In the [D] days I went es-[A] courtin',
I was [A] never tired of [D] sportin'
to an [D] ale house or a [A] playhouse,
And [A] many's a house be- [D] sides
But I told me brother Seamus,
I'd go off and be right famous,
And I never would return again,
'til I roamed the whole worldwide.

(CHORUS
Goodbye, Muirsheen Durkin,
I'm sick and tired of workin'
No more I'll dig for praties,
And no longer I'll be fooled
As sure as me name is Carney,
I'll be off to Californey
Where instead of digging praties,
I'll be digging lumps of gold)

I've courted girls in Blarney,
in Kanturk and in Killarney
In passage and in Queenstown,
that is the Cove of Cork
Goodbye to all me pleasure
I'm away to get me leisure
And the next thing that you'll hear from me,
will be a letter from New York.

CHORUS

Goodbye to all the girls at home,
I'm leaving far across the foam
To try and make me fortune in far Amerikay
There's gold and jewels a-plenty,
For the poor and for the gentry
And I never will return again,
I never more will say.

CHORUS

The seminal version is of course the Dubliners on the Ed Sullivan show.
Regarding the tune: Ted Furey knew this tune under the name of "Mrs. Dirkin" and used to play it with two other famous polkas in the setting that follows :
1 - Maggie in the wood
2 - Rakes of Mallow
3 - Mrs Dirkin
Thus, the name of the set : The three Maggies
It can be heard on "Special instrumental - Le fiddle irlandais" for those who can find the vinyl edition. I don't think it has never been released on CD.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by alcofribas