The Irish Rover
Epic Journey: The Irish Rover's Nautical Tale of Adventure and Tragedy
Lyrics
In the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and six
In the year 1806, we embarked from Cobh of Cork
We set sail from the fair Cobh of Cork
We set sail from the fair port town of Cobh (formerly Queenstown) in County Cork
We were bound far away with a cargo of bricks
We were headed far away carrying a cargo of bricks
For the fine city hall of New York
Bound for the fine city hall of New York
In a very fine craft, she was rigged fore-and-aft
The ship was a well-crafted vessel with fore-and-aft rigging
And oh, how the wild winds drove her
The strong winds forcefully propelled the ship
She had twenty-three masts and withstood several blasts
It had twenty-three masts and withstood various challenges
And we called her the Irish Rover
The ship was affectionately named the Irish Rover
There was Barney McGee from the banks of the Lee
Introduction of crew members: Barney McGee, Hogan, McGurk, and Malone
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
Hogan hailed from County Tyrone
And a chap called McGurk who was scared stiff of work
McGurk was reluctant to work
And a chap from West Meade called Malone
Malone was from West Meade
There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
Slugger O'Toole was consistently drunk
And fighting Bill Casey from Dover
Fighting Bill Casey hailed from Dover
There was Dooley from Claire who was strong as a bear
Dooley from Claire was strong and the ship's skipper
And was skipper of the Irish Rover
We had one million bales of old billy goats' tails
Millions of bales of old billy goats' tails
We had two million buckets of stones
Millions of buckets of stones
We had three million sides of old blind horses hides
Millions of sides of old blind horses hides
We had four million packets of bones
Millions of packets of bones
We had five million hogs, we had six million dogs
More cargo: millions of hogs and dogs
And seven million barrels of porter
Seven million barrels of porter (beer)
We had eight million bags of the best Sligo rags
Eight million bags of the best Sligo rags (cloth)
In the hold of the Irish Rover
All stored in the hold of the Irish Rover
We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
Sailing for seven years, the crew faced a measles outbreak
And the ship lost her way in a fog
The ship lost its way in a fog
And the whole of the crew was reduced unto two
Only two survived: the narrator and the captain's old dog
'Twas myself and the captain's old dog
Then the ship struck a rock with a terrible shock
A dramatic event: the ship turned nine times around
And then she heeled right over,
The ship struck a rock with a shocking impact
Turned nine times around, and the poor dog was drowned
As a result, it turned nine times, and the dog perished
I'm the last of the Irish Rover
The narrator claims to be the last of the Irish Rover
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