Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and sixty,
my dear and lovin' son John
Your good friend the Schoolmaster Pat McNamara,
so good as to write these words down.
1.______________________
the house is so empty and sad,
The crop of potatoes is sorely affected,
a third to a half of them bad.
And your sister Bridget and Patrick O'Donnell,
are goin' to be married in June,
Your mother says not to work on the railway,
and be sure to come on home soon
Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and seventy,
dear and lovin' son Johnhttp://ks.examda.com
Hello to your missus and to your four children,
may they grow healthy and strong
Michael has got in a wee bit of trouble,
I suppose that he never will learn
Because of the dampness there's no turf to speak of
and now there is nothing to burn.
And Bridget is happy you named the child for her,
although she's got six of her own
You say you've found work, but you don't say what kind,
and when you'll be comin' home
Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and eighty,
dear Michael and John my sons
I'm sorry to give you the very sad news
that your dear old mother has gone.
We buried her down at the church at Kilkelly,
your brothers and Bridget were there,
You don't have to worry, she died very quickly,
2.______________________
And it's so good to know that Michael's returning
with money he's sure to buy land
For the crop has been poor and the people are selling,
for any price that they can
Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and ninety,
my dear and lovin' son John
I suppose that I must be close on eighty,
it's been thirty years since you've gone
Because of all of the money you sent me,
I'm still living' out of my own
Michael has built himself a fine house,
and Bridget's daughters have grown
And thank you for sendin' your family picture,
they're lovely young women and men
You say you might even come for a visit,
3.______________________
Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and ninety two,
my dear brother John,
I'm sorry I didn't write sooner,
to tell you that father has gone.
He was living with Brigid, she said he was
cheerful and healthy right down to the end
Or you should have seen him play with the grandchildren,
of Pat McNamara your friend.
And we buried him alongside of your mother,
down at Kilkelly churchyard
He was a strong and a feisty old man,
considering that life was so hard.
And it's funny the way he kept talkin' about you,
he called for you at the end
And why don't you think about comin' to visit,
we'd all love to see you again
my dear and lovin' son John
Your good friend the Schoolmaster Pat McNamara,
so good as to write these words down.
1.______________________
the house is so empty and sad,
The crop of potatoes is sorely affected,
a third to a half of them bad.
And your sister Bridget and Patrick O'Donnell,
are goin' to be married in June,
Your mother says not to work on the railway,
and be sure to come on home soon
Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and seventy,
dear and lovin' son Johnhttp://ks.examda.com
Hello to your missus and to your four children,
may they grow healthy and strong
Michael has got in a wee bit of trouble,
I suppose that he never will learn
Because of the dampness there's no turf to speak of
and now there is nothing to burn.
And Bridget is happy you named the child for her,
although she's got six of her own
You say you've found work, but you don't say what kind,
and when you'll be comin' home
Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and eighty,
dear Michael and John my sons
I'm sorry to give you the very sad news
that your dear old mother has gone.
We buried her down at the church at Kilkelly,
your brothers and Bridget were there,
You don't have to worry, she died very quickly,
2.______________________
And it's so good to know that Michael's returning
with money he's sure to buy land
For the crop has been poor and the people are selling,
for any price that they can
Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and ninety,
my dear and lovin' son John
I suppose that I must be close on eighty,
it's been thirty years since you've gone
Because of all of the money you sent me,
I'm still living' out of my own
Michael has built himself a fine house,
and Bridget's daughters have grown
And thank you for sendin' your family picture,
they're lovely young women and men
You say you might even come for a visit,
3.______________________
Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and ninety two,
my dear brother John,
I'm sorry I didn't write sooner,
to tell you that father has gone.
He was living with Brigid, she said he was
cheerful and healthy right down to the end
Or you should have seen him play with the grandchildren,
of Pat McNamara your friend.
And we buried him alongside of your mother,
down at Kilkelly churchyard
He was a strong and a feisty old man,
considering that life was so hard.
And it's funny the way he kept talkin' about you,
he called for you at the end
And why don't you think about comin' to visit,
we'd all love to see you again