The Galway Shawl

In Oranmore, the county Galway One pleasant evening in the month of May I spied a cutting, was rare and handsome And her beauty fairly took my breath away She kept on talking, we kept on walking 'Til her father's cottage, it came in to view She said, "Come in sir, and meet me father And play to please him, The Foggy Dew" She sat me down there beside the tarfire I could see her father, he was six feet tall And her mother soon had the kettle boiling But all I could think about was the Galway shawl She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds No paint nor powder, none at all She wore a bonnet with ribbon on it And around her shoulders, the Galway shawl I played, 'The Black Bird', 'The Stack of Barley' 'Rodney's Glory' and 'The Foggy Dew' She sang each note like an Irish linnet As her tears they fell from her eyes, so true It was early, early, all in the morning I hit the road of sweet Donegal I smiled and thanked her, she cried and kissed me And my heart remained with the Galway shawl She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds No paint nor powder, none at all But she wore a bonnet with ribbon on it And around her shoulders was the Galway shawl And around her shoulders, the Galway shawl