Mary From Dungloe lyrics
Emmet SpicelandOh then fare thee well sweet Donegal
The Rosses and Gweedore,
I'm crossing the main ocean
Where the foaming billows roar,
It breaks my heart from you to part
Where I spent many happy days.
Farewell to kind relations
I am bound for Amerikay.
Oh then Mary you're my heart's delight
My pride and only care,
It was your cruel father
Would not let me stay there,
But absence makes the heart grow fond
And when I am over the main,
May the Lord protect my darling girl
'Till I return again.
And I wish I was in sweet Dungloe
And seated on the grass,
And by my side a bottle of wine,
And on my knee a lass,
I'd call for liquour of the best,
And I'd pay before I would go,
And I'd roll my Mary in my arms,
In the town of sweet Dungloe.
Song Details
Writer: Pádraig Mac Cumhaill in 1936 - Donegal stonemason
Brief: An Irish song telling a tragic story of love and heartbreak. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:
The original 'Mary' in question is said to be a Mary Gallagher, a native of Dungloe. She was courted by a man (from the Gweedore area) who had just returned from the United States but her parents refused to let them marry and he left to return to the US on October 6, 1861. On December 5, 1861 she emigrated to New Zealand to join her relatives there. On the boat she met and married Dónal Egan. She gave birth to a baby but died within four months while her son only survived a few more months.
References:
Dungloe (An Clochán Liath in Irish) - a Gaeltacht town in County Donegal
Gaeltacht - is an Irish word used to denote any primarily Irish-speaking region.
The Rosses (Na Rosain in Irish) - a geographical and social region in the west of County Donegal, Ireland.
Gweedore (Gaoth Dobhair in Irish) - an Irish-speaking parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, Ireland.
Amerikay - a variant of the word America - also relates to a native of Ireland who has become an American citizen
Category: Irish Folk
Emmet Spiceland:
Original Line-up: Donal Lunny, Brian Bolger and brothers Michael and Brian Byrne... irish-showbands.com
Charts: Mary From Dungloe reached number 1 on the Irish Singles Chart on the 24th of February, 1968
Covers: Daniel O'Donnell, The Irish Tenors, Phil Coulter, Paddy Reilly, Christy Moore, Tommy Fleming, Foster & Allen, The Johnstons, Patrick Clifford and Show of Hands.
Album: The Land I Love so Well... (1 Mar 2006)
