Edward Connors

Come all you loyal Irishmen and listen all for a while
All you that wants to emigrate and leave the Emerald Isle
A kind advice I will give you which you must bear in mind
How you will be forsaken when you leave your land behind

My name is Edward Connors and the same I’ll ne’er disown
I used to live in happiness near unto Portglenone
I sold my farm as you will hear which grieves my heart full sore
And I sailed away to Amerikay and left the Shamrock shore

For my mind it was deluded by letters that were sent
By those that a few years ago to Canada had went
They said that they like princes lived and earning gold galore
And they laughed at our misfortune here at home on the Shamrock shore

So it’s with my wife and my family to Belfast I went down
We booked our passage on a ship to Quebec she was bound
My money it was growing short when we laid in sea-store
But I thought my fortune would be won when we reached the other shore

When we were scarce three days at sea a storm it soon arose
It threw our ship on her beam end and woke us from our repose
Our sea-store then it was destroyed by water that down did pour
How happy we would then have been at home on the Shamrock shore

And when we were nine long days at sea our sea-store was all gone
And there upon the ocean wide with nowhere for to run
But for our captain’s kindliness he kindly gave us more
We would have died with hunger e’er we reached the other shore

And it’s when we landed in Quebec the sight that met our eyes
Three hundred of our Irish boys that did us sore surprise
With a sorrowful lamentation charity they did crave
And the little trifle we had left to them we freely gave

We stayed three weeks in the town of Quebec hoping some work to find
My money it was growing short which troubled my mind
For I had friends when I had cash but none when I was poor
I never met with friendship yet like this on the Shamrock shore

Well we stayed around Quebec town till our money it was all gone
Still hoping for employment but work we could find none
And in this place it was the case with many hundreds more
We oftimes wished that we were home all on the Shamrock shore

So come all who are intending now strange countries for to roam
Bear in mind you have as good as Canada at home
Before that you cross over the main where foaming billows roar
Think on the happy days you spent all on the Shamrock shore