GREEN FIELDS ROUND OLD ATHENRY

GREEN FIELDS ROUND OLD ATHENRY
Composed by Barry McPolin
Published by Musicare Limited (IMRO)

I'm back in Ireland today from the streets of LA
O this island of green in my dreams I have seen
I have boarded a train in the soft Dublin rain
To take me back to my roots in the west

I stopped off on the way in the town of Loughrea
Had a bite and a jar in an old Irish bar
Though a stranger in town sure the warmth in the air
Seemed to welcome me back home again

CHORUS
Now I’m back in the west in this land of my birth
Back where my forefathers lie
Oh I’ve longed for the day I would see Galway Bay
And the Green Fields Round Old Athenry

Back in 1848 my Grandpa emigrated
Starvation and blight made thousands take flight
From the small town of Tuam in Mother Ireland's Womb
They set sail in the grey morning light

Now that I’ve turned 21 my father said now son
There’s a legacy I own and its time to pass it on
It was handed down to me from grandpa's family
Its your passport to freedom and life

CHORUS

TURNAROUND

Now I’m living on the land as my forefathers planned
I met a colleen from Bel Claire with dark shining hair
At a dance in Ballindine she promised to be mine
And together our lives we will share

Now the years have come and gone since the day that I came home
To this land of my dreams its mountains and streams
And when its my time to die I’ll be satisfied to lie
Neath the tombstone that bears my family name

CHORUS

Yes I've dreamed of the day when I could swim in Galway Bay
Near the Green Fields Round Old Athenry