Song lyrics to Dear Old Donegal, written by Steve Graham
Dear Old Donegal is an Irish-American song made popular by Bing Crosby and written by Steve Graham. The song has an ‘upbeat’ rhythm and is meant to be the words of a poor Irishman who has to leave his homeland to go to United States, however, he gets to return to his native County Donegal after becoming successful in the United States.
It’s appeared in numerous movie and television shows, including Gentleman Jim, F Troop, The Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy, and many others.
It seems like only yesterday
I sailed from out of Cork
A wanderer from Erin’s isle
I landed in New York
There wasn’t a soul to greet me there
A stranger on your shore
But Irish luck was with me here
And riches came galore
And now that I’m going back again
To dear old Erin’s isle
My friends will meet me on the pier
And greet me with a smile
Their faces, sure, I’ve almost forgot
I’ve been so long away
But me mother will introduce them all
And this to me will say
Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy
And here is your sister, Kate
And there’s the girl you used to swing
Down by the garden gate
Shake hands with all of the neighbors
And kiss the colleens all
You’re as welcome as the flowers in May
To dear old Donnegal
They’ll give a party when I go home
They’ll come from near and far
They’ll line the roads for miles and miles
With Irish jauntin’ cars
The spirits’ll flow and we’ll be gay
We’ll fill your hearts with joy
The piper’ll play an Irish reel
To greet the Yankee boy
We’ll dance and sing the whole night long
Such fun as never seen
The lads’ll be decked in corduroy
The colleens wearin’ green
There’ll be thousands there that I never saw
I’ve been so long away
But me mother will introduce them all
And this to me will say
Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy
And here is your sister, Kate
And there’s the girl you used to swing
Down by the garden gate
Shake hands with all of the neighbors
And kiss the colleens all
You’re as welcome as the flowers in May
To dear old Donnegal
Meet Branigan, Fannigan, Milligan, Gilligan
Duffy, McCuffy, Malachy, Mahone
Rafferty, Lafferty, Donnelly, Connelly
Dooley, O’Hooley, Muldowney, Malone
Madigan, Cadigan, Lanihan, Flanihan
Fagan, O’Hagan, O’Hoolihan, Flynn
Shanihan, Manihan, Fogarty, Hogarty
Kelly, O’Kelly, McGuinness, McGuinn
Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy
And here is your sister, Kate
And there’s the girl you used to swing
Down by the garden gate
Shake hands with all of the neighbours
And kiss the colleens all
You’re as welcome as the flowers in May
To dear old Donnegal