Christmas Time In Ireland (Collected by MacEdward Leach)

At Christmas time in Ireland all the holly branches twine,
At stately hall in golden all and grey,
And tall among the branches the holly-berry shines,
At Christmas time in Ireland far away.

Bright ribbon and the mistletoe make those kindling Irish eyes
Cheer for the greetings of the day,
The greetings and the blessings from the Irish hearts that rise,
At Christmas time in Ireland far away

At Christmas time in Ireland there is feasting, there is song,
Merrily the fife and fiddle play,
Lightly dance the colleens, the boys the evening long,
At Christmas time in Ireland far away.

At Christmas time in Ireland there is sorrow too for those
Who are scattered far in exile sadly straight,
Many's the prayer in silence for a friend below us flow,
At Christmas time in Ireland far away.

Then amid the greetings are a hope to banish fear,
That God might send them safely back someday,
To know again the happiness that had long ago been there,
At Christmas time in Ireland far away.

####.... Denis Aloysius McCarthy, American (Irish-born) poet [1879-1930] (A Round Of Rimes, Review Publishing Company, p.71, 1900); and (Voices From Erin: And Other Poems, Angel Guardian Press, Boston, p.59, 1906) ....####

This variant collected in 1951 from Mrs. Bulger of Trepassey, NL, and published in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).

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