So where is Killieburne???

Subject: So where is Killieburne???
From:
Date: 28 Mar 02 - 04:22 AM

Norway calling. I play in an Irish folk band called Killieburne Brae. Please visit us at www.killieburne.no if you're interested. Some of you have already done so, and we're grateful for your feedback.

Now for my question: Finding a good band name is no easy task, and eventually we ended up with Killieburne Brae, which is also the title of a song we do. And we're absolutely thrilled with it! But when explaining our name to others we always end up lalaing.

So help us! I know what brae means, as it's in my dictionary. And Killieburne is obviously a place name. But where is it? Ireland? Scotland? (I know about Kilburn in London, but that's clearly not the place sung about in "Killieburne Brae" (lovely tune, though, isn't it?))

Help us solve the puzzle, and make us appear more professional to the absolutely-have-to-knows

Subject: RE: So where is Killieburne???
From: GUEST,Wolfgang
Date: 28 Mar 02 - 04:51 AM

A big load of information on that tune/song that has many different titles and different spelling of basically the same titles is
here

Once you've read all of that I guess you'll find out that the song has been 'localised' at different places and that therefore your question has no single answer.

But it's worth reading most of the link's in Malcolm's post anyway.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: So where is Killieburne???
From: Paddy Plastique
Date: 28 Mar 02 - 05:17 AM

From the sound of the placename, I always located it in Scotland somewhere - not exactly sure as to where.
I love a Seamus Ennis version of the song where the other placenames are around Co. Cavan, Ireland.
From the link Wolfgang gives, there are versions of the song from all of the 'Home Countries' and across the Atlantic, too.
You could open up onto another question as to where's the gate to hell... as they're not far apart in the song :-)
Or you could say to people 'D'ye know the gate to Hell ? - Well, it's 7 days traipse from there...'

Subject: RE: So where is Killieburne???
From: masato sakurai
Date: 28 Mar 02 - 05:40 AM

Kelly Burn, the boundary here between Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, rises four miles to the east, and ripples down its glen to the sea at Wemyss Bay. It has dry braes, covered with bent, grass, and thyme, and damp hollows, with sprotts and rue, recalling the curious old ballad, renovated by Burns, and beginning---

"There lived a carle on Kellyburn braes (Hey, and the rue grows bonnie wi' thyme),

And he had a wife was the plague o' his days ; And the thyme it is withered, and rue is in prime."

(From HERE)

~Masato

Subject: RE: So where is Killieburne???
From: Lighter
Date: 23 Dec 04 - 07:27 PM

Burns himself was from Ayrshire.