Mary From Dungloe Lyrics
Emmet SpicelandMusic Video
Mary From Dungloe
Oh 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 liquor 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
🎶 Songwriter: Pádraig Mac Cumhaill (Donegal stonemason)
📅 Date: 1936
📝 Song Brief: A tender Irish love song about a young man who loses the woman he loves when she leaves her home in Dungloe, County Donegal. He remembers her beauty, kindness, and the joy she brought into his life, and he longs for the day she might return. Filled with nostalgia and sorrow, the song captures the heartbreak of separation, and the hope of being reunited with a lost love.
Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia in relation to Mary:
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.📖 Glossary:
- Dungloe (An Clochán Liath)
A Gaeltacht town in County Donegal, Ireland. - Gaeltacht
An Irish term referring to regions where Irish (Gaeilge) is the primary spoken language. - The Rosses (Na Rosa)
A geographical and cultural region in west Donegal, known for its strong Irish‑speaking communities and rugged coastal landscape. - Gweedore (Gaoth Dobhair)
An Irish‑speaking parish on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, part of the largest Gaeltacht area in Ireland. - Amerikay
A traditional Irish variant of “America,” often used in songs to refer to Irish emigrants who have gone to the United States.
🍀 Genre: Traditional Irish Ballad, Irish Folk Song
👥 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.
🎤 Featured Artists: 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.
💿 Album: The First.....
Released: 1968
Country: UK
Format: 12" Vinyl
Label: Page One
