Dennis O'Reilly
My name is Dennis O'Reilly
From Dublin town I came
For to sail this world all over
I sailed the Australian main
With my pack upon my shoulder
And a blackthorn in my hand
For to travel the bushes of Australia
Like a trueborn Irishman
When I arrived in Melbourne town
The girls all jumped with joy
Saying one unto another
Here comes my Irish boy
With his pack upon his shoulder
And a blackthorn in his hand
For to travel the bushes of Australia
Like a trueborn Irishman
Oh, daughter dearest daughter
What do you intend to do
To fall in love with an Irishman
A man you never knew
Oh mother dearest mother
I'll do the best I can
I'll travel the bushes of Australia
With my trueborn Irishman
With my pack upon my shoulder
And my blackthorn in my hand,
I'll travel the bushes of Australia
Like a trueborn Irishman.
Notes
Collected by John Meredith via Dr English who heard it from Edwin Goodwin, a patient in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. See another song in this collection, 'With My Swag All on My Shoulder'. The tunes of both songs are variants of the Irish tune 'Boys of Wexford' a ballad commemorating the Vinegar Hill uprising.