In the year of our Lord 
Eighteen hundred and six 
We set sail from the fair Cobh of Cork, 
We were bound far away 
With a cargo of bricks 
For the fair City Hall of New York.

We'd a beautiful craft, 
She was rigged fore and aft, 
And Lord how the trade winds drove her, 
As she stood to the blast, 
She had twenty-three masts 
And we called her the Irish Rover.

Chorus: 
Fare thee well, my own true one, 
I'm going far from you 
And I will swear by the stars above, 
Forever I'll be true; 
But as I part it will break my heart, 
And when the trip is over, 
I'll roam again in true Irish style 
Aboard the Irish Rover.

Donoghue and Mac Hugh 
Came from Red Waterloo. 
And O'Neill and Mac Flail from the Rhine. 
There was Ludd and Mac Gludd 
From the land of the flood 
Pat Malone, Mike Mac Gowan and O'Brien,

There was Barney McGee 
From the banks of the Lee, 
There was Hogan from County Tyrone. 
And a chap called McGurk 
Who was scared stiff of work 
And a chap from West Meath called Mellone.

Chorus

There was Slugger O'Toole 
Who was drunk as a rule 
And fighting Bill Casey from Dover. 
There was Dooley from Clare 
Who was strong as a bear 
And was skipper of the Irish Rover.

Bould Mac Gee, Mac Entee 
And big Neill from Tigree 
And Michael O'Dowd from Dover 
And a man from Turkestan 
Sure his name was Kid Mac Cann 
Was the cook on the Irish Rover.

Chorus

We had one million bags 
Of the best Sligo rags, 
We had two million barrels of bones, 
We had three million sides 
From old blind horse hides 
We had four million bags full of stones.

We had five million dogs 
And six million hogs, 
And seven million bundles of clover. 
We had eight million bales 
Of old billy goats tails, 
In the hold of the Irish Rover.

Chorus

O we sailed seven years 
And the measles broke out, 
And the ship lost her way in a fog. 
And the whole of the crew 
Was reduced unto two 
Just meself and the skipper's old dog.

And we struck on a rock 
With a terrible shock 
And Lord, she rolled right over. 
She turned nine times around; 
And the old dog got drowned 
I'm the last of the Irish Rover.

Chorus