My late mother, Bella (Martin) used to sing a wee ditty occasionally. It went:
"There's a big ship sailing down the Eely Ally Oh,
The Eely Ally Oh,The Eely Ally Oh
There's a big ship sailing down the Eely Ally Oh,
On a cold and frosty morning".
If there was any more to it than that, I have forgotten it.
When I was a wee boy, a year or two back, the outlet of a burn ran, through a stone arch, into the sea across the road from the War Memorial - mebbe a wee bit nearer Dalintober. This was known to me as the 'Eely Ally Oh'. I never did get a reply to my question to my mother as to just how a 'big ship' got into this burn!
Years later, I recall that wonderful teacher, 'Big Bob' Graham, trying to cram some French into the brain of one who struggled with English and as I remember it the French phrase, 'il y a l'eau' meant 'there is water' in English.
Do any readers know where this burn originated; when and why the outlet into the Loch disappeared; are there any more verses to the song and is my 'French connection' correct?
TR