Follow Me Up To Carlow

LIFT MAC CAHIR OG YOUR FACE, BROODIN' O'ER THE OLD DISGRACE

SEE THE SWORDS AT GLEN IMAEL, FLASHIN' O'ER THE ENGLISH PALE

FROM TASSAGART TO CLONMORE, FLOWS A STREAM OF SAXON GORE

 

THAT BLACK FITZWILLIAM STORMED YOUR PLACE & DROVE YOU TO THE FERN

SEE ALL THE CHILDREN OF THE GAEL, BENEATH O'BYRNE'S BANNER

HOW GREAT IS RORY OG O'MOORE AT SENDING LOONS TO HADES

 

GRAY SAID VICTORY WAS SURE, SOON THE FIREBRAND HE'D SECURE

ROOSTER OF A FIGHTING STOCK, WOULD YOU LET A SAXON COCK

WHITE IS SICK, GRAY IS FLED, NOW FOR BLACK FITZ-WILLIAM’S HEAD

 

UN-TIL HE MET AT GLENMALURE WITH FIACH MCHUGH O'BYRNE

CROW OUT UPON AN IRISH ROCK, FLY UP AND TEACH HIM MANNERS

WE'LL SEND IT OVER, DRIPPING RED, TO LIZA AND HER LADIES

CHORUS:

CURSE AND SWEAR, LORD KILDARE, FIACH WILL DO WHAT FIACH WILL DARE

 

LORD FITZWILLIAM, HAVE A CARE, FALLEN IS YOUR STAR LOW

 

UP WITH HALBERD, OUT WITH SWORD, ON WE GO FOR, BY THE LORD

 

FIACH MCHUGH HAS GIVEN THE WORD "FOLLOW ME UP TO CARLOW"

 

CHORUS (TWICE AT END)

 

 

 

*An Irish folk song celebrating the defeat of an army of 3,000 English soldiers by Fiach Mac Aodh

Ó Broin (anglicized Fiach McHugh O'Byrne) at the Battle of Glenmalure, during the Second

Desmond Rebellion in 1580. The words were written by Patrick Joseph McCall (1861–1919) and

appear in his Songs of Erinn (1899) under the title "Marching Song of Feagh MacHugh".[