms at camp-fire ceilidhs during the Napoleonic wars. This is undoubtedly an Irish song in origin—in P.W. Joyce's collection it is called The Lakes of Coolfin but it has been popular in Aberdeenshire for many years. Cathy learnt it from a North-Easter, Alec Stewart of Buckie. There is a version in Folk-Song of the North-East (article CXIV), and it was in the repertoire of the late John Strachan of Fyvie.

Nic Jones recorded The Lakes of Shilin in 1978 for his fourth solo LP, From the Devil to a Stranger. As this album isn't available any longer, in 2006 Nic Jones published a CD of live performances from the late 1970s, Game Set Match, which also includes this song. He also sang it in two BBC Radio 1 John Peel sessions; one was recorded November 27, 1972 and broadcast December 12, 1972, the other was recorded October 14, 1975 and broadcast November 12, 1975.

Len Graham sang Loughinsholin in 1979 on his and Joe Holmes album on the Topic label, After Dawning.

Tony Rose sang The Lakes of Shilin on his 1999 CD Bare Bones with very similar verses.

Martin Carthy and John Kirkpatrick sang this ballad as Lakes of Cold Flynn live at Folk City, New York on October 27, 1983. This recording was included in 2001 on the anthology The Carthy Chronicles.

Compare this to Scan Tester singing The Lakes of Coalflin in a 1960 recording on the Topic Records anthology O'er His Grave the Grass Grew Green: Tragic Ballads (The Voice of the People Series, Vol 3, 1998) and in a 1965 recording on his anthology I Never Played to Many Posh Dances; and to Oak singing The Lakes of Cool Flynn on their album Welcome to the Fair. Both John Kirkpatrick and Oak credit Scan Tester as their source in their album's sleeve notes.

Another version of this ballad is Amy Birch's Royal Comrade in a 1976 recording on the Topic Records anthology My Father's the King of the Gypsies (The Voice of the People, Vol. 11, 1998).

Lyrics

Nic Jones sings The Lakes of Shilin

Well it's early one morning Billy Henry arose
Straight to his comrade's bed-chamber he goes
Saying, “Rise, loving comrade, let nobody know,
To the dark and chilly waters a-bathing we'll go.”

So Billy he stripped and then he went in
And he swam the dark waters all round and around
Saying, “Oh my loving comrade, oh don't you go in
For I see there is a coffin in the Lakes of Shilin.”

But the other one, he stripped and then he went in
And he swam the dark waters all round and around
Saying “Oh my loving Billy, why did you go in
To the dark and chilly waters in the Lakes of Shilin.”

Now there was an old woman who lived there close by
She went to Billy's parents and she made this reply:
“Your son he went a-bathing as I've heard him say
And now your Billy Henry he's as cold as the clay.”

Down came his mother like one in despair,
She's a-wringing of her hands and a-tearing of her hair,
Saying, “Oh my Billy Henry why did you go in
To the dark and chilly waters in the Lakes of Shilin?”

So down came his father like one in despair,
He's a-wringing of his hands and a-tearing of his hair,
Saying, “I brought up a family of fine-bodied men,
And the best of them's drowned in the Lakes of Shilin.”

So it's down came his sweetheart like one in despair,
She's a-wringing of her hands and a-tearing of her hair,
Saying, “It's six months and better till my wedding day
And now me Billy Henry he's as cold as the clay.

So we'll go around to Martin's, to Martin's by the shore.
We'll hire us a small boat as we've done before
And we'll search the dark waters all around and all round
Till we see that Billy Henry's fair body is found.”

So they went around to Martin's, to Martin's by the shore
And they hired them a small boat as they'd done before.
And they searched the dark waters all around and all round
Till they saw that Billy Henry's fair body was found.

For to see Billy's funeral was such a fine sight:
There was six handsome young men all dressed up in white,
There was six pretty maidens all dressed up in green,
Just to show that he'd been drowned in the Lakes of Shilin.

Tony Rose sings The Lakes of Shilin

It was early one morning Billy Henry arose
Straight to his comrade's bed-chamber he goes
“Arise, loving comrade, let nobody know,
To the dark and chilly waters a-bathing we'll go.”

Oh Billy he stripped and then he went in
And he swam the dark waters all around and around
Crying, “Oh my loving comrade, oh don't you go in
For I see there is a coffin of the Lakes of Shilin.”

But the other one, he stripped and then he went in
And he swam the dark waters all around and around
Crying, “Oh my loving Billy, why did you go in
To the dark and chilly waters of the Lakes of Shilin.”

Now there was an old woman that lived there close by
She came to Billy's family and made this reply:
“Oh, your son he went a-bathing as I've heard him say,
But now your Billy Henry he's as cold as the clay.”

And it's down came his mother like one in despair,
All a-wringing of her hands and a-tearing of her hair,
Crying, “Oh my Billy Henry why did you go in
To the dark and chilly waters of the Lakes of Shilin?”

And it's down came his father like one in despair,
All a-wringing of his hands and a-tearing of his hair,
“Oh, I brought up a family of fine-bodied men,
And the best of them's lying in the Lakes of Shilin.”

And it's down came his sweetheart like one in despair,
She was wringing of her hands and a-tearing of her hair,
“Oh, it's six months and better till my wedding day
But now my Billy Henry he's as cold as the clay.

So we'll go around to Martin's, to Martin's by the shore.
And we'll hire us a small boat as we've done before
And we'll search the dark waters all around and around
Till we see that Billy Henry's fair body is found.”

So they went around to Martin's, to Martin's by the shore
And they hired them a small boat as they'd done before.
And they searched the dark waters all around and around
Till they saw that Billy Henry's fair body was found.

Oh, to see Billy's funeral, it was such a fine sight:
There was six handsome young men dressed up in white,
There was six pretty maidens all dressed up in green,
Just to show he'd been drowned in the Lakes of Shilin.
Oh, six pretty maidens all dressed up in green,
Just to show he'd been drowned in the Lakes of Shilin.

Martin Carthy sings Lakes of Cold Flynn

It was early one morning young William arose,
Straightaway to his comrade's bedchamber he goes;
Saying, “Comrade, dear comrade, don't let anyone know,
It is a fine morning and a-bathing we'll go.”

And as they were a-walking it was down a long lane,
And the first that they met with was a keeper of game.
“Oh William, dear William, do not adventure in,
For there's death in false waters in the lakes of Cold Flynn.”

Young William stepped in and he swam the lake around;
He swam round the island but not the right ground.
“Oh William, dear William, do not adventure in,
For there's death in false waters in the lakes of Cold Flynn.”

It was early that morning his sister arose,
Straightaway to her mother's bedchamber she goes.
“Oh mother, dear mother, I have had a strange dream,
Young William lies floating in a watery stream.”

It was early that morning his mother she was there,
She rowed round the island like one in despair.
“Oh where was he drownded, where did he fall in?
For there's death in false waters in the lakes of Cold Flynn.”

God bless his dear mother, she has reasons to mourn,
Likewise his dear sweetheart, she has reasons to mourn.
For every each other morning he did us salute
With the pink and white roses and the fresh garden fruit.

On the day of his funeral it'll be a grand sight,
There'll be four-and-twenty uncles and they're all dressed in white.
They'll carry him along and lay him in cold clay,
Saying adieu to young William and they'll all march away.

Acknowledgements

Martin Carthy's version transcribed by Garry Gillard.