What is your favorite Irish folk song?

Answer 1

Love the question. It's a toss up between The Fields of Athenry and A Nation Once Again.

"The Fields of Athenry" is a folk song about the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1849. It tells the story of the famine through first-person narrative.

"A Nation Once Again" written sometime in the 1840s is a prime example of the "Irish rebel music". The song's narrator dreams of a time when Ireland will be, as the title suggests, a free land, with "our fetters rent in twain." The lyrics exhort, albeit with less vitriol than some rebel songs, Irishmen to stand up and fight for their land: "And righteous men must make our land a nation once again."

A Nation Once Again

When boyhood's fire was in my blood
I read of ancient freemen,
For Greece and Rome who bravely stood,
Three hundred men and three men;
And then I prayed I yet might see
Our fetters rent in twain,
And Ireland, long a province, be.
A Nation once again!
Chorus:

A Nation once again,
A Nation once again,
And lreland, long a province, be
A Nation once again!

And from that time, through wildest woe,
That hope has shone a far light,
Nor could love's brightest summer glow
Outshine that solemn starlight;
It seemed to watch above my head
In forum, field and fane,
Its angel voice sang round my bed,
A Nation once again!
(Chorus)

It whisper'd too, that freedom's ark
And service high and holy,
Would be profaned by feelings dark
And passions vain or lowly;
For, Freedom comes from God's right hand,
And needs a Godly train;
And righteous men must make our land
A Nation once again!
(Chorus)

So, as I grew from boy to man,
I bent me to that bidding
My spirit of each selfish plan
And cruel passion ridding;
For, thus I hoped some day to aid,
Oh, can such hope be vain?
When my dear country shall be made
A Nation once again!
(Chorus)

Fields of Athenry

By a lonely prison wall,
I heard a young girl calling,
Michael they have taken you away,
For you stole Trevelyan's corn,
So the young might see the morn,
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.

(chorus)
Low lie the Fields of Athenry.
Where once we watched the small free-birds fly.
Our love was on the wing.
We had dreams and songs to sing.
It’s so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

(2.)
By a lonely prison wall.
I heard a young man calling.
Nothing matters Mary when you’re free,
Againts the Famine and the Crown,
I rebelled, they cut me down,
Now you must raise our child with dignity.

Chorus

(3.)
By a lonely harbour wall,
She watched the last star falling.
As the prison ship sailed out against the sky.
She’ll live in hopes and pray, for her love in botany bay.
It’s do lonely ‘round the fields of Athenry.

Chorus

It’s so lonely round the Fields of Athenry….

Answer 2

Danny Boy as my man's name is Danny : )

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.

But come you back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'tis I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

Love & Blessing
Milly

Answer 3

Haha mine is very old and not really well known...it probably won't be of much help. It's called "I am a Wee Laddie"

Here's the lyrics:

I am a wee laddie, hard, hard is my fate,
I have traveled this country both early and late
I courted a wee Iass, I did her adore;
Though she has denied me, I'll try her once more.

At the late hour of midnight when souls are at rest,
I think of my true love with hope in my breast,
Saying, "The time it is coming and that you will see,
When I'll be with my true love and she'll be with me."

"Oh, it's Johnnie, dear Johnnie, such things cannot be,
As to be with your true love and you be with me,
For to leove father, mother, their poor hearts would break,
For to leave sisters, brothers, and follow a rake."

"Oh, it's Molly, dear Molly, you're not much to blame,
When first I came courting, you scarce were eighteen,
Your parents did slight me because I loved so,
And for that very reason I love where you go.

"Oh, it's green grows the holly and so does the rue,
And I'm very sorry at parting with you,
But we'll have merry meetings, our joys to renew,
And we'll leave o'er the false love and start on the new."

Answer 4

Danny Boy

Answer 5

I don't know if this qualifies as a folk song, my favourite song is "Dirty Old Town" by The Pogues.

Answer 6

Well I was going to say "The Green Fields of France" but now I find that it is not Irish (though Irish artists sing it) -

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/Lyrics.cfm?BandID=102534&songid=697772

So I'll choose "The Town I loved So Well" -

http://celtic-lyrics.com/forum/index.php?autocom=tclc&code=lyrics&id=405

Answer 7

Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye

While goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
While goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
While goin' the road to sweet Athy,
A stick in me hand and a drop in me eye,
A doleful damsel I heard cry,
Johnny I hardly knew ye.

Chorus:
With your guns and drums and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo
With your guns and drums and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo
With your guns and drums and drums and guns,
The enemy nearly slew ye
Oh my darling dear, Ye look so queer
Johnny I hardly knew ye.

Where are the eyes that were so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that were so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that were so mild,
When my heart you so beguiled
Why did ye sci-daddle from me and the child
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye

Where are the legs with which you run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the legs with which you run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the legs with which you run,
When first you went to carry a gun
Indeed your dancing days are done
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye

Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg,
Ye're an armless, boneless, chickenless egg
Ye'll have to put with a bowl out to beg
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye

I'm happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
I'm happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
I'm happy for to see ye home,
All from the island of Ceylon;
So low in the flesh, so high in the bone
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye

Last chorus:
...the enemy never slew ye
Oh, my darling dear you look so queer
Johnny I hardly knew ye

Answer 8

"once you have been candy sixteen" is it sung by way of the Fureys? additionally love the Pogues "Fairytale of manhattan" yet no longer categorised as human beings music however or "grimy previous city" My dad loves the music and constantly jogs my memory of him "the city that I enjoyed so properly" do you already know who sings it, is gorgeous yet unhappy additionally the words makes you think of of cases long previous by way of. trust Maurice "The Lonesome Boatsman" is this type of hauntingly alluring piece of music, have not heard it in years.

Answer 9

The long, long road to Tipparary...that's either the title or the start of the chorus. [For the long, long road to Tipparary is the road that leads me home...]

Answer 10

Whiskey in the Jar (Metallica's version)