School: Béal an Átha Móir (B.)

On this page

1. (no title)

   “The following is another ballad on the shooting of Lord Leitrim.”

   

   Share Share Post

   I

   Ye boys of the shamrock,
   Give ear to my ditty.
   Be true to your country,
   Be wise and be witty.
   Do keep your powder dry,
   We'll make the tyrants fall,
   For we will give them all
   What Robert Clements got
   For down in Donegal.

   Chorus

   With my riddle roll the ree roll,
   Foll roll the diddle roll,
   My riddle roll the ree roll,
   Foll de roll deray.

   II

   It being on All Fools' Day,
   The debaucher left his den,
   With his bastard ''bums'' so gay,
   From the castle of Lough Ryan.
   Meehan and Kinkey then said,
   ''We'll give them a hellish call.
   We'll tumble all the cabins
   This day in old Donegal''.

   III

   The second day of April
   This old viper passed the way.
   † But when he came to Gortha Wood,
   At an angle of the sea,
   There stood undaunted Rory,
   (who never feared a ball)
   To protest decent widows
   In the County Donegal.
   Chorus

   IV

   Bold Rory the stepped forward
   And he quickly did salute
   ''Where are you going, coward
   You old degrading brute!''
   This renegade, This viper,
   This enemies did attack,
   And called out in fiendish tones.
   ''Come tell me who are you,son
   From bold Rory of the Hills
   And I make you welcome all
   To a dose of bullet pills,
   This minute, in Donegal.

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. genre
      1. poetry
         1. folk poetry (~9,504)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Willie Farrell

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim

   Informant

   Tom Creamer

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   55

   Address

   Stradermot, Co. Leitrim