Dear Old Donegal

Lyrics

It seems like only yesterday  
I sailed from out of Cork  
A wanderer from Erin's isle  
I landed in New York  
There wasn't a soul to greet me there  
A stranger on your shore  
But Irish luck was with me here  
And riches came galore  
And now that I'm going back again  
To dear old Erin's isle  
My friends will meet me on the pier  
And greet me with a smile  
Their faces, sure, I've almost forgot  
I've been so long away  
But me mother will introduce them all  
And this to me will say  
  
Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy  
And here is your sister, Kate  
And there's the girl you used to swing  
Down by the garden gate  
Shake hands with all of the neighbours  
And kiss the colleens all  
You're as welcome as the flowers in May  
To dear old Donnegal  
  
They'll give a party when I go home  
They'll come from near and far  
They'll line the roads for miles and miles  
With Irish jauntin' cars  
The spirits'll flow and we'll be gay  
We'll fill your hearts with joy  
The piper'll play an Irish reel  
To greet the Yankee boy  
We'll dance and sing the whole night long  
Such fun as never seen  
The lads'll be decked in corduroy  
The colleens wearin' green  
There'll be thousands there that I never saw  
I've been so long away  
But me mother will introduce them all  
And this to me will say  
  
Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy  
And here is your sister, Kate  
And there's the girl you used to swing  
Down by 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  
  
Meet 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  
  
Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy  
And here is your sister, Kate  
And there's the girl you used to swing  
Down by 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