Irish Rover Lyrics - Dubliners

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 fine city hall of New York 

In a very fine craft, she was rigged fore-and-aft 

And oh, how the wild winds drove her 

She had twenty-three masts and withstood several blasts 

And we called her the Irish Rover 

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 Meade called Malone 

There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule 

And fighting Bill Casey from Dover 

There was Dooley from Claire who was strong as a bear 

And was skipper of the Irish Rover 

We had one million bales of old billy goats' tails 

We had two million buckets of stones 

We had three million sides of old blind horses hides 

We had four million packets of bones 

We had five million hogs, we had six million dogs 

And seven million barrels of porter 

We had eight million bags of the best Sligo rags 

In the hold of the Irish Rover 

We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out 

And the ship lost her way in a fog 

And the whole of the crew was reduced unto two 

'Twas myself and the captain's old dog 

Then the ship struck a rock with a terrible shock 

And then she heeled right over, 

Turned nine times around, and the poor dog was drowned 

I'm the last of the Irish Rover