The Boys From The County Mayo Lyrics Guitar Chords And Tin Whistle Notes
Irish folk song- To play along with the youtube video of Colm O'Donnell place capo on 2nd fret which means you will be playing in the key of E. I have included the music notes in basic letter note format. Anothe County Mayo song here is Take Me Home To Mayo song. The capital letters are the lower notes as far as the B and the lower case letters are the high ones. If your playing it on the tin whistle then ignore that F# because the F is already sharp on the whistle.
HE BOYS FROM THE COUNTY MAYO
That this old ballad can fairly be sung about almost any rebel period is a singularly damning indictment of the ageless and unchanging lot of the hapless Connacht peasantry. The exiled singers could as easily be fugitive peasants who managed to escape the Curse of Cromwell as Mayo expatriates from the Great Hunger, the Fenian years, or the boycott time of the Land League. It is certainly not difficult to imagine the balladeers as peasant volunteers in the Year of the French who had become renegade after the Battle of Ballinamuck.
After Ballinamuck, Lord Cornwallis leisurely conducted his pacification operations unaware that the French were again "on
the sea." Had he been advised of the extent of the new French "threat," it is doubtful that he would have altered his schedule.
On 4 September, Captain Rey's corvette Anacreon sailed from Dunkirk with the now French General Napper Tandy aboard. This single vessel anchored off Rutland Island twelve days later with its hold full of munitions for the insurgency that Tandy expected to find. What he found instead was that the news of the disaster at Ballinamuck was common knowledge even in that lonely outpost off the rugged coast of Donegal. Since the ship carried primarily supplies for the now nonexistent rebellion (there were a mere 180 men aboard), the newest French general officer, presumably seeing no other viable option, proceeded to drink himself into oblivion. Tandy awoke to find that he had been carried back aboard by the French marines, and that Rey had hoisted sail for the continent. The old war-horse's hangover, however, was just beginning. Anacreon, hotly pursued by English patrols on the return journey, was forced to slip into Hamburg. Tandy then suffered the final ignominy of extradition back to a British prison.
Six days after the issue had been settled at Ballinamuck, Commodore Bompard finally sailed from Brest with General Hardy's three thousand troops. Aboard the flagship Hoche, Wolfe Tone fretted over Humbert's fate: at the 14 September sailing, the last word Hardy had of the first landing force told of victories at Ballina and Castlebar, and indicated Humbert was planning to move towards Sligo. The dispatch had been eighteen days old.
What Tone could not know was that two days before the Brest fleet sailed, the last rebel assault of 1798 had already occurred when an unruly insurgent force was beaten off by the new Crown garrison in Castlebar. Tone presumably was still pacing the deck impatiently on 22 September, when a large detachment of Highlanders and militia under General Sir John Trench attacked the French-officered rebels Humbert had left behind to protect Killala. The nine hundred defenders under Colonel Truc were quickly overrun; six hundred had been butchered by the time the militiamen left off blood-letting and began pilfering. The liberated townspeople found the arrival of the redcoats a mixed blessing. As Bishop Stock caustically observed, "his Majesty's soldiers were incomparably superior to the Irish traitors, in dexterity at stealing." The last vestige of General Humbert's "Republic of Connacht" was erased amidst an orgy of British looting.
That this old ballad can fairly be sung about almost any rebel period is a singularly damning indictment of the ageless and unchanging lot of the hapless Connacht peasantry. The exiled singers could as easily be fugitive peasants who managed to escape the Curse of Cromwell as Mayo expatriates from the Great Hunger, the Fenian years, or the boycott time of the Land League. It is certainly not difficult to imagine the balladeers as peasant volunteers in the Year of the French who had become renegade after the Battle of Ballinamuck.
After Ballinamuck, Lord Cornwallis leisurely conducted his pacification operations unaware that the French were again "on
the sea." Had he been advised of the extent of the new French "threat," it is doubtful that he would have altered his schedule.
On 4 September, Captain Rey's corvette Anacreon sailed from Dunkirk with the now French General Napper Tandy aboard. This single vessel anchored off Rutland Island twelve days later with its hold full of munitions for the insurgency that Tandy expected to find. What he found instead was that the news of the disaster at Ballinamuck was common knowledge even in that lonely outpost off the rugged coast of Donegal. Since the ship carried primarily supplies for the now nonexistent rebellion (there were a mere 180 men aboard), the newest French general officer, presumably seeing no other viable option, proceeded to drink himself into oblivion. Tandy awoke to find that he had been carried back aboard by the French marines, and that Rey had hoisted sail for the continent. The old war-horse's hangover, however, was just beginning. Anacreon, hotly pursued by English patrols on the return journey, was forced to slip into Hamburg. Tandy then suffered the final ignominy of extradition back to a British prison.
Six days after the issue had been settled at Ballinamuck, Commodore Bompard finally sailed from Brest with General Hardy's three thousand troops. Aboard the flagship Hoche, Wolfe Tone fretted over Humbert's fate: at the 14 September sailing, the last word Hardy had of the first landing force told of victories at Ballina and Castlebar, and indicated Humbert was planning to move towards Sligo. The dispatch had been eighteen days old.
What Tone could not know was that two days before the Brest fleet sailed, the last rebel assault of 1798 had already occurred when an unruly insurgent force was beaten off by the new Crown garrison in Castlebar. Tone presumably was still pacing the deck impatiently on 22 September, when a large detachment of Highlanders and militia under General Sir John Trench attacked the French-officered rebels Humbert had left behind to protect Killala. The nine hundred defenders under Colonel Truc were quickly overrun; six hundred had been butchered by the time the militiamen left off blood-letting and began pilfering. The liberated townspeople found the arrival of the redcoats a mixed blessing. As Bishop Stock caustically observed, "his Majesty's soldiers were incomparably superior to the Irish traitors, in dexterity at stealing." The last vestige of General Humbert's "Republic of Connacht" was erased amidst an orgy of British looting.
Far a(D)way from the (Bm)land of the (G)Shamrock and (F#m)heather
In (D)search of a (Bm)living, as (E7)exiles we (A7)roam
But when(D)ever we (Bm)chance to a(G)ssemble to(F#m)gether
We (D)think of the (Bm)land where we (A7)once had a (D)home:
But these (D)homes are de(Bm)stroyed and our (G)soil confis(F#m)cated
The (D)hand of the (Bm)tyrant brought (E7)plunder and (A7)woe;
The (D)fires are now (Bm)quenched and our (G)hearts deso(F#m)lated
In our (D)once happy (Bm)homes in the (A7)County Ma(D)yo
Long (D)years have now (Bm)passed since with (G)hearts full of (F#m)sorrow
The (D)land of the (Bm)Shamrock we (E7)left far be(A7)hind;
But (D)how we would (Bm)like to go (G)back there to(F#m)morrow;
To the (D)scenes of our (Bm)youth, which we (A7)still bear in (D)mind;
The (D)days of our (Bm)childhood, it's (G)now we re(F#m)call them
They (D)cling to our (Bm)vision wher(E7)ever we (A7)go;
And the (D)friends of our (Bm)youth we will (G)never for(F#m)get them
They (D)too are e(Bm)xiled from the (A7)County Ma(D)yo
From hi(D)storic Ki(Bm)llala, from (G)Swinford to (F#m)Calla
Bally(D)haunis and (Bm)Westport and (E7)old Castle(A7)bar
Kil(D)timagh and Clare(Bm)morris, Bel(G)mullet and (F#m)Erris
Kil(D)kelly and (Bm)Knock that is (A7)famed near and (D)far;
From (D)Balla, Ballin(Bm)robe, Ba(G)llina and Bo(F#m)hola
Kee(D)loges and (Bm)Foxford a (E7)few miles be(A7)low
(D)Newport and (Bm)Cong with old (G)Straide and Ma(F#m)nulla
(D)Charlestown (Bm)too, in the (A7)County Ma(D)yo
Then (D)on with the (Bm)cause 'till our (G)aim is a(F#m)ccomplished
(D)Those who would (Bm)fault us are (E7)cowardly and (A7)mean
So (D)stand in the (Bm)fight 'till the (G)tyrant is (F#m)vanquished
Ex(D)pelled from our (Bm)dear little (A7)Island of (D)Green
With the (D)foes of our (Bm)land we have (G)fought a long (F#m)battle
(D)Soon they will (Bm)get their last (E7)death-dealing (A7)blow
When old (D)Nick has re(Bm)ceived them, their (G)brains he will (F#m)rattle
For the (D)wrongs they have (Bm)done to the (A7)County Ma(D)yo
So (D)boys pull to(Bm)gether in (G)all kinds of (F#m)weather
Don't (D)show the white (Bm)feather wher(E7)ever you (A7)go
Act (D)each like a (Bm)brother and (G)help one a(F#m)nother
Like (D)true hearted (Bm)men from the (A7)County Ma(D)yo