Star of the County Down

Lyrics
Near Banbridge town, in the County Down
One morning in July
Down a boreen green came a sweet colleen
And she smiled as she passed me by.
She looked so sweet from her two bare feet
To the sheen of her nut-brown hair
Such a coaxing elf, sure I shook myself
To make sure I was really there.

Chorus
From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay
And from Galway to Dublin town
No maid I've seen like the sweet colleen
That I met in the County Down.

As she onward sped I shook my head
And I gazed with a feeling rare
And I said, says I, to a passerby
"who's the maid with the nut-brown hair?"
He smiled at me, and with pride says he,
"That's the gem of Ireland's crown.
young Rosie McCann
from the banks of the Bann
She's the star of the County Down."

Chorus

I've traveled a bit, but never was hit
Since my roving career began
But fair and square I surrendered there
To the charms of young Rose McCann.
I'd a heart to let and no tenant yet
Did I meet with in shawl or gown
But in she went and I asked no rent
From the star of the County Down.

Chorus

At the harvest fair I'll be surely there
And I'll dress in my Sunday clothes
And I'll try sheep's eyes, and deludhering lies
On the heart of the nut-brown rose.
No pipe I'll smoke, no horse I'll yoke
Though with rust my plow turns brown
Till a smiling bride by my own fireside
Sits the star of the County Down.

Chorus

"Star of the County Down" is an old Irish ballad which shares its melody with the church hymn "Led By the Spirit" and many other works. The song is notable for its particularly intricate rhyme scheme, whereby the lines are in rhyming couplets, but every line also has an internal rhyme on the second and fourth feet.

The song is sung from the point of view of a young man who chances to meet a charming lady by the name of Rose (or Rosie) McCann, referred to as the "star of the County Down". From a brief encounter the writer's infatuation grows until, by the end of the ballad, he imagines wedding the girl.

Recordings

It has been covered by many artists, including:

• Van Morrison
• The Pogues
• The Chieftains
• The Flash Girls
• Béla Fleck and the Flecktones on their 1991 album Flight of the Cosmic Hippo
• Yo-Yo Ma
• The Irish Rovers
• Neck
• Orthodox Celts
• Energy Orchard on their 1993 album Shinola, which features a hard-rock version of the song
• Ehud Banai, a version in Hebrew, called "HaKochav shel Mahoz Gush Dan" ('the star of the Gush Dan county', Gush Dan being a major area in central Israel)
• Slainte, who placed their cover of the song for free download on MP3.com where it was several times the most frequently downloaded song of the day
• The North Shore Celtic Ensemble
• The Wolfe Tones

External links

• MIDI version of the tune, some history of the work (page plays music even before download)
• allmusic.com list of albums featuring versions of the song
• Link to a free download of Slainte's version of the song (hosted by archive.org).