Dear Old Donegal

"Dear Old Donegal" is a traditional Irish folk song popularised by American singer Bing Crosby and written by Steve Graham. The song has an 'upbeat' rhythm and is meant to be the words of a poor Irishman who has to leave his homeland to go to America, however, he gets to return to his native County Donegal after becoming successful in the United States.

Lyrics

It seems like only yesterday,

Since 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,

For A stranger on the shore,

But the Irish luck was with me boy's,

And riches came galore,

And now that I'm going back again,

To dear old Erin's isle,

Me friends will greet me on the pier,

And greet me with a smile,

There'll be faces there that I Never knew,

I've been so long away,

But me mother will introduce them all,

And this is what she'll say,

Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy,

And there's your sister, Kate,

Sure she is 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 Donegal,

They'll give a party when I come home,

And They'll come from near and far,

And line the roads for miles and miles,

With Irish jauntin' cars,

The Whiskey'll flow like buttermilk,

We'll fill your hearts with joy,

And The piper will play an Irish tune,

To greet the Yankee boy,

We'll dance and sing the whole night long,

Such fun was never seen,

The boys'll be decked in corduroy,

The colleens decked in green,

There'll be thousands there that I never saw,

I've been so long away,

And me mother will introduce them all,

And this is what she'll say,

Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy,

And there's your sister, Kate,

Sure she is 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 Donegal,

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, McGuinne,

Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy,

And there's your sister, Kate.

Sure she is 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 Donegal.