Dear Old Donegal
Bing Crosby Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

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 neighbors
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 neighbours
And kiss the colleens all




You're as welcome as the flowers in May
To dear old Donnegal

Overall Meaning

The song Dear Old Donegal, sung by Bing Crosby, talks about the experience of leaving Ireland for America and then returning home to Donegal. The opening verse begins with the singer reminiscing about how he sailed from Cork to New York as a wanderer, with no one to greet him when he first arrived. However, his luck changed in America, and now, on his return to Ireland, he is eager to be reunited with his friends and family. The singer speculates that he may have forgotten some of their names and faces, but his mother will be there on the pier to introduce him to everyone.


The second verse describes the celebrations that will take place upon his arrival in Donegal. The Irish will line the streets with jaunting cars, and there will be dancing, singing, and plenty of spirits flowing. The singer's mother will introduce him to all the people he has not seen in years, and he will be welcomed back like the flowers in May. The final verse includes a list of Irish names, likely meant to evoke a sense of community and familial connection.


Overall, the song is a nostalgic tribute to the singer's roots in Ireland and his excitement at returning home. The lyrics emphasize the importance of family and community, as well as the joy that comes from celebrating with loved ones.


Line by Line Meaning

It seems like only yesterday
I feel like it was just recently


I sailed from out of Cork
I departed from Cork, Ireland by ship


A wanderer from Erin's isle
I was a traveler from Ireland, also known as Erin's isle


I landed in New York
I arrived in New York City, USA


There wasn't a soul to greet me there
No one was waiting to welcome me


A stranger on your shore
I felt like an outsider on this new land


But Irish luck was with me here
I was fortunate to have good luck as an Irish person in this new land


And riches came galore
I became very wealthy


And now that I'm going back again
Since I'm returning now


To dear old Erin's isle
To my beloved Ireland


My friends will meet me on the pier
My acquaintances will greet me upon arrival


And greet me with a smile
They'll warmly welcome me home


Their faces, sure, I've almost forgot
I've almost forgotten what they look like


I've been so long away
I've been gone for a long time


But me mother will introduce them all
My mother will serve as a guide and introduce me to everyone


And this to me will say
She'll say this to me


Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy
Greet your Uncle Mike with a handshake, my child


And here is your sister, Kate
This is your sister, Kate


And there's the girl you used to swing
You'll see the girl you used to play with


Down by the garden gate
Near the entrance to the garden


Shake hands with all of the neighbors
Greet all the locals with a handshake


And kiss the colleens all
Give all the young women a kiss on the cheek


You're as welcome as the flowers in May
You're very welcome, just like the blooming flowers of May


To dear old Donegal
To the endearing Donegal county in Ireland


They'll give a party when I go home
They'll host a celebration when I return home


They'll come from near and far
People will travel from all over to attend


They'll line the roads for miles and miles
The roads will be decorated and jam-packed with people


With Irish jauntin' cars
Traditional Irish horse-drawn wagons used for special occasions


The spirits'll flow and we'll be gay
Alcohol will be consumed and everyone will be joyful


We'll fill your hearts with joy
We'll bring happiness and contentment to everyone


The piper'll play an Irish reel
A traditional Irish bagpiper will play a lively tune


To greet the Yankee boy
To welcome me back as the Yankee boy from America


We'll dance and sing the whole night long
We'll dance and sing tirelessly throughout the night


Such fun as never seen
This will be an unforgettable and amazing time


The lads'll be decked in corduroy
The men will be wearing corduroy, a popular fabric in Ireland


The colleens wearin' green
The young women will be wearing green, a significant color in Irish culture


There'll be thousands there that I never saw
I'll be surrounded by thousands of people whom I've never met


Meet Branigan, Fannigan, Milligan, Gilligan
Meet these Irish last names


Duffy, McCuffy, Malachy, Mahone
These are more Irish last names


Rafferty, Lafferty, Donnelly, Connelly
And even more Irish last names


Dooley, O'Hooley, Muldowney, Malone
You'll also meet these Irish last names


Madigan, Cadigan, Lanihan, Flanihan
And these ones too


Fagan, O'Hagan, O'Hoolihan, Flynn
And these last names


Shanihan, Manihan, Fogarty, Hogarty
And finally, these last names




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVE GRAHAM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

zooks527

The lyrics shown above in the "Show More" section do not match the song as played in the video.  The correct lyrics for Crosby's version are as follows:

Three years ago this very day,
I left the port of Cork,
And on a ship from old Erin's isle,
I landed in New York,
Without a friend to meet me there,
The stranger on the shore.
But I wore an honest Irish heart,
And fortune came galore,
So here I am, back again,
On dear old Erin's isle.
The friends, they meet me on the quay,
And they greet me with a smile,
For there's faces there that I surely forgot,
For I was so 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 neighbours,
And kiss the colleens all,
You're as welcome as the flowers in May,
To dear old Donegal,
Well, they gave a party when I came back,
And they came from near and far,
And the road was lined for near 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,
Sweet Biddy McGee,
For Biddy was true and faithful,
To her Barney o'er the sea,
And we'll join the harp and shamrocks,
For the stars of liberty.
There came Branigan, Flannigan, Milligan, Gilligan,
Duffy, McGuffy, Malachy, Mahone,
Rafferty, Lafferty, Donnelly, Connelly,
Dooley, O'Hooley, Muldowney, Malone,
Colonna, O'Hona, Herlanahan, Flanihan,
Fagan, O'Hagan, O'Hoolihan, Flynn,
Shanahan, Manahan, Fogarty, Hogarty,
Kelly, O'Skelly, McGuinness, McGuinne.
(Pat O'Brien was late!)
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 please,
The girl on the garden gate.
Then invite all the neighbours,
To the weddin', great and small,
And I'll live content, and pay no rent,
In dear old Donegal.



All comments from YouTube:

TenderTrap715

Being an Irish American, it's great to hear these songs that are distinctively Irish American. They're a pleasing hybrid of both styles of music.

Linda Mickelberry

I remember my father singing this at the campfire we would have when camping every week. He'd play the harmonica, and break to sing all the names. God rest his soul.

Each21

How Joyful! What a great memory to have.

E

great song--stressing the importance of family. Also love the Allan Sherman parody "Shake Hands with Your Uncle Max"!

David Horrigan

my Irish mother had all of Bing's Irish style records. I grew up listening to them from mid 1940's until the records were cracked and broken.

Mike Yates

As a Proud Irish American Man , that's a wonderful memory - you should definitely keep it 💯

Mike Mac

My old Da, gone, sung this to me. I am now 62.5 yers old. Wonderful through the tears.

Landon

Gotta thank papa Jim for this one

Sonny Cannon

THIS IS REALITY MUSIC!!! Reality is love, reality is joy, reality is sharing and caring, reality is loving your neighbor and family, reality is having a song like this, to make your heart swell with love, and joy!!! Thank God for reality!!! If we could only get a "Reality T.V. show"!!!!!!!! Get it?!?!?!?

Pat Lucci

True irsh beautiful music 🎶🎵

More Comments

More Versions