Kilkelly Ireland by Peter Jones
Key: AmAm | Capo: 0fr |  Left-Handed 

    


Intro
Am  F  G  Am 
Verse 1
Am                  F              G                  Am
Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 60, my dear and loving son John
Am                                 F                G
Your good friend the schoolmaster Pat McNamara's so good
                         Am
As to write these words down.
        C                       G
Your brothers have all gone to find work in England,
      F                    Em
The house is so empty and sad
     Am                    F
The crop of potatoes is sorely infected,
    G                      Am
A third to a half of them bad.
      C                     G
And your sister Brigid and Patrick O'Donnell
      F                     Em
Are going to be married in June.
       Am                 F
Your mother says not to work on the railroad
     G                        Am
And be sure to come on home soon.
Verse 2
Am                  F              G                  Am
Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 70, dear and loving son John
Am                                 F                G
Hello to your Mrs and to your 4 children,
                         Am
May they grow healthy and strong.
        C                       G
Michael has got in a wee bit of trouble,
      F                    Em
I guess that he never will learn.
     Am                    F
Because of the dampness there's no turf to speak of
    G                      Am
And now we have nothing to burn.
      C                     G
And Brigid is happy, you named a child for her
      F                     Em
And now she's got six of her own.
       Am                 F
You say you found work, but you don't say
     G                        Am
What kind or when you will be coming home.
Verse 3
Am                  F              G                  Am
Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 80, dear Michael and John, my sons
Am                                 F                G
I'm sorry to give you the very sad news
                         Am
That your dear old mother has gone.
        C                       G
We buried her down at the church in Kilkelly,
      F                    Em
Your brothers and Brigid were there.
     Am                    F
You don't have to worry, she died very quickly,
    G                      Am
Remember her in your prayers.
      C                     G
And it's so good to hear that Michael's returning,
      F                     Em
With money he's sure to buy land
       Am                 F
For the crop has been poor and the people
     G                        Am
Are selling at any price that they can.
Verse 4
Am                  F              G                  Am
Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 90, my dear and loving son John
Am                                 F                G
I guess that I must be close on to eighty,
                         Am
It's thirty years since you're gone.
        C                       G
Because of all of the money you send me,
      F                    Em
I'm still living out on my own.
     Am                    F
Michael has built himself a fine house
    G                      Am
And Brigid's daughters have grown.
      C                     G
Thank you for sending your family picture,
      F                     Em
They're lovely young women and men.
       Am                 F
You say that you might even come for a visit,
     G                        Am
What joy to see you again.
(this part sounds good with or without the guitar but it does
slow down and it becomes very slow at the end)
Verse 5]
Am                  F              G                  Am
Kilkelly, Ireland, 18 and 92, my dear brother John
Am                                 F                G
I'm sorry that I didn't write sooner
                         Am
to tell you that father passed on.
        C                       G
He was living with Brigid, she says he was cheerful
      F                    Em
And healthy right down to the end.
     Am                    F
Ah, you should have seen him play with
    G                      Am
The grandchildren of Pat McNamara, your friend.
      C                     G
And we buried him alongside of mother,
      F                     Em
Down at the Kilkelly churchyard.
       Am                 F
He was a strong and a feisty old man,
    G                      Am
Considering his life was so hard.
      C                     G
And it's funny the way he kept talking about you,
      F                     Em
He called for you in the end.
     Am                    F
Oh, why don't you think about coming to visit,
    G                      Am
We'd all love to see you again.