Irish Song and History

Was anyone watching the RTÉ “Men of Arlington” last week? Well if you missed it, make sure you watch it on the RTÉ player. I loved the song by
Cathy Jordan at the end of the show. The lyrics are below. Read, reflect, remember….

Last night as I lay on my pillow
A vision appeared in my view
Of a ship sailing over the ocean
And The wind it tremendously blew
On the deck stood a handsome young lady
Whose features I’d ne’er seen before

And she sighed for the wrongs of her country
Saying “I’m banished from Erin’s green shore”
In thought I approached this young lady
And asked her the cause of her woe
she said I’m only an exile from Eirn
The land where the green shamrock grows

For the want of employment in Ireland
I was forced as an exile to stray
Far away from my home in Killarney
Where in childhood I longed for to play
Far away from each mountain and valley
From Punch Bowl to Gap of Dunloe
All around by the shores of sweet Muckross
And that beautiful spot Aghadoe

My name is Eileen McMahon
My age it is scarcely eighteen
And I thank you, kind sir, for your kindness
For you don’t know how lonely I’ve been
It was then I awoke from my slumber
To look for my Eileen to see
It was only the face of my mother
With a fond smile she gazing upon me
The ship on the ocean had vanished
But in fancy I see her once more
My beautiful Eileen McMahon
The pride of old Erin’s green shore

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