Well the boys from Kerry and the boys from Derry and the girls from Dublin town
They played O’Connell’s and they sang O’Donnell’s and the Star of the County Down
They gave us Ireland’s glories and they played us there-and-back
And nothing mattered in the smoke and laughter but the music and the craic
Chorus:
There were slips and slides and reels besides, the brown ale and the black
And nothing mattered in the smoke and laughter but the music and the craic
Well we saw Duncannon and the mighty Shannon as she flowed down to the sea
We saw Killarney and we kissed the Blarney and the Rose of fair Tralee
In misty mournful mountains we sipped the pure moon-shine
Took a nip in Newry and a jar in Jury’s in Dublin’s rare old times
They sang the troubles and of Irelands struggle in the old songs soft and slow
There was no division there was no religion but the black bush and the bow
They sang in hope and harmony in voices sound and strong
And they played the horror and the pain and sorrow to the past where it belonged
Well the boys from Kerry and the boys from Derry and the girls from Dublin town
They played O’Connell’s and they sang O’Donnell’s and the Star of the county Down
They gave us Ireland’s glories and they played us there and back
And nothing mattered in the smoke and laughter but the music and the craic