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Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
And it's hush now don't you cry;
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
It's an Irish lullaby
Over in Killarney, many years ago,
My mother sang a song to me in tones so sweet and low;
Just a simple little ditty in her good old Irish way,
But I'd give the world if she could sing that song to me today:
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
And it's hush now don't you cry;
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
It's an Irish lullaby
Collected in 1951 from Betty Devereaux of Trepassey, NL, and published in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).
The YouTube video above features an excellent performance by Raymond Crooke who tells us that James Royce [1881-1946] was a prominent actor and composer of the Tin Pan Alley era. Born in Michigan, he added Shannon to his name to make it sound Irish, as Irish music was popular at the time. This is his best-known song, written in 1913 for the musical production by Chauncey Olcott, Shameen Dhu (Black-Haired Jimmy), which was staged in New York in 1914. Raymond adds that the song had a new lease on life when it was sung by Bing Crosby in the movie Going My Way (1944). It has since been sung by many artists, including Dean Martin, Bob McGrath and Van Morrison.
