Carrickfergus (song)

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"Carrickfergus" is an Irish folk song. It is a typical lament of an Irish expatriate who wishes he was back in his homeland.

The origins of the song are unclear, but it has been traced to an Irish language song, The Sick Young Lover [[1]].

The song has been recorded by many well-known performers including Declan Affley, Dominic Behan, Joan Baez, De Dannan, Charlotte Church, Loreena McKennitt, Van Morrison and Peter O'Toole. It was also included in the second Celtic Woman volume, a compilation of traditional celtic music by a variety of female Irish singers.

Today Carrickfergus is a popular request at folk festivals and concerts.

[edit] Lyrics

I wish I was in Carrickfergus,

Only for nights in Ballygrant

I would swim over the deepest ocean,

For my love to find

But the sea is wide and I cannot cross over

And neither have I the wings to fly

I wish I could meet a handsome boatsman

To ferry me over, to my love and die

My childhood days bring back sad reflections

Of happy times I spent so long ago,

My childhood friends and my own relations

Have all passed on now like melting snow.

But I'll spend my days in endless roaming,

Soft is the grass, my bed is free.

Ah, to be back now in Carrickfergus,

On that long road down to the sea.

Now in Kilkenny, it is reported,

On marble stones there as black as ink

With gold and silver I would support her,

But I'll sing no more 'till I get a drink.

For I'm drunk today, and I'm seldom sober,

A handsome rover from town to town,

Ah, but I'm sick now, my days are numbered,

Come all you young men and lay me down.