The origin of Bonny Portmore... by Micronaut

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The origin of Bonny Portmore...

POSTED BY: MICRONAUT
UPDATED: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 15:15
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Saturday, May 29, 2004 7:21 PM

Just saw ShadowVessel's "Bonny Portmore" video... very nice indeed.

However, I believe ShadowVessel has the singer of the song incorrectly listed as Laura Creamer... The song in fact is performed by Canadian folk-celtic singer/harpist Loreena McKennitt ( http://www.quinlanroad.com), and is from her 1992 album "The Visit." The song, also written by McKennitt, is an arrangement of a traditional celtic tune, and was featured in the movie "Highlander III". She has several other albums out, her latest being "The Book of Secrets" (studio - 1997) and "Live in Paris and Toronto" (live - 1999).

Yes, I am a fan...

"Just remember... all success is illusion: what has really been accomplished is the displacement of an area of specific failure to somewhere else... or is it the other way around?"

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Sunday, May 30, 2004 8:14 AM

ZAPHODB

Can you provide with a link to ShadowVessel's vid? My digging around the threads here has turned up nothing yet and I'd like to see it. Thanks!

Industrial Looniee & Madness - http://www3.telus.net/vchrusch

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Sunday, May 30, 2004 8:31 AM

SUCCATASH

It took me a while to find the link too. I look forward to watching this but I'm still downloading.
http://168.215.229.19/tmobp75m.zip

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Sunday, May 30, 2004 10:31 AM

MICRONAUT

Umm... Home Page, under "Features" is "The 'Message' of Bonny Portmore"...

Here's the link...

http://www.fireflyfans.net/feature.asp?f=55

"Just remember... all success is illusion: what has really been accomplished is the displacement of an area of specific failure to somewhere else... or is it the other way around?"

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Sunday, May 30, 2004 12:27 PM

ZAPHODB

Thanks guys! I didn't see that it was right under my nose all the while. Serves me right for not imbibing enough caffeine...

Industrial Looniee & Madness - http://www3.telus.net/vchrusch

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Monday, June 7, 2004 12:17 PM

PBI

Thanks for beating me to the punch, Micronaut :) Hadn't been by the site in a few and just now dl'd and watched the vid and was about to post the correction when I saw this thread. Nice to know Loreena still has fans around :)

If you can survive death, you can probably survive almost anything.

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Thursday, July 1, 2004 5:04 AM

MILORADELL

Absolutely f****ing LOVE Loreena!! Saw her in concert at the State Theatre in MPLS last tour through the US - best concert I have EVER seen!!

Finally downloaded and watched the vid posted by ShadowVessel - can I just say wow?? Late to the party, I know, but glad I finally dl'd it!

sigh....that episode always makes me cry and that song always makes me cry, so yep, I cried over the vid!

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Thursday, July 1, 2004 5:55 AM

KNIBBLET

The song is a protest against English occupation of Scotland and the destruction of Scottish lands to further English aims.

In particular, it is about the destruction of trees to build the English fleet. All of the tallest tress in Scotland were cut down to build the masts of the sailing ships.

Bonnie Portmore is about the Portmore tree, a huge tree lost to the greedy maw of the British navy.

A song of mourning and loss. A song about fighting a losing battle. Somehow, it is appropriate.

"Just keep walkin, preacher man."

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Thursday, November 4, 2004 1:16 PM

SHADOWVESSEL

Shite! And oops. In my haste to get the video finished and put on the site I got fadangled. You see, there's three different versions of the song since Highlander the series got a hold of it. Laura Creamer was the singer they brought in for the series renditions. While the video was being made there was no internet access and I forgot to write down her name for the credits of the video. So, give a buddy a call who has internet but no interest in Highlander or Bonnie Portmore and you get kind of sloppy help. I am so sorry. I really wanted to give credit to Laureena McKennitt being how it was her version that both inspired me and was used. I love her voice. Something about Laura Creamer's versions on the series just didn't feel right.

But thanks to everybody for spending an hour or two downloading the video to watch it. Haken was supposed to make a lower quality version, but I guess he got sidetracked. Which is cool with me, I've got the video on a VCD at the house being how I still don't have a computer of my own.

I didn't even know this discussion was over here. Cool story: I Dogpiled "Shadowvessel", looking for more cool images of the big, bad-ass f

kers, and it started showing these mentions of me on the site. Cool to me anyway.

Thanks again all.

(Gorramn Double Post)

"I'll be in my bunk."

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Thursday, November 4, 2004 1:16 PM

SHADOWVESSEL

kers, and it started showing these mentions of me on the site. Cool to me anyway.

Thanks again all.

(Gorramn Double Post)

"I'll be in my bunk."

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Monday, November 29, 2004 10:47 PM

the movie is not the Series. Only the facts have been changed, to irritate the innocent; the names of the actors and characters remain the same

Quote:
Originally posted by Knibblet:
The song is a protest against English occupation of Scotland and the destruction of Scottish lands to further English aims.

Um, not exactly.

Quote:
In particular, it is about the destruction of trees to build the English fleet.

Yes, perhaps taking some artistic license.
By the b'ye, ShadowVessel originally credited the song to Laura Creamer, who sang a short & a long version of it for the TV series. The lyrics Laura Creamer used do not mention England or the English.

Quote:
All of the tallest tress in Scotland were cut down to build the masts of the sailing ships.

Mebbe so, but . . .

Quote:
Bonnie Portmore is about the Portmore tree,

Now we're getting down to it. It is about the Great Oak of Portmore, on the lands of Portmore Castle, near Lough Beg, in Northern Ireland.
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/immie/bonny.html

Quote:
a huge tree lost to the greedy maw of the British navy.

"Huge" doesn't do it justice -- its trunk was used to build an entire ship, not just the masts. Yet 'though the British Navy bought the trunk, local history has it that the tree was not cut down, but rather blown down in a storm.

Quote:
A song of mourning and loss. A song about fighting a losing battle. Somehow, it is appropriate.

A perfect match to the Message.

Keep the Shiny Side Up

Wutzon: What else? the Message of Bonnie Portmore

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Wednesday, April 5, 2006 10:13 AM

JKAT

Bonny Portmore is a public domain traditional Celtic folk song, which details the centuries of Ireland's old oak forests being leveled for military and shipbuilding purposes. Specifically The Great Oak of Portmore.

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Tuesday, December 5, 2006 9:02 PM

JAEDENRUINER

Quote:
Originally posted by Micronaut:
Just saw ShadowVessel's "Bonny Portmore" video... very nice indeed.

However, I believe ShadowVessel has the singer of the song incorrectly listed as Laura Creamer... The song in fact is performed by Canadian folk-celtic singer/harpist Loreena McKennitt and is from her 1992 album "The Visit." The song, also written by McKennitt, is an arrangement of a traditional celtic tune, and was featured in the movie "Highlander III".

Actually,

To be honest. The Song "Bonnie Portmore" was an Irisih folksong, that was originally used in cinema for the Higlander TV show, episode 4:1 (season 4 episode 1) titled "Homeland". The composer for that eposide worte the music to coincide with Irish and Scottish music style, and they (the produces) commissioned a singer for that rendition, who happened to be Laura Creamer.

Later when the Highlander franchise chose to do a
third movie (Highlander III) the song was tested so amongst the TV show fans that they had Loreena McKennitt redo the song in her own style. She did no write it, thogugh she did have a hand in her own unique remake of it.

Jaeden "Sifo Dyas" al'Raec Ruiner

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Wednesday, December 6, 2006 3:36 AM

MICRONAUT

Alright, let's try this again

25 Sep 1995 - Bonnie Portmore by Laura Creamer is used in Highlander episode 4.1 Homeland (IMDB.com date; listed as 1 Oct 1995 on TV.com)
27 Jan 1995 - Bonnie Portmore by Loreena McKennitt is used in Highlander III (the movie's release date is 27 Jan 1995 [boxofficemojo.com], but is actually listed as a 1994 release[IMDB.com])
1991/1992 - Bonnie Portmore by Loreena McKennitt is released (the 1991 date is listed as the year of recording [from her website] but it was not released until 1992 in some countries) on her album "The Visit" (words and music traditional, arranged and adapted by Loreena McKennitt)

Please note the dates: Lorrena McKennitt's version of Bonnie Portmore was recorded a full four years before it appeared in Highlander the TV series.

Just so we're sure, the "original" version was by Loreena McKennitt, to be later followed by the Laura Creamer version, NOT the other way around... CLEAR?

Quote:
Originally posted by JaedenRuiner:
Quote:
Originally posted by Micronaut:
Just saw ShadowVessel's "Bonny Portmore" video... very nice indeed.

However, I believe ShadowVessel has the singer of the song incorrectly listed as Laura Creamer... The song in fact is performed by Canadian folk-celtic singer/harpist Loreena McKennitt and is from her 1992 album "The Visit." The song, also written by McKennitt, is an arrangement of a traditional celtic tune, and was featured in the movie "Highlander III".

Actually,

To be honest. The Song "Bonnie Portmore" was an Irisih folksong, that was originally used in cinema for the Higlander TV show, episode 4:1 (season 4 episode 1) titled "Homeland". The composer for that eposide worte the music to coincide with Irish and Scottish music style, and they (the produces) commissioned a singer for that rendition, who happened to be Laura Creamer.

Later when the Highlander franchise chose to do a
third movie (Highlander III) the song was tested so amongst the TV show fans that they had Loreena McKennitt redo the song in her own style. She did no write it, thogugh she did have a hand in her own unique remake of it.

Jaeden "Sifo Dyas" al'Raec Ruiner

_________________________________________________
Much work remains to be done before we can announce our total failure to make any progress...

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:15 PM

the movie is not the Series. Only the facts have been changed, to irritate the innocent; the names of the actors and characters remain the same

Quote:
Originally posted by Micronaut:
Please note the dates: Lorrena McKennitt's version of Bonnie Portmore was recorded a full four years before it appeared in Highlander the TV series.

Just so we're sure, the "original" version was by Loreena McKennitt, to be later followed by the Laura Creamer version, NOT the other way around...

Just wanted to see if you're still around, and introduce those who found this site within the past year & a half to a wonderful fanvid.

Keep the Shiny Side Up . . .

(wutzon) What else? the Message of Bonnie Portmore

DAMN! should have checked the links first. The download is no longer available.

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