Eriskay Love Lilt | Scottish Song From The Outer Hebrides | Played On Harp

Arranged by Tamsin Dearnley. Originating from the small Hebridean island of Eriskay off the west coast of Scotland, the "Eriskay Love Lilt" (originally in Gaelic as "Gràdh Geal Mo Chridhe" or "Bheir Mi Ò") is a tender traditional folk song expressing romantic devotion. It gained international renown in the early 1900s when Scottish musician Marjory Kennedy-Fraser collected the oral Gaelic melody and published it in Songs of the Hebrides with poetic English lyrics. Characterized by its comforting maritime imagery and its distinct chorus ("Vair me oro van o... Sad am I without thee"), it became a staple of the 20th-century Scottish folk revival and has been famously recorded by artists ranging from Paul Robeson to The Seekers.