Misc Traditional – Kilkelly Ireland (Guitar)

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Chords

[Intro] Em G D Em x2
Em                 G             D                   Em
Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 60, my dear and loving son John

Em                                G                 D
Your good friend the schoolmaster Pat McNamara's so good

                        Em
As to write these words down.

     G                         D
Your brothers have all gone to find work in England,

    C                     D
The house is so empty and sad

    Em                  G
The crop of potatoes is sorely infected,

  D                       Em
A third to a half of them bad.

    G                      D
And your sister Brigid and Patrick O'Donnell

    C                      D
Are going to be married in June.

Em                      G
Your mother says not to work on the railroad

    D                       Em
And be sure to come on home soon.

Em                 G          D                   Em
Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 70, dear and loving son John

Em                    G
Hello to your Mrs and to your 4 children,

D                         Em
May they grow healthy and strong.

G                    D
Michael has got in a wee bit of trouble,

  C                          D
I suppose that he never will learn.

Em                              G
Because of the dampness there's no turf to speak of

    D                      Em
And now we have nothing to burn.

    G                    D
And Brigid is happy, you named a child for her

    C                        D
And now she's got six of her own.

    Em                          G
You say you found work, but you don't say

             D                       Em
What kind or when you will be coming home.

Em                 G               D                    Em
Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 80, dear Michael and John, my sons

Em                        G
I'm sorry to give you the very sad news

          D                   Em
That your dear old mother has gone.

   G                      D
We buried her down at the church in Kilkelly,

     C                        D
Your brothers and Brigid were there.

    Em                       G
You don't have to worry, she died very quickly,

  D                  Em
Remember her in your prayers.

         G                    D
And it's so good to hear that Michael's returning,

     C                      D
With money he's sure to buy land

        Em                         G
For the crop has been poor and the people

            D                      Em
Are selling at any price that they can.

Em                 G             D                   Em
Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 90, my dear and loving son John

Em                  G
I suppose I must be close on to eighty,

D                              Em
It's thirty years since you're gone.

  G                   D
Because of all of the money you send me,

    C                      D
I'm still living out on my own.

Em                   G
Michael has built himself a fine house

    D                       Em
And Brigid's daughters have grown.

G                          D
Thank you for sending your family picture,

        C                      D
They're lovely young women and men.

    Em                      G
You say that you might even come for a visit,

D                    Em
What joy to see you again.
[Bridge] Em G D Em
Em                 G       D                  Em
Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 92, my dear brother John

    Em                        G                 D                   Em
I'm sorry that I didn't write sooner to tell you that father passed on.

       G                       D
He was living with Brigid, she says he was cheerful

    C                         D
And healthy right down to the end.

    Em                               G
Ah, you should have seen him playing with

                  D                     Em
The grandchildren of Pat McNamara, your friend.

    G              D
And we buried him alongside of mother,

     C                     D
Down at the Kilkelly churchyard.

Em                    G
He was a strong and a feisty old fellow,

   D                        Em
Considering his life was so hard.

         G                     D
And it's funny the way he kept talking about you,

   C                     D
He called for you at the end.

    Em                        G
Oh, why don't you think about coming to visit,

     D                   Em
We'd all love to see you again.