Irish Night Lyrics

The song, Irish Night, is the title song written for the oral history stage play Irish Night. Written by Patrick O'Sullivan to which he discribes the song, I have a long story about writing the lyric, Irish Night.  But, briefly, it comes together from 2 directions - it 'fixes', in every sense, the title of the play, and it arises directly out of interviews with young people in London.It worked beautifully in the play.  The cover of my printed book shows the 'ingénue' performing the song.

I awoke one Irish night
and listened to the stream.` 
I lay awake one Irish night,
still troubled by a dream.

I left home one Irish night:
the sky was full of jewels,
the moon and stars were shining bright 
and silvering the ruins.

Chase a star,
hunt moonbeams:
my Irish night was full of London dreams. 

My mother never looked at stars, 
I'm far too busy now.
And if my father looked at stars 
he only saw the plough.

Somewhere surely one bright star 
by right belongs to me.
One Irish night I saw my star 
shine across the sea.

Chase a star,
hunt moonbeams:
my Irish night was full of London dreams.