Boolavogue
Traditional
Come all you warriors and renowned nobles
Give ear unto my warlike theme
And I will sing you how Father Murphy
Lately aroused from his sleepy dream
Neither Julius Cesar nor Alexander
Nor brave King Arthur could equal him
Armies formidable he did conquer
Though with two gun men he did begin.
Camolin cavalry he did unhorse them
Their first lieutenant he cut them
down
With shattered ranks and with broken columns
They soon returned to Camolin town
On the hill of Oulart he
displayed his valour
Where a hundred Corkmen lay on the plain
At Enniscorthy his sword he wielded
And I hope to
see him once more again.
When Enniscorthy became subject to him
Twas then to Wexford we marched
our men
And on the Three Rock took up our quarters
Waiting for daylight the town to win
The loyal townsmen gave
their assistance
We'll die or conquer they all did say
The yeomen cavalry made no resistance
For on the pavement
their corpses lay.
With drums a-beating the town did echo
And acclamations came from door
to door
On the Windmill Hill we pitched our tents
And we drank like heroes but paid no score
On Carraig Rua for
some time we waited
And next to Gorey we did repair
At Tubberneering we thought no harm
The bloody army was waiting
there.
The issue of it was a close engagement
While on the soldiers we played
warlike pranks
Thro' sheepwalks, hedgerows and shady thickets
There were mangled bodies and broken ranks
The shuddering
cavalry I can't forget them
We raised the brushes on their helmets straight
They turned about and they bid for Dublin
As if they ran for a ten-pound plate.
Some crossed Donnybrook and more through Blackrock
And some up Shankill
without wound or flaw
And if Barry Lawless be not a liar
There's more went groaning up Luggelaw
To the Windmill
Hill of Enniscorthy
The British Fencibles they fled like deers
But our ranks were tattered and sorely scattered
By
the loss of Kyan and the Shelmaleers.
The streets of England were left quite naked
Of all its army both foot
and horse
The highlands of Scotland were left unguarded
Likewise the Hessians the seas they crossed
But if the
Frenchmen had reinforced us
And landed transports in Bagenbun
Father John Murphy would be their seconder
And sixteen
thousand with him would come.
Success attend the sweet County Wexford
Throw off its yoke and to battle
run
Let them not think we gave up our arms
For every man has a pike and gun.