Song For Ireland chords by Paul Hennessy

SimplifiedAm · C · G · F · E

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Verse 1
Am 
Kilkelly,
C 
Ireland, eighteen and sixty,
G 
My dear and loving son
Am 
John,
Your good friend, the schoolmaster
Pat
C 
McNamara,
G 
So good as to write these
Am 
words down.
C 
You're brothers have all
G 
gone to find work in
England,
Am 
G 
The house is so empty and sad.
Am 
C 
The crop of potatoes is surely infected,
G 
Am 
The pork, too, have all been bad.
G 
C 
And  you,
Sister
G 
Bridget an d
Patrick
O'Donnell
F 
Are going to be married in
E 
June
Am 
Your mother says now
C 
to work on the railroad
G 
Am 
And be sure to come on home soon
Till telly
C 
I, then eighteen and seventy,
G 
My dear and loving son
Am 
John.
Hello to your missus,
G 
C 
and to your four children,
G 
Am 
May they grow healthy and strong.
And
C 
G 
Michael has got in a wee bit of trouble,
Am 
G 
I suppose he never will learn.
Am 
G 
C 
Because of  the dampness, there's no turf to speak of,
G 
Am 
and  now we have nothing to burn.
And
C 
G 
Bridget is happy you named a child for her,
F 
E 
although she's six of her own.
Am 
G 
C 
You say you've found one, but you don't say what kind,
G 
Am 
or when you'll be coming home.
C 
Dear
G 
Michael and
Am 
John, my sons,
G 
C 
I'm sorry to give you the very sad news that your dear
G 
old mother has gone.
Am 
We buried her down at the church in
Kilkelly.
C 
Your brothers and
Bridget were there.
G 
You don't have to worry.
Am 
G 
Am 
G 
C 
G 
She died very quickly.
Am 
C 
And it's so good to hear that
G 
Michael's returning
F 
E 
With money he'll surely buy a land
Am 
For the crop has been poured,
G 
C 
and the people are selling,
G 
Am 
At any price that they can.
Kilkelly
C 
Island, eighteen and ninety,
G 
My dear and loving son
Am 
John.
C 
I suppose that I must be close on eighty,
G 
Am 
It's thirty years since you've gone.
C 
G 
Because of all of the money you sent me,
Am 
G 
I'm still living out on my own.
Am 
G 
C 
Michael has built himself  a fine house,
and
G 
Am 
Bridget's daughters are grown.
G 
C 
G 
Thank you for sending your family's picture,
F 
E 
dear lovely young women and men.
Am 
To say that you might even
G 
C 
come for a visit,
G 
Am 
What joy to see you again!
Till
Pelly
C 
G 
Island, eighteen and ninety -two,
My dear brother
John,
Am 
G 
C 
I'm sorry I didn't write sooner to
G 
Am 
tell you that father passed on
C 
He was living with
G 
Bridget, she says he was cheerful and
Am 
G 
healthy right down to the end
Am 
And you should have seen
G 
C 
him there with the grandchildren
Of
G 
Patton
Am 
McNamara, your old friend
C 
G 
And we barely ten, alongside of
Mother
F 
Joan and the
E 
Kilkenny churchyard
Am 
And he  was a strong an
G 
C 
d a feisty old man,
G 
Am 
Considering his life was so hard.
C 
And it's funny the way he
G 
kept talking about you,
F 
E 
He called for you at the en d.
Am 
G 
Why don't you think about
C 
coming to visit,
G 
Am 
We'd all love to see you again.