Star of the County Down
Orthodox Celts Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Near Banbridge town in the county down
One morning last July,
From a bóithrín green came a sweet cailín
And she smiled as she passed me by.
She looked so sweet from her two bare feet
To the sheen of her nut brown hair.
Such a coaxing elf, sure I shook myself
For to see I was really there.

Chorus:
From Bantry bay up to Derry Quay and
From Galway to Dublin town,
No maid I've seen like the brown cailín
That I met in the county down.

As she onward sped, sure I scratched my head,
And I looked with a feelin' rare,
And I says, says I, to a passer-by,
"Who's the maid with the nut brown hair"?
He smiled at me and he says, says he,
"That's the gem of Ireland's crown.

Young Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann,
She's the star of the county down".

Chorus:
From Bantry bay up to Derry Quay and
From Galway to Dublin town,
No maid I've seen like the brown cailín
That I met in the county down.

At the harvest fair she'll be surely there
So I'll dress in my Sunday clothes,
With my shoes shone bright and my hat cocked
Right for a smile from my nut brown rose.
No pipe I'll smoke, no horse I'll yoke
Till my plow turns rust coloured brown.




Till a smiling bride, by my own fireside
Sits the star of the county down.

Overall Meaning

The song "Star of the County Down" by Orthodox Celts is a romantic tale of a chance encounter with a beautiful young woman in County Down, Ireland. The singer describes the girl's beauty, from her soft and gentle appearance to the sheen of her nut brown hair. As she walks by, the singer is so captivated that he has to shake himself to make sure he's not dreaming. He then proceeds to ask a passer-by who the girl is, to which he responds that she is named Rosie McCann, the star of County Down, and the gem of Ireland's crown.


The chorus repeats this sentiment, stating that from Bantry Bay to Derry Quay, no other maid compares to the stunning Rosie McCann. The singer then makes plans to see her again at the harvest fair, where he will dress in his best clothes to impress her. He vows not to smoke his pipe, nor yoke his horse until he's won her heart and she's sitting by his own fireside as his wife.


Line by Line Meaning

Near Banbridge town in the county down
This song takes place near Banbridge town in County Down, Ireland.


One morning last July,
The events of this song occurred one morning in July.


From a bóithrín green came a sweet cailín
A sweet girl came walking down a green path.


And she smiled as she passed me by.
The girl smiled as she walked by the artist.


She looked so sweet from her two bare feet
The girl was so charming that even her bare feet were endearing.


To the sheen of her nut brown hair.
The girl's nut brown hair was particularly shiny and attractive.


Such a coaxing elf, sure I shook myself
The girl was so enchanting that the singer had to shake himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.


For to see I was really there.
The artist couldn't believe he was actually experiencing this magical moment.


From Bantry bay up to Derry Quay and From Galway to Dublin town,
The artist has traveled far and wide but has never seen a girl as lovely as the one he met in County Down.


No maid I've seen like the brown cailín That I met in the county down.
The artist has never encountered a girl as special as the one he met in County Down.


As she onward sped, sure I scratched my head, And I looked with a feelin' rare,
After the girl walked away, the singer was left in a state of bewilderment and rare emotion.


And I says, says I, to a passer-by, "Who's the maid with the nut brown hair"?
The artist was so taken with the girl that he had to stop someone and ask about her.


He smiled at me and he says, says he, "That's the gem of Ireland's crown. Young Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann, She's the star of the county down".
The passer-by informs the singer that the girl's name is Rosie McCann and she is widely regarded as the most special girl in all of Ireland.


At the harvest fair she'll be surely there So I'll dress in my Sunday clothes, With my shoes shone bright and my hat cocked Right for a smile from my nut brown rose.
The singer plans to look his best when he sees Rosie McCann again at the upcoming harvest fair.


No pipe I'll smoke, no horse I'll yoke Till my plow turns rust coloured brown. Till a smiling bride, by my own fireside Sits the star of the county down.
The singer vows not to smoke or work until he marries Rosie McCann and they sit together by the fire, where she will be the star of County Down in his eyes forever.




Contributed by Kaylee K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@timdavis9329

Salute my Serbian brothers from ireland

@TamaraSrbija

Salute my Irish brothers from Serbia ;-)

@perun2244

26+6=1

@samanthastudios384

Aye!

@user-hj8mz3hp3s

Death to queen elizabeth and british riman empire free celtic natives and their lands from germanized roman vandals

@samanthastudios384

@@user-hj8mz3hp3sPatrick be praised!

10 More Replies...

@NiSiochainGanSaoirse

Sure, it caught me off guard to see Serbs so passionate about our beautiful music!

Fantastic musicians, and the fiddle player is gorgeous too which never hurts...

God bless Serbia!

@anenfi6000

God bless these guys and that gorgeous girl !! :D

@TheBranchez

A lot of people I know here in Serbia really love Irish music, including myself.

@kanemitchell7762

Celtic culture is spread across Europe nice to see other countries embrace their celtic roots 💪 go Serbia 🇷🇸

More Comments

More Versions