The Corrs have released a new video of their song ‘Ellis Island’ performed live during Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall 2025.
The song is named after the island in New York Harbour which was once home to the busiest immigration processing centre in the United States. The tune is an anthem of migration, a paean to the search for refuge and the countries that have provided it, offering the opportunity of a better life. At its heart are also the challenges of migrating – and the pain of leaving your homeland.
Andrea Corr told fans at the Royal Albert Hall on March 28: “This is a song that’s about emigration. It’s always an incredibly relevant topic, more poignant every day. It’s about the Irish getting a chance when they fled Ireland and sought refuge elsewhere. Here is one of the places, of course, and, yeah, the USA. It’s called Ellis Island.”
The performance stunned the audience to silence during a joyous concert which saw fans singing every word of the band’s classic pop songs, from ‘Breathless’, ‘So Young’ and ‘Runaway’ to their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’. The band received rave reviews, including 5 stars in the Sun on Sunday (“Sent shivers down the spine”), 4.5 in Metro (“Audience danced with unadulterated joy”) and 4 in the Sunday Mirror (“Sounded as incredible as ever”).
‘Ellis Island’ first appeared on The Corrs’ 2015 album White Light. Having sold more than 40 million records, Andrea, Sharon, Caroline and Jim Corr won even more new fans in 2024 with their Talk on Corners tour and the band are back on the road this year in Ireland, England, Sweden, Germany and Spain.
Following dates in Asia and Australia, Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall was an emotional first UK show of the year for the band.
Andrea Corr told the audience: “This place is very dear to our hearts. It was a completely pivotal moment in our career. We were a little bit younger than we are now. Our music was being put generally in the folk section in the archives of record stores. They didn’t really know where to put us, the combination of the traditional Irish and pop rock, the ‘prock’, if we’re going to go full ‘Spinal Tap’. That all changed because we capitalised on our Irishness…because it was St Patrick’s Day and it was broadcast on the BBC – that changed our trajectory. This place is where it happened so it’s really special to play here.
“The charity, Teenage Cancer Trust – it’s incredible what they do, supporting these teenagers that are even more vulnerable than teenagers are already. Let’s blow the roof off tonight.”
This year’s Teenage Cancer Trust concert series from March 24-30 included headline sets from The Corrs, The Who, James Arthur and Frank Carter and Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols. A night of comedy was hosted by Micky Flanagan, while Erased Tapes curated a bill topped by Penguin Cafe.
Press acclaim for The Corrs at Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall
Sun on Sunday 5/5 – “Sent shivers down the spine”
Northern Exposure 5/5 – “The queens and king of pop-rock”
Metro 4.5/5 – “Audience danced with unadulterated joy”
Walk Backstage 4.5/5 – “Nothing short of breathtaking”
Sunday Mirror 4/5 – “Sounded as incredible as ever”
The Modern Record 4/5 – “Cemented their status as musical icons”
Hello! – “Full of passion, physicality and power”
Ellis Island by The Corrs – lyrics
On the second Sunday
Annie be my guide
Liberty’s a welcome
To an aching eye
We’ll grow up together
Far away from home
Crossed the sea and ocean
To the land of hope
Kingstown to Liverpool
Crossing the Irish Sea
You gotta keep your wits
on you
Where you lay your head
Six minute medical
Leaving no chalk on me
Goodbye, Ellis Island,
hello land of free
Every man and woman
Every girl and boy
Sing out Ellis Island
Sing a song of hope
Sing for us together
Sing we’re not alone
Sing we’ll go back someday
Sing we will belong
When the leaves are falling
Sky is upon the ground
We will come together
And sing of Ireland
Thanking Ellis Island
Thank you, USA
You gave us a home here
Crying, a brand-new day
Kingstown to New York bay
Wild Atlantic Ocean
You gotta keep your wits
on you
Where you lay your head
Six minute medical
Leaving no chalk on me
Goodbye, Ellis Island,
hello land of free
Every man and woman
Every girl and boy
Sing out Ellis Island
Sing a song of hope
Sing for us together
Sing we’re not alone
Sing we’ll go back someday
Sing we will belong
Sing for us together
Sing we’re not alone
Sing we’ll go back someday
Sing we will belong
Sing out Ellis Island
Sing we’re not alone
Sing we’ll go back someday
Sing we will belong
Sing we will belong
The Corrs – 2025 shows
Tickets are on sale here
- Friday 6th June – Virgin Media Park, Cork
- Sunday 8th June – St Anne’s Park, Dublin
- Wednesday 11th June – Open Air Theatre, Scarborough
- Thursday 12th June – Live at The Piece Hall, Halifax
- Saturday 14th June – Plymouth Summer Sessions, Plymouth Hoe
- Tuesday 17th June – Gröna Lund, Stockholm
- Wednesday 18th June – Liseberg, Göteborg
- Friday 20th June – Isle of Wight Festival, Newport
- Saturday 21st June – Blenheim Palace
- Tuesday 24th June – Zitadelle, Berlin, Germany
- Wednesday 25th June – Stadtpark, Hamburg, Germany
- Thursday 26th June – Tollwood, Munich, Germany
- Sunday 29th June – ALMA Festival, Barcelona, Spain
- Monday 30th June – ALMA Festival, Madrid, Spain
About The Corrs
The Corrs are Ireland’s first family of music, a multi-million-selling sibling quartet who have conquered the world with a seamless blend of sleek pop rock, lush harmonies and Celtic folk trimmings. Comprising Andrea (lead vocals, piano, tin whistle), Sharon (violin, piano, vocals), Caroline (drums, piano, vocals), and Jim (guitar, keyboards, vocals), The Corrs have sold more than 40 million albums since their debut Forgiven, Not Forgotten in 1995, spawning a dozen classic hit singles. An enchanting mix of traditional Celtic music with a pop-rock twist, The Corrs have written some of the biggest songs of the last three decades. Forgiven, Not Forgotten gave us the incredible title track, the exquisite ‘Heaven Knows’, and of course, arguably one of the biggest contemporary songs of the modern era, ‘Runaway’. Their second album, Talk On Corners led with ‘I Never Loved You Anyway’, ‘So Young’ and ‘Only When I Sleep’ and is their biggest-selling album to date.
Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to providing specialised nursing care and support for young people with cancer.
Cancer kills more teenagers and young adults in the UK than any other disease. And for those who survive, going through it without the right support can be devastating – physically and emotionally.
Every day, more than seven young people aged 13-24 hear the words “you have cancer”. By 2030 that number will be closer to 10.
There’s never been a worse time to receive that news, with healthcare services under enormous pressure.
Money from these iconic gigs at the Royal Albert Hall means Teenage Cancer Trust can fund specialist nurses and youth workers to be there for a young person when cancer has turned their world upside down.
Cancer rates in young people in the UK have gone up by a quarter since the early 1990s. And by 2030, it’s projected that the number of young people living with a cancer diagnosis will be 65% higher.
Since 2000, over £34 million has been raised by Teenage Cancer Trust concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, and that money has helped fund specialist nurses, hospital units and support services right across the UK that help get young people through some unimaginably hard times.
Photo by John Stead
