Songs and Poems related to St Johnston and Carrigans
The Strabane Fleet
(a song sang to the Air of Limerick is
Beautiful)
Words Unknown
Come all you jolly seamen bold
That plough the raging main,
Give an ear unto my tragedy
And
I'll relate the same.
Our Shamrock slowly moved off,
And I in
her did go;
That very night at six o' clock
The stormy winds
did blow.
Her steaming works remained untouched
For two
long hours or more,
She logged and heaved most dangerously
Not
very far from shore.
Her cabin windows were all broke,
There
scarcely was left one.
When the Mate cries to the Captain
'Sir, we'll never reach Strabane.'
When we came to the
New-bridge,
No danger did we fear;
Our captain he stood on the
deck
And told me for to steer.
'Oh, it's steer your helm and
port, my boy,
With your bows towards the lan',
For I think
we'' have rough weather
Before we reach Strabane'.
The
raging seas rolled mountains high,
No mercy from the wave;
We
expected every minute
That we'd find a watery grave.
The
second shock the Shamrock got
All hands were bound to cry:
'May the Lord have mercy on our souls,
For near Prehan we lie'.
We took our way to Carrigans,
No danger did we fear,
But
looking towards St Johnston
No lighthouse did appear.
The
raging seas rolled mountains high
And the wind was blowing
strong,
When the Mate cries to the Captain:
'Sir! Oh,
yonder's Dunalong!'
Oh! it's Dunalong, that seaport town,
If we were landed there,
We would have the best of harbour,
And no danger might we fear.
We'll steer our course for Dunalong,
For I think it's our best plan
Or else the Shamrock might be lost
from
The fleet bound for Strabane.
The wind it changed to
the North-West,
And dreadful was the night,
We looked out
towards Porthall,
but we could see no light.
It's 'count your
men' the Captain cried,
'For I think we've lost M'Shane'.
It
was a dreadful passage
in the Fleet bound for Strabane.
The crew being hearty all the way,
They sang an old sea song;
'Oh, Molly, I love your daughter -
I love no other one'.
The
wind it changed to the North-East,
And then came on a squall:
All the grub we had on board
Was a bottle of castor oil.
Thank God we landed in Strabane,
No danger do we fear:
We'll
drink a health to seamen bold
And brave, while we lie here.
When looking over Derry Bridge
There is nothing half so gran'
As to view the fleet that sails the deep
From Derry to Strabane.