Dear Old Donegal - Rose & Thistle

Dear Old Donegal Lyrics

It seems like only yesterday
I left the port of Cork
And on a ship old Erin's isle
I landed in New York
Without a friend to meet me there
And a stranger on the shore
I wore an honest Irish heart
And fortune came galore
So here am, a goin' back
To dear old Erin's isle
The friends, they'll meet me on the pier
And they'll greet me with a smile
There are faces that I'll surely forget
For I was so long away
But me mother will introduce them all

And this to me will say
Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy
Shake hands with your sister, Kate
And this is the girl you used to swing
Down by the garden gate
Shake hands with all the neighbors
And kiss the colleens, all
You're as welcome as the flowers in May
To dear old Donegal
And they'll give a party when I get back
And they'll come from near and far
And they'll line the road for miles and miles
With Irish jauntin' cars
And the spirits will flow, and we'll all be gay
And we'll fill our hearts with joy
The piper will play an Irish reel
To greet the Yankee boy
For tomorrow up to the church I'll go
And wedded I will be
To my pretty little colleen bawn
Sweet Biddy McGee
For Biddy was true and faithful
To a dingy o'er the sea
And we'll join the harp and shamrocks too,
For the stars of liberty
They'll come Branigan, Flannigan, Milligan, Gilligan, Duffy, McCuffy, Malachy, Mahone
Rafferty, Lafferty, Donnelly, Connelly, Dooley, O'Hooley, Muldowney, Malone
Herrigan, Kerrigan, Herlanahan, Flanihan, Fagan, O'Hagan, O'Hillihan, Flynn
Shanahan, Lanahan, Hogarty, Fogarty, Kelly, O'Skelly, Sharp(?), McGuinness, McGuinne
Then I'll shake the hand of me Uncle Mike
The hand of me sister, Kate
I'll hug and squeeze as much as I please
The girl by the garden gate
I'll invite all the neighbors to me wedding, great and small
And I'll live content and pay no rent
In dear old Donegal
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Lyrics submitted by Jessica Lane.