The Shores of Botany Bay

"The Shores of Botany Bay", also known as "Botany Bay" and "(The) Good Ship Ragamuffin", ^[1] is a traditional Irish folk song ^[2] that narrates the story of an Irish bricklayer contemplating emigration to Botany Bay in Sydney, Australia in pursuit of better opportunities. The song gained popularity in Australia, reflecting the experiences of Irish immigrants during the 19th-century gold rushes. It has been widely performed and recorded by various artists, cementing its place in both Irish and Australian folk music traditions.

History

The earliest known version of The Shores of Botany Bay was collected by Australian folklorist John Meredith from the singer Duke Tritton in the mid 20th century. Tritton recalled learning this song while busking in Sydney, but did not claim authorship. ^[3] However, he states that he had written the final verse, ^[4] which was later published in Volume 6, Issue 2 of the Bush Music Club's magazine Singabout in 1967. ^[5] Meredith featured The Shores of Botany Bay in his publication Folk Songs of Australia and the Men and Women Who Sang Them in 1967. ^[6]

Recordings

"The Shores of Botany Bay" has been recorded many times by a variety of artists, including:

• The Irish Rovers on the album Come Fill Up Your Glasses
• The Wolfe Tones on the album Irish to the Core
• The Dublin City Ramblers on the album Flight of Earls
• Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy on the album In Concert
• Patrick Clifford on the album American Wake
• Blaggards on the album Standards ^[7]
• Derek Warfield & The Young Wolfe Tones on the album Far Away in Australia
• The Bushwackers & Bullockies Bush Band on the album Australian Songbook 1
• Mr. Hurley & die Pulveraffen  [ de ] on the album Affentheater
• The Longest Johns on the collection Uncharted part of the wider, yet to be released, album Pieces of Eight

Lyric Adaptation

• The Shores of Beaver Bay (music from Timberborn) ^[8]

References

Citations

1. Good Ship Ragamuffin - The Longest Johns. 2025-05-02. Retrieved 2025-05-08– via YouTube.
2. "Song: Shores of Botany Bay written by [Traditional] | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
3. "Australian Folk Songs | Shores of Botany Bay". folkstream.com. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
4. secretary. "Harold Percy Croydon (Duke) Tritton, 1886 - 1965" . Retrieved 2025-04-27.
5. secretary. "Singabout - Journal of Australian Folksong, Volume 6(2), 1967 - final issue" . Retrieved 2025-04-27.
6. Meredith, John; Anderson, Hugh (1967). Folk Songs of Australia and the Men and Women Who Sang Them. Sydney: Ure Smith.
7. "Standards [CD and/or download]". Blaggards. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
8. Timberborn (2022-09-06). The Shores of Beaver Bay (feat. Timberborn Community) . Retrieved 2025-02-12– via YouTube.

External links

• Sandra Milliken Arrangements
• Irish-folk-songs.com Lyrics/History