Near Bambridge town in the County Down
One mornin’ last July
Down the boreen green came a sweet colleen
And she smiled as she passed me by.
Oh, she looked so sweet from her two bare feet
To the sheen of her nut brown hair
Such a winsome elf that I pinched myself
For to see I was standing there.
From the Bantry Bay, to the Derry Quay
And from Galway to Dublin town
No maid I’ve seen like the sweet colleen
That I met at the County Down.
As she onward sped, while I scratched my head
And I looked with a feelin’ rare
And I says, says I to a passerby
‘Who’s that maid with nut brown hair?’
He smiled at me and and he says, says he
‘She’s the gem of Ireland’s crown
She’s young Rose McCann from the banks of the Bann
She’s the star of the County Down.’
From the Bantry Bay, to the Derry Quay
And from Galway to Dublin town
No maid I’ve seen like the sweet colleen
That I met at the County Down.
Well I’ve travelled a bit, but never been hit
Since my roving career began;
Never fair and square, but I surrendered there
To the charms of young Rose McCann.
With a heart to let, no tenant yet
Did I meet when the travel began,
But in she went and I asked no rent
From the Star of the County Down.
From the Bantry Bay, to the Derry Quay
And from Galway to Dublin town
No maid I’ve seen like the sweet colleen
That I met at the County Down.