Professional Documents
Culture Documents
( by Brendan Graham)
Sean Keane
Also recorded by : Finbar Wright ; Anthony Kearns; Ronan
Tynan.
(VERSE1)
CHORUS:
(VERSE 2)
(VERSE 3)
Sean Keane
Also recorded by : Finbar Wright ; Anthony Kearns; Ronan
Tynan.
LISTENING ACTIVITY
aACTIVITY
Listen to the song and try to identify the rhymes.
Listen again , then fill in the script with the missing words.
(VERSE1)
On the day on . ,
. ...,
They. Ellis . and they let
The . through.
And the first to . the threshold
Of that .of .and .,
Was .Moore from .
.was all of . years.
CHORUS:
Isle of ., isle of .,
.of ., isle of .,
But it's not the isle you . behind.
That isle of ., isle of .,
.you'll never see .
But the isle of.is . on your .
.
(VERSE 2)
In a little . she .
All her .and.,
And her . for the .
In the . of ..
And . is the .
When your . world .
But there's no . in the .
. you're . .
(VERSE3)
In . .,
. . people
Had . there for sanctuary.
And in . when I . here
And I . onto its .,
I . of how it . have .
Use what you remember and the additional information given in the toolbox to
complete the introduction of the song .
When listening to the song for the first time, discuss what impression it leaves you
with.
STUCTURE OF THE SONG. : Take a close look at the song and complete .
Take a closer look ate the song and say what each verse deals with .
FIRST NAME :
The second verse explores
LAST NAME :
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN :
Fill in the first immigrant s Passport.
NATIONALITY:
Study the dates and figures . Say who or what they refer to according to the song .
January
1st, 1892
1943
15
17
million
Pick out all the references to the Isle of Dreams or to the Emerald Isle.
VERSE 1
they :
Who :
VERSE 2
CHORUS
her :
I:
your :
that :
you:
VERSE 3
they :
there :
I:
its :
your
She and her family must have suffered from a lack of food and a lack of freedom . It is
very likely that her parents escaped the potato famine in Ireland.
They must have been treated like cattle (btail ) on the island and considered as
second-rate citizens (citoyens de seconde zone) on account of their differences of
religion, culture, language.
The line refers to all the hardships (difficults) and humiliations the immigrants had
to go through before becoming American citizens.
This line illustrates Annies inner desire to fulfil (raliser) the American Dream.
Most Irish emigrated because of the Great Famine in Ireland between 1845 and 1852.
They were starving back home. They did not have much choice, they had to leave or risk
starving to death.
For centuries the Irish had lived under English oppression, poverty and disease.
(maladie)
It reminds us that on that island immigrants had to take and pass a legal and medical
examination before being allowed to enter America .
It reminds us that they had left their homeland, parents behind , putting their faith and
hope into a new life in the New World.
It makes you think of how it must have been to leave your native country at an early
age to start a new life in a foreign country all alone.
It reminds us that Ellis Island was a gateway for millions of immigrants seeking for a
better life.
Irish immigrants moved onto the United States in search for better opportunities and a
brighter future.
It illustrates the idea of leaving everything familiar behind and starting a new life in a
foreign country.
But also left behind were friends and family, as well as tradition and customs.
and yet / however / even though / even if / although / nevertheless / nonetheless / despite the fact
that / in spite of
their families let them go they never gave up their allegiance to Ireland
going to America became the dream it quickly became a heart-break island where
of those Irish who just wanted a better families were to be separated.
life
they could not help thinking of the Emerald
these new Americans loved America Isle.
She had been looking forward to what they experienced on Ellis island was
setting foot onto the promised land another story.
with determination and courage they did not know what they would encounter.
all the hardship they had to go they created a new life for themselves and
through at Ellis island those who came after them.
many never saw their homeland she was nervous about being processed to
again. the island.
For her the Isle of hope ............................................ (NOT COME) true , the grass,
sadly is not always greener . But her story is part of the story of America ,
she should be remembered as such ! Moore ............................................
(PASSIVE/HONOR) by bronze statues at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum
and in Cobh, the Irish seaport town from which she ............................................
(SAIL).
The last person to come through Ellis Island ........................ (BE) a Norwegian
merchant seaman by the name of Arne Peterssen in 1954.