''The Rocks of Bawn'' is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

traditional folk song, likely originating in County Galway in the early 18th century. It has been catalogued in the '' Roud Folk Song Index'', as number 3024. It has been recorded and sung publicly by numerous Irish folk singers. The meaning of the song has been debated, but may refer to the displacement of native Irish farmers from their traditional lands during the reign of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

, owing to the fact that some versions reference

Patrick Sarsfield Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan, ga, Pádraig Sáirseál, circa 1655 to 21 August 1693, was an Irish soldier, and leading figure in the Jacobite army during the 1689 to 1691 Williamite War in Ireland. Born into a wealthy Catholic famil ...

, 1st Earl of Lucan, a Jacobite leader during the 17th century. Moreover, the location of the eponymous Rocks of Bawn has been a source of discussion and curiosity for many years. Frank McNally of the

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

attempted to locate them, and decided that multiple sites could be considered, but the song's age precluded answering with any certainty.

Lyrics

:Come all you loyal heroes wherever you might be :Don’t hire with any master till you know what your work will be :For he will rise you early from the clear daylight till dawn :And you never will be able for to plough the Rocks of Bawn :Oh, rise up lovely Sweeney and give your horse some hay :and give him out a feed of oats before you start the day :Don’t feed him on soft turnips, take him to yon green lawn :And then he will be able for to plough the Rocks of Bawn :Well, my curse attend you Sweeney, you have me nearly robbed :you’re sitting by the fire side with your ''dúidín'' in your gob :Sitting by the fire side from the clear daylight till dawn :And you never will be able for to plough the Rocks of Bawn :Oh I wish the Queen of England would send for me in time :And place me in some regiment all in my youth and prime :And I’d fight for Ireland’s glory from the clear daylight till dawn :And I never will return again for to plough the Rocks Of Bawn

Performances

* The

Clancy Brothers The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumper sweaters and are widely credited with popu ...

and

Tommy Makem Thomas Makem (4 November 1932 – 1 August 2007) was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banj ...

Joe Heaney Joe Heaney (AKA Joe Éinniú; Irish: Seosamh Ó hÉanaí) (1 October 1919 – 1 May 1984) was an Irish traditional ( sean nós) singer from County Galway, Ireland. He spent most of his adult life abroad, living in England, Scotland and New York ...

Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. In addition to his significant success as an individual, he is one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts. His first album, ...

Paul Brady Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Strabane, Northern Ireland. His work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. Initially popular for playing ...

Liam O'Flynn Liam Óg O'Flynn ( ga, Liam Ó Floinn, 15 September 1945 – 14 March 2018) was an Irish uilleann piper and Irish traditional musician. In addition to a solo career and as a member of Planxty, O'Flynn recorded with: Christy Moore, Dónal Lun ...

* Séamus Ennis *The Jolly Rogers

References

{{Reflist Rocks of Bawn