Dear Old Donegal

Bing Crosby

About Dear Old Donegal

"Dear Old Donegal" is an Irish-American song popularised by American singer Bing Crosby and written by Steve Graham. The song has an 'upbeat' rhythm and is meant to be the words of a poor Irishman who has to leave his homeland to go to United States, however, he gets to return to his native County Donegal after becoming successful in the United States. Dear Old Donegal was also performed by Judy Garland, Zina Bethune, and Vic Damone as part of the All-Purpose Holiday Medley on The Judy Garland Show in 1963. It was parodied by Allan Sherman on his album "My Son, the Folk Singer", as "Shake Hands With Your Uncle Max", using Jewish references rather than Irish. The tune of the song was used in the US comedy Family Guy for the song "Drunken Irish Dad", which was sung by Peter Griffin in the episode "Peter's Two Dads". The song was even nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. 


Year:
2013
2:40
63 
#2

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It seems like only yesterday
I sailed from out of Cork
A wanderer from Erin's isle
I landed in New York
There wasn't a soul to greet me there
A stranger on your shore
But Irish luck was with me here
And riches came galore
And now that I'm going back again
To dear old Erin's isle
My friends will meet me on the pier
And greet me with a smile
Their faces, sure, I've almost forgot
I've been so long away
But me mother will introduce them all
And this to me will say

Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy
And here is your sister, Kate
And there's the girl you used to swing
Down by the garden gate
Shake hands with all of the neighbours
And kiss the colleens all
You're as welcome as the flowers in May
To dear old Donnegal

They'll give a party when I go home
They'll come from near and far
They'll line the roads for miles and miles
With Irish jauntin' cars
The spirits'll flow and we'll be gay
We'll fill your hearts with joy
The piper'll play an Irish reel
To greet the Yankee boy
We'll dance and sing the whole night long
Such fun as never seen
The lads'll be decked in corduroy
The colleens wearin' green
There'll be thousands there that I never saw
I've been so long away
But me mother will introduce them all
And this to me will say

Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy
And here is your sister, Kate
And there's the girl you used to swing
Down by the garden gate
Shake hands with all of the neighbors
And kiss the colleens all
You're as welcome as the flowers in May
To dear old Donnegal

Meet Branigan, Fannigan, Milligan, Gilligan
Duffy, McCuffy, Malachy, Mahone
Rafferty, Lafferty, Donnelly, Connelly
Dooley, O'Hooley, Muldowney, Malone
Madigan, Cadigan, Lanihan, Flanihan
Fagan, O'Hagan, O'Hoolihan, Flynn
Shanihan, Manihan, Fogarty, Hogarty
Kelly, O'Kelly, McGuinness, McGuinn

Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy
And here is your sister, Kate
And there's the girl you used to swing
Down by the garden gate
Shake hands with all of the neighbors
And kiss the colleens all
You're as welcome as the flowers in May
To dear old Donnegal

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Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation. more »

31 fans

Written by: STEVE GRAHAM

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Release
"Dear Old Donegal" is a popular song performed by Bing Crosby. It was originally released in 1945.
Composer Info
The song was composed by Steve Graham, an English pianist, composer, and arranger of popular songs in the early to mid-20th century.
Singing Style
Bing Crosby delivers the song in his signature casual and relaxing singing style. It features the warm baritone voice for which he is widely recognized.
Movie Inclusion
"Dear Old Donegal" was featured in the 1946 movie "Welcome Stranger". The film starred Bing Crosby, Joan Caulfield, and Barry Fitzgerald.
Irish-inspired
The song has a clear Irish inspiration and celebrates the beauty and charm of Donegal, a county in Ireland.
Notable Performance
Crosby performed "Dear Old Donegal" in front of the U.S president Harry S. Truman at the White House, making it even more notable.
Chart Performance
Despite its popularity, the song didn’t make it to any notable music charts of the period.
Record Sales
The exact sales of "Dear Old Donegal" are not well-documented but being a Bing Crosby song, it’s generally assumed that it enjoyed a considerable amount of commercial success.
Distribution
This song was distributed by Decca Records, the label under which Crosby released most of his work.
Cultural Impact
Over the years, "Dear Old Donegal" has been covered by numerous artists worldwide and remains a staple in Irish-themed festivities, reflecting its enduring cultural impact.

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