Irish Rover
Luke Kelly & The Dubliners Lyrics

In the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and six
In the year 1806 AD

We set sail from the fair Cobh of Cork
We departed from the pretty port of Cobh in Cork, Ireland

We were bound far away with a cargo of bricks
We were transporting bricks to a faraway destination

For the fine city hall of New York
To be used in the construction of New York City Hall

In a very fine craft, she was rigged fore-and-aft
Our ship was expertly designed with a fore-and-aft rig

And oh, how the wild winds drove her
The powerful winds propelled us forward

She had twenty-three masts and withstood several blasts
Our ship had 23 masts and survived many harsh blows

And we called her the Irish Rover
We named our ship the Irish Rover

There was Barney McGee from the banks of the Lee
One of our crewmates was Barney McGee from the banks of Lee River in Ireland

There was Hogan from County Tyrone
Another crewmate was Hogan from County Tyrone in Ireland

And a chap called McGurk who was scared stiff of work
McGurk, who was part of our crew, was scared of doing any work

And a chap from West Meade called Malone
Another crewmate was Malone from West Meade in Ireland

There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
Our crew included Slugger O'Toole who was always drunk

And fighting Bill Casey from Dover
Another crewmate was Bill Casey from Dover who loved to fight

There was Dooley from Claire who was strong as a bear
One of our crewmates was Dooley from Claire, who was incredibly strong

And was skipper of the Irish Rover
Dooley was the captain of our ship

We had one million bales of old billy goats' tails
We were carrying one million bales of old billy goats' tails

We had two million buckets of stones
We were carrying two million buckets of stones

We had three million sides of old blind horses hides
We were carrying three million sides of old, blind horse hides

We had four million packets of bones
We had four million packets of bones

We had five million hogs, we had six million dogs
We were carrying an abundance of five million hogs and six million dogs

And seven million barrels of porter
We were carrying an astonishing seven million barrels of beer

We had eight million bags of the best Sligo rags
We were carrying eight million bags of the finest Sligo rags

In the hold of the Irish Rover
These items were in the ship's storage area

We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
We had been sailing for seven years when a measles outbreak occurred on our ship

And the ship lost her way in a fog
Our ship lost its bearings in a thick fog

And the whole of the crew was reduced unto two
The entire crew was reduced to only two members

'Twas myself and the captain's old dog
Just me and the captain's old dog remained on the ship

Then the ship struck a rock with a terrible shock
Our ship hit a rock with a massive impact

And then she heeled right over
Our ship capsized

Turned nine times around, and the poor dog was drowned
The ship turned nine times around, resulting in the death of the captain's old dog

I'm the last of the Irish Rover
I'm the only surviving member of the Irish Rover's crew