Dear Old Donegal

Three years ago this very day, I left the port of Cork And on a ship from ol' Erin's isle, I landed in New York Without a friend to meet me there and a stranger on the shore But I wore an honest Irish hugging fortune came galore So, here I am, back again on dear old Erin's isle The friends they meet me on ché, and they greet me with a smile For those faces that I surely forgot for I was a long away But me mother, she introduces all, and this is what she say Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy Shake hands with your sister, Kate And this is the girl you used to swing down on the garden gate Shake hands with all of the neighbors and kiss the colleens all You're as welcome as the flowers in May to dear old Donnegal Well, they gave a party when I came back, and they came from near and far And the road was lined for nearly a mile with Irish jauntin' cars And the whiskey flowed like buttermilk to fill our hearts with joy And the piper played an Irish reel to greet the Yankee boy So tomorrow, off to church I'll go and wedded I will be To my pretty, little colleen suited in magee Forbid it was true and faithful to a barn or the sea And will join the harp and shamrocks for the stars of liberty That can be Branigan, Fannigan, Milligan, Gilligan Duffy, McCuffy, Malachy, Mahone Rafferty, Lafferty, Donnelly, Connelly Dooley, O'Hooley, Muldowney, Malone Madigan, Cadigan, Lanihan, Flanihan Fagan, O'Hagan, O'Hoolihan, Flynn Shanihan, Manihan, Fogarty, Hogarty Kelly, O'Kelly, McGuinness, McGuinn Then shake the hand of your Uncle Mike and the hand of your sister, Kate And I'll hug and I'll squeeze as much as I pleased the girl on the garden gate And invite all the neighbors to the wedding grail and small And I'll live content and pay no rent in dear old Donnegal