Flight of the Earls Lyrics

The Wolfe Tones

Music Video

Flight of the Earls

I can hear the bells of Dublin
In this lonely waiting room
And the paperboys are singin' in the rain.
Not too long before they take us
To the airport and the noise
To get on board a trans-atlantic plane.
We've got nothin' left to stay for,
We have no more left to say
And there isn't any work for us to do.
So farewell you boys and girls,
Another bloody Flight of Earls.
Our best asset is our best export too.

It's not murder fear or famine
That makes us leave this time,
We're not going to join McAlpine's Fusileers.
We've got brains and we've got vision,
We've got education, too!
But we just can't throw away these precious years.
So we walk the streets of London
And the streets of Baltimore,
And we meet at night in several Boston bars.
We're the leaders of the future
But we're far away from home
And we dream of you beneath the Irish stars.

[Instrumental]

As we look on Ellis Island,
And the Lady in the Bay,
And Manhattan turns to face another Sunday.
We just wonder what you're doing
For to bring us all back home,
As we look forward to another Monday.
Because it's not the work that scares us,
We don't mind an honest job
And we know things will get better once again.
So a thousand times adieu,
We've got Bono and U2
And all we're missing is the Guinness, and the rain.

So switch off your new computers
'Cos the writing's on the wall,
We're leaving as our fathers did before.
Take a look at Dublin airport,
Or the boat that leaves North Wall,
There'll be no Youth Unemployment any more.

Because we're over here in Queensland,
And in parts of New South Wales,
We're on the seas and airways and the trains.
And if we see better days,
Those big airplanes go both ways,
And we'll all be coming home to you again.

Song Details

🎶 Songwriter: Liam Reilly - Irish singer songwriter and member of the Irish Rock band - Bagatelle.

📝 Song Brief:
The song was written in the 80's, and tells the story of a young man leaving Ireland in search of work and opportunity, echoing the experiences of countless Irish people who emigrated during the late 20th century. Through his reflections, the song explores themes of identity, belonging, and the emotional cost of leaving home — not only for those who depart, but also for the families and communities they leave behind.

Flight Of The Earls:
This phrase refers to a real historical event that took place on 14 September 1607, when two of the most powerful Gaelic leaders in Ireland — Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O’Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell — left Ulster with around ninety family members, followers, and retainers. They sailed from Rathmullan in County Donegal to mainland Europe, seeking support from Catholic powers after the collapse of Gaelic resistance to English rule.

Their departure marked the end of the old Gaelic order. For centuries, the O’Neills and O’Donnells had been central figures in the political, cultural, and military life of Ulster. When they left, it created a power vacuum that allowed the English Crown to begin the Plantation of Ulster, reshaping the region’s population, land ownership, and cultural landscape. The event has long been remembered as a moment of exile, loss, and profound change — a symbolic breaking point in Irish history.

Liam Reilly uses this historical moment as a metaphor for modern emigration. Just as the Earls left Ireland in 1607 because they had no future under the political conditions of the time, the narrator of the song leaves Ireland in the 20th century because of economic hardship, lack of opportunity, and the hope of a better life abroad.

📖 Glossary:

McAlpine's Fusiliers — gangs of Irishmen who worked in the UK for a large firm called Sir Robert McAlpine Civil Engineering LTD.
Ellis Island — a federally owned island in New York Harbor that was the busiest immigrant inspection station in the United States.
Adieu: Goodbye
Bono and U2: Bono is the lead singer from the Irish rock band - U2
Guinness — dark stout beer from Ireland
North Wall: An area east of the inner north side of Dublin, along the River Liffey that contains the entire north side of Dublin Docklands.
Queensland: One of the 6 states of Australia on the north-eastern seaboard.
New South Wales: South-eastern state of Australia directly below Queensland

🍀 Genre: Irish Folk Song

👥 Covers: Bagatelle (ft. Liam Reilly), Paddy Reilly, The Dublin City Ramblers, Brier, Ceallach Reid, Kathy Durkin, Far Tulla, Barleycorn, Liam McGrandles.

🎤 Featured Artists: The Wolfe Tones

💿 Album: Sing Out For Ireland
Released: 1987
Country: Ireland
Format: 12" Vinyl
Label: Triskel Records

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📖 References

Liam Reilly at Wikipedia
Murray Smith. "Flight of the Earls?: changing views on O’Neill’s departure from Ireland" at History Ireland - Ireland’s largest dedicated history magazine.
The Flight Of The Earls - 1607 at Wikipedia

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