The Mountains of Pomeroy Lyrics
Seamus Begley & Cathal HaydenMusic Video
The Mountains of Pomeroy
The morn was breaking bright and fair,
The lark sang in the sky,
When the maid she bound her goIden hair,
With a blythe glance in her eye;
For, who beyond the gay green-wood,
Was a-waiting her with joy,
Oh, who but her gallant Renardine,
On the mountains of Pomeroy.
An outlawed man in a land forlorn,
He scorned to turn and fly,
But he kept the cause of freedom safe
Up on the mountains high.
Full often in the dawning hour,
Full oft in twilight brown
He met the maid in the woodland bower,
Where the stream comes foaming down
For they were faithful in a love
No wars could e'er destroy.
No tyrant's law touched Renardine,
On the mountains of Pomeroy.
"Dear love", she said, "l am so afraid,
For the foeman's force and you
They've tracked you in the lowland plain
And all the valley through.
My kinsmen frown when you are named
Your life they would destroy
'Beware,' they say, 'of Renardine,
On the mountains of Pomeroy' "
"Fear not, fear not, sweetheart," he cried,
"Fear not the foe for me
No chain shall fall, whate'er betide,
On the arm that would be free!
Oh, leave your cruel kin and come,
When the lark is in the sky.
And it's with my gun I'll guard you,
On the mountains of Pomeroy."
The morn has come, she rose and fled
From her cruel kin and home;
And bright the wood, and rosy red,
And the tumbling torrent's foam.
But the mist came down and the tempest roared,
And did all around destroy;
And a pale, drowned bride met Renardine,
On the mountains of Pomeroy.
An outlawed man in a land forlorn,
He scorned to turn and fly,
But he kept the cause of freedom safe
On the mountains of Pomeroy.
Song Details
✍️ Lyricist: Dr. George Sigerson (11 January 1836 – 17 February 1925) - an Irish physician, scientist, writer, politician and poet. He was a leading light in the Irish Literary Revival of the late 19th century in Ireland.
🎶 Music: Traditional
📖 Other titles: Sléibhte Phomeroy, The Mountains of Pommeroy
📝 Song Brief:
A haunting Irish ballad of forbidden love, danger, and tragic fate. Set in the rugged hills of County Tyrone, the song tells of Renardine, an outlaw who refuses to flee from the oppressors and keeps the cause of freedom alive in the mountains. Though the young woman he loves waits for him with devotion, her family despises him and threatens his life. Renardine pleads with her to leave her cruel kin and join him, promising to protect her from both her family and the tyrants who hunt him.
At dawn she escapes her home to be with him, but a violent storm sweeps across the mountains. Lost in the mist and rising torrent, she is overtaken by the tempest — and Renardine finds only a pale, drowned bride on the Mountains of Pomeroy.
📖 Glossary:- Sléibhte — Irish word for mountains, mountain ranges, or mountainside.
- blythe — happy, carefree, light‑hearted.
- bower — a leafy shelter or recess
- e'er — short for ever, common in traditional lyrics.
- o'er — short for over.
- foeman — an enemy in war; a poetic or archaic term.
- kinsmen — blood relatives or family members.
- betide — to happen; to come to pass.
- tempest — a violent storm.
- forlorn — dejected, miserable, abandoned, or disadvantaged.
- scorned — refused, rejected, or dismissed with contempt.
- Renardine — the outlaw lover in the ballad; a romantic but hunted figure who refuses to flee from his oppressors.
- Pomeroy — a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, surrounded by rugged hills that form the dramatic setting of the song.
🍀 Genre: Irish Folk Song, Irish Rebel Song
👥 Covers: Paddy Nixon, Tommy Flemming, Malachi Cush, Niall Hanna, Derek Warfield & the Young Wolfe Tones, The Rapparees, Jackie O'Brien & The Pikemen, Wayne Brereton, Ron Kavana.
🎤 Featured Artists:
Cathal Hayden: Northern Irish musician, acclaimed for his skilled style of Irish fiddle and tenor (four-stringed) banjo.
Séamus Begley: Irish accordion player and traditional musician. Seamus is the vocalist on this track.
💿 Album: Cathal Hayden
Released: 1999
Country: UK
Format: CD
Label: Hook
🎸 If you'd like to play this song on guitar, you can view the chord version on our sister site, Bell & Co Music.
