Dear Old Donegal -sung by Maureen
Dear Old Donegal
1. It seems like only yesterday, I sailed from out of Cork,
A wanderer from Erin's Isle, I landed in New York,
There wasn't a soul to greet me there, A stranger on your shore,
But Irish luck was with me here and riches came galore.
And now I'm goin' back again to dear old Erin's Isle,
My friends will meet me on the peer and greet me with a smile.
Their faces, sure, I've almost forgot, I've been so long away,
But me mother will introduce them all, And this to me will say:
Refrain
Shake hands with your uncle Mike me boy, And here's your sister Kate, And there's the girl you used to swing down by the garden gate. Shake hands with all of the neighbours, And kiss the Colleens all, You're as welcome as the flow'rs in May To dear Old Donegal.
2. They'll give a party when I go home, they'll come from near and far, They'll line the roads for miles and miles With Irish Jauntin' cars, The spirits will flow like buttermilk ,And we'll fill your hearts with joy, The piper will play an Irish reel to greet the Yankee Boy. We'll dance and sing the whole night long, Such fun was never seen, The lads will be decked in corduroy, The colleens wearin' green. There'll be thousands there that I never saw, I've been so long away, But me mother will introduce them all , And this to me will say:
Meet Brannigan, Fannigan, Milligan, Gilligan, Duffy, McCuffy, Malachy, Mahone,
Rafferty, Lafferty, Donnelly, Connelly, Dooley, O'Hooley, Muldowney, Malone,
Madigan, Cadigan, Lanihan, Flanihan, Fagan, O' Hagan, O'Houlihan, Flynn,
Shanihan, Manihan, Fogarty, Hogarty, Kelly, O'Kelly, McGuiness, McGuinn.