The Irish Rover - The High Kings
In the Year of our Lord
Eighteen hundred and six
We set sail from the coal quay of Cork
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
For the Grand City Hall of New York
We had an elegant craft
She was rigged fore and aft
And oh how the wild winds drove her
She had twenty seven masts
And withstood several blasts
And they called her The Irish Rover
There was Barney McGee
From the banks of the Lee
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Charlie McGurk
Who was scared stiff of work
And a chap from Westmeath
Called Malone
There was Slugger O'Toole
Who was drunk as a rule
And Fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
And your man Mick McCann
From the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper of the Irish Rover
Well we had five million
Bags of the best Sligo rags
We had six million barrels of stones
And we had seven million
Bales of old nanny goats tails
We had eight million barrels of bones
We had nine million hogs
Ten million dogs
Eleven million barrels of porter
And we had twelve million
Sides of old blind horses' hides
In the hold of the Irish Rover
We had sailed seven years
When the measles broke out
And the ship lost its way in a fog
And that whole of the crew
Was reduced down to two
Just myself and the Captain's old dog
Well the ship struck a rock
Oh Lord what a shock
The boat she turned right over
She turned nine times around
And the poor old dog was drowned
I'm the last of The Irish Rover
