She is the most beautiful girl in town yet no man dares approach her. A lovely song from the pen of Irish songwriter Percy French. Everyone knows this song from the Dubliners, but Sophie came across a version by Cathy Jordan, the Dervish singer, which inspired her own. The backroom session in Mulligans did the rest!
Lyrics:
Eileen Og and that the darling’s name is
Through the Barony her features they were famous
If we loved her then who was there to blame us
For wasn’t she the Pride of Petravore?
But her beauty made us all so shy
Not a man could look her in the eye
Boys, Oh boys, sure that’s the reason why
We’re in mourning for the Pride of Petravore
Eileen Og me heart is growing grey
Ever since the day you wandered far away
Eileen Og there’s good fish in the say
But there’s none of them like the Pride of Petravore
Friday at the fair of Ballintubber
Eileen met McGrath the cattle jobber
I’d like to set me mark upon the robber
For he stole away the Pride of Petravore
He never seemed to see the girl at all
Even when she ogled him from underneath her shawl
Looking big and masterful when she was looking small
Most provoking for the Pride of Petravore
Eileen Og me heart is growing grey
Ever since the day you wandered far away
Eileen Og there’s good fish in the say
But there’s none of them like the Pride of Petravore
So it went as ’twas in the beginning
Eileen Og was bent upon the winning
Big McGrath contentedly was grinning
Being courted by the Pride of Petravore
Says he: “I know a girl that could knock you into fits”
At that Eileen nearly lost her wits
The upshot of the ruction was that now the robber sits
With his arm around the Pride of Petravore
Eileen Og me heart is growing grey
Ever since the day you wandered far away
Eileen Og there’s good fish in the say
But there’s none of them like the Pride of Petravore
Boys oh boys, with fate ’tis hard to grapple
Of my eyes Eileen she was the apple
Now to see her walking to the chapel
With the hardest featured man of Petravore
Now, boys, this is all I have to say:
When you do your courting, be sure make no display
If you want them to run after you, just walk the other way
For they’re mostly like the Pride of Petravore
Eileen Og me heart is growing grey
Ever since the day you wandered far away
Eileen Og there’s good fish in the say
But there’s none of them like the Pride of Petravore
***We do not own the copyright to these lyrics by Percy French. If the rightful owners object to our publication of these lyrics, they can contact us and we will immediately take them down.***
The Lasses 