The Holy Ground

Trad

Fare thee well my lovely Dinah
A thousand times adieu
For we’re going away from the Holy Ground
And the girls we all love true
We will sail the salt sea over
And then return for sure
To see again the girls we love
And the Holy Ground once more

Fine girl you are!
You’re the girl I do adore
And still I live in hopes to see
The Holy Ground once more
Fine girl you are!

And now the storm is raging
And we are far from shore
And the good old ship is tossing about
And the riggin’ is all tore
And the secret of my mind, my love
You’re the girl I do adore
And still I live in hopes to see
The Holy Ground once more

Fine girl you are!
You’re the girl I do adore
And still I live in hopes to see
The Holy Ground once more
Fine girl you are!

And now the storm is over
Wnd we are safe and well
We will go into a Public House
And we’ll sit and drink like hell
We will drink strong ale and porter
And we’ll make the rafters roar
And when our money is all spent
We’ll go to sea once more

Fine girl you are!
You’re the girl I do adore
And still I live in hopes to see
The Holy Ground once more
Fine girl you are!

This song was made very popular by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. The Holy Ground was a renowned place for prostitution in Cobh, county Cork. The song is still very popular in this area of the country. The actual site labelled The Holy Ground is situated on the east side of the town.