I remember in my young adulthood enthralled watching Billy Connolly’s World Tour of Scotland over and over again. My family ancestry partly originates from Scotland, so I have always had a penchant for anything Scottish especially Amy Macdonald’s rendition of Flower of Scotland. The World Tour of Scotland (image inset) is a six-part television series – the first of Scottish comedian Billy Connolly’s “world tours” – originally broadcast by the BBC in 1994.
The closing titles features an excerpt of Connolly’s performing his cover of Van Morrison’s Irish Heartbeat, live at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, over landscape views of the areas visited in the respective episodes. It would always give me goosebumps and it still does. Billy does this just so well and with such feeling. Oh – and when the bagpipes start from the College of Piping pipe band. Of course Billy Connolly is renowned more as a comedian than a singer – musician, but he shines here and you can tell he has musical history. I wrote recently in the article on Gerry Rafferty song Shipyard Town that he became a member of a folk-pop group, the Humblebums, along with comedian Billy Connolly.
I don’t think you can achieve a song more attuned to the heritage of Scotland if you tried, yet it’s called ‘Irish Heartbeat’ by the great Van.
[Verse 1]
Oh won’t you stay
Stay awhile with your own ones
Don’t ever stray
Stray so far from your own ones
For the world is so cold
Don’t care nothing for your soul
You share with your own ones
[Verse 2]
Don’t rush away
Rush away from your own ones
One more day
One more day with your own ones
Yes the world is so cold
Don’t care nothing for your soul
You share with your own ones
[Bridge]
There’s a stranger and he’s standing at your door
Might be your best friend, might be your brother
You may never know
[Verse 3]
I’m going back
Going back to my own ones
Back to talk
Talk awhile with my own ones
This old world is so cold
Don’t care nothing for your soul
You share with your own ones
The following was extracted from the second Wikipedia reference below:
Irish Heartbeat is a popular song that was first recorded on Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison’s 1983 album Inarticulate Speech of the Heart. A remake with the Chieftains was also included on Morrison’s 1988 album, Irish Heartbeat.
References:
1. World Tour of Scotland – Wikipedia
2. Irish Heartbeat (song) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
I didn’t know that song. I like both versions you highlighted here. Knowing what great music Van Morrison has released and that he can sing, you kind of expect he does a solid job, but you can’t necessarily expect the same from an artist who primarily is a comedian and an actor, so kudos to Billy Connolly!
That’s a good point. I had been following the ‘comedian’ Connolly for years and when I first heard his version of ‘Irish Heartbeat’ I was blown away and remained so impressed. I’m glad you liked the song Christian.
Love Billy and I had not heard his rendition which is quite incredible. My best friend is of Irish descent so I could not have avoided this song had I tried but it has been a long while since I listened to it. Never made the Scottish connection but as my buddy constantly reminds me there is a lot of cross over in culture and lineage between the two countries.
I couldn’t get enough of Billy’s comedy output in 1990’s and each time I heard his version of ‘Irish Heartbeat’ at the end of his World Tour of Scotland it simply blew me away. I only learnt later that Billy had some steeped Irish / Scottish folk-music background playing with the likes of The Fureys and Gerry Rafferty in the late 60’s. I see what you mean about the culture and lineage and certainly their Celtic music demonstrates it.