Misc Traditional – Creggan White Hare (Guitar)

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In the lowland of Creggan, there lives a white hare,

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As swift as the swallow that flies through that air.

        C                        Em          G
You may tramp the world over but none can compare

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With the pride of low Creggan, the bonnie white hare.

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One clean autumn morning, as you may suppose,

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The red golden sun o’er the green mountain rose.

       C                    Em       G
Barney Conway came down and he did declare,

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“This day I’ll put an end to that bonnie white hare.”

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He searched through the lowlands and down through the glens,

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And among the wild bushes where the white hare had ends,

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Till at last coming home o’er the heather so bare,

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From behind a wild thistle jumped out the white hare.

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“Bang! bang!” went his gun and his dog it slipped too.

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As swift as the wind over the green mountain flew.

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But the dog soon came back, which made poor Barney sigh,

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For he knew that the white hare had bid him goodbye.

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We’re some jolly sportsmen down here from Pomeroy

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From Cookstown, Dungannon, and likewise the Moy.

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With our pedigree greyhounds we’ve travelled afar

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And we’ve come down to Creggan in our fine motor car.

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Away to the lowlands these huntsmen did go

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In search of the white hare they look high and low,

        C                       Em          G
Till at last Barney Conway on a bog bank so bare

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Shouted out to these huntsmen, “There lies the white hare.”

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They call up their greyhounds from off the green lea

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And Barney and the huntsmen they jumped high with glee,

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For there on the turf bank all gathered around,

C                   D                      Em C
Seven dogs and nine men did that poor hare surround.

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No wonder the white hare did tremble with fear

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As she stood on her toes and would raise her big ears,

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But she stood on her toes and with one gallant spring,

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She cleared over the greyhounds and broke through the ring.

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Well the chase I went on, ’twas beautiful view

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As swift as the wind o’er the green mountains flew.

         C                         Em        G
But with pedigree greyhounds, they didn’t go far.

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They come back and went home in their fine motor car.

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There come another man and you all know him well;

                G                       D
His name is Pat Devlin and Bonnie Black Nell.

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In search of the white hare, he says, “I’ll have fun.

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Here’s fifty to one that Black Nell does her turn.”

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Five turns the hare got then from Bonnie Black Nell,

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And the sixth one was given around John Haughey’s well.

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‘Twas there we lost sight of the hare and the dog,

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And ten minutes later they come o’er the bog.

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Well, the chase it went on. It was great for to see.

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The white hare and the greyhound they roamed light and free,

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Till she travelled to Esker where she knew the lands well,

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And to Bonnie Black Nell she soon bid farewell.

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And now to conclude and finish it’s time.

                 G                        D
I hope you’ll forgive me for singing this rhyme.

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If there’s any amongst you in Carrick more fair,

       C         D                     Em    C
Let’s drink up a health to that bonnie white hare.