Bonny Portmore

The speaker mourns the destruction of Bonny Portmore and longs for what it was before. The song moves from sorrow over a great tree being taken away to a wider sense of loss, as the birds have nowhere to shelter and the walls lie in ruins. The repeated refrain keeps the speaker’s affection and regret at the center.

The “ornament tree” suggests something beautiful and valued, not merely useful timber. Its removal by boats from Antrim makes the loss feel like an act of taking, though the lyrics do not explain the circumstances. The birds’ question about where they will sleep gives the damage a living consequence: cutting trees removes homes as well as scenery. The claim that no lords could purchase Portmore expresses deep attachment, not a literal price.

Portmore may refer to a place, a treasured landscape, or both; the song does not settle exactly what it represents. The speaker’s memory of having it “once before” could suggest personal loss, but it may also be a way of expressing longing for a changed place. The lyrics leave the cause and full history unstated, while making the grief and sense of irreplaceable value clear.