A popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group that saw their beginni… Read Full Bio ↴A popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group that saw their beginning in the 1960s, The Irish Rovers are particularly well-known for their hit recording of Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn," although a great many more of their characteristically happy and oft-comical songs remain well-known to this day. In 2010, the band celebrated 45 years as recording artists, with their latest CD, "Gracehill Fair" and filming the DVD/television special "Home in Ireland", shot entirely on-location, throughout the northwest coast of Ireland. George Millar says, “It’s basically The Irish Rovers ‘Coming Home’ because this is our home, for all of us. We want to show the world what the northwest Irish coast is like. I’ve traveled the world now for over 40 years and there’s nothing like it.”

In 1968, the predecessor of the Juno’s named The Irish Rovers Canada’s, “Folk Group of the Year”, and the following year, they received a Grammy nomination for “Folk Performance of the Year”.

As hosts of three national television series in Canada and Ireland, through the 1970's and 80s, The Irish Rovers increased the popularity of Irish music by way of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).

Canada's Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, personally asked the band if they could “please become Canadian” so that they could officially represent Canada throughout the world. Since then, they have represented Canada at no less than five world Expos, and in recognition for a quarter century of contributions to the International music world, The Irish Rovers won the Performing Rights Organization's (PROCAN) 'Harold Moon Award'.

Although all members of the band hail from Ireland, a number of their biggest hits were often "non-Irish". Their own rousing, traditional Irish compositions, however, do comprise the bulk of their music.

By the 90’s, their songwriting was even more prolific than their early years, and production of albums wasn’t about to slow down. Since they desired the freedom that as a younger band, they could not afford, in ’93 The Irish Rovers established their own record company, Rover Records. Their songs tell the story of the Irish, whether it’s a lost love, a sailor on leave, or the simple good taste of a Guinness. Rover Records has put out their last eleven albums, including Celtic Collection, Come Fill Up Your Glasses, Down by the Lagan Side, Another Round, Still Rovin', a Christmas album, and their greatest hits, 40 Years A-Rovin'.

Founding member George Millar is from Ballymena, original member Wilcil McDowell is from Larne, John Reynolds from Belfast, Sean O'Driscoll from Cork, Ian Millar from Ballymena, and percussionist Fred Graham is also from Belfast.

Former members include founding member Jimmy Ferguson who passed away in 1997 and Joe Millar.

Rolling Home To Ireland
The Irish Rovers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And we'll drink to good companions and Irish whiskey neat
We'll drink to wives and lovers and we hope they never meet
We'll drink to rogues like us, may good fortune on us fall
And when the toast comes round we'll drink to anything at all

Now when the day has ended and all the work is through
We gather at the alehouse and raise a glass or two
And as we set to drinkin we sing and dance and roar

And we become far merrier than we ever were before

And we'll drink to good companions and Irish whiskey neat
We'll drink to wives and lovers and we hope they never meet
We'll drink to rogues like us, may good fortune on us fall
And when the toast comes round we'll drink to anything at all

From France we get good brandy
Jamaica has fine rum
And frothy pint of porter from dear old ireland comes
England has their cider, the Scotch their single malt
They're fine and tasty drinks my boys, with them we find no fault

And we'll drink to good companions and Irish whiskey neat
We'll drink to wives and lovers and we hope they never meet
We'll drink to rogues like us, may good fortune on us fall
And when the toast comes round we'll drink to anything at all

Now when the glass is empty, to another we'll agree
For the more we have to drink, sure the merrier we will be
And the merrier we become, all our troubles fade away
They'll be there tomorrow but we're happier today

And we'll drink to good companions and Irish whiskey neat
We'll drink to wives and lovers and we hope they never meet
We'll drink to rogues like us, may good fortune on us fall
And when the toast comes round we'll drink to anything at all

And when the night is over we'll go our separate ways
It's farewell to me comrades til we meet another day
The parting brings us sorrow and it leaves a heavy heart
So we'll ahve another glass, me boys, at least before we part

And we'll drink to good companions and Irish whiskey neat
We'll drink to wives and lovers and we hope they never meet
We'll drink to rogues like us, may good fortune on us fall
And when the toast comes round we'll drink to anything at all

And we'll drink to good companions and Irish whiskey neat
We'll drink to wives and lovers and we hope they never meet

We'll drink to rogues like us, may good fortune on us fall
And when the toast comes round we'll drink to anything at all

Overall Meaning

The Irish Rovers' "Rolling Home to Ireland" is a song that celebrates the joys of drinking and camaraderie among friends. The song paints a vivid picture of a group of Irishmen at an alehouse, raising a glass to anything and everything, and enjoying each other's company. The lyrics are full of clever wordplay and rhymes that convey the sense of joy and camaraderie that comes from sharing a drink with good friends.

The song begins with a toast to good companions and Irish whiskey neat. The singer and his friends raise a glass to wives and lovers, hoping that they never meet. This humorous line plays on the idea that men often behave differently when they are out with their friends than they do when they are with their significant others.

As the night wears on, the group enjoys a variety of different drinks from around the world, including brandy from France, rum from Jamaica, and porter from Ireland. The singer notes that while these drinks are fine and tasty, there is something special about Irish whiskey that sets it apart from the rest.

Throughout the song, the singer and his friends emphasize the power of drinking to ease their troubles and bring them happiness. They know that their problems will still be there in the morning, but for the time being, they would rather focus on the joy of the moment.

Overall, "Rolling Home to Ireland" is a lively and humorous ode to the joys of drinking and friendship.

Line by Line Meaning

And we'll drink to good companions and Irish whiskey neat
We will raise our glasses to celebrate our friendships and the smooth taste of Irish whiskey.

We'll drink to wives and lovers and we hope they never meet
We will also drink to our romantic partners, but hope they never discover our mischievous ways.

We'll drink to rogues like us, may good fortune on us fall
We will cheers to ourselves, acknowledging our unruly behavior in hopes that good luck will continue to shine upon us.

And when the toast comes round we'll drink to anything at all
We are ready to drink to any topic, as long as it involves lifting our glasses and sharing a fun moment together.

Now when the day has ended and all the work is through
After a long day of work has come to a close, it's time for us to unwind and enjoy each other's company.

We gather at the alehouse and raise a glass or two
We come together at the local pub and drink a few beers (or more) as a way to connect and have a good time.

And as we set to drinkin we sing and dance and roar
As we indulge in our drinks, we become louder, more jovial, and burst out in song and dance.

And we become far merrier than we ever were before
We let loose and have a great time, even more than we could have imagined.

From France we get good brandy
We recognize that France makes excellent brandy and can appreciate it, but still prefer our Irish whiskey.

Jamaica has fine rum
We also acknowledge that Jamaica makes quality rum, but it still doesn't measure up to the Irish whiskey we love.

And frothy pint of porter from dear old ireland comes
We take pride in our country's signature drink, porter, and appreciate the unique taste and cultural significance it holds for us.

Now when the glass is empty, to another we'll agree
When our glasses are empty, we all agree to have another drink, as we believe the more we drink, the happier we will be.

For the more we have to drink, sure the merrier we will be
As we continue to drink, we become even happier and carefree, forgetting our worries and enjoying the good times with our friends.

And the merrier we become, all our troubles fade away
The more we drink and celebrate, the less we focus on our problems and the more we live in the moment, experiencing pure joy.

They'll be there tomorrow but we're happier today
We know that our problems will still exist tomorrow, but we choose to live in the present and enjoy the happiness we have now.

And when the night is over we'll go our separate ways
As the night comes to an end, we will each head home and continue on with our separate lives.

It's farewell to me comrades til we meet another day
We say goodbye to our friends and hope to see them again soon.

The parting brings us sorrow and it leaves a heavy heart
We feel saddened by the goodbye and the thought of leaving our friends and going back to our regular lives.

So we'll have another glass, me boys, at least before we part
To lift our spirits and ease the pain of parting, we will have one more drink together before saying our final goodbyes.

Contributed by Jack B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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