The Official Ballad of Rory McGuinness

"The Ballad of Rory McGuinness" recounts one storylline from "An Involuntary King". In typical ballad custom it highly simplifies the circumstances of and facts of the event it immortalizes. But you'll have to read the book to see what really happened! As it is, the ballad was rewritten to reflect the new storyline as opposed to the one I wrote in about 1968 which hardly resembles the new version at all. I hope to have a recording of the ballad to share with you soon.

The Ballad of Rory McGuinness

By "Shannon O'Neill"

Come gather around, and I'll sing you a song,
Of Rory McGuinness, who did no man wrong,
But ended his life at the end of a rope
Taking away all our joys and our hope.

Sing a tooralay tooralay, God send you sleep
For all who did love you will ne'er cease to weep.

We traveled along with the Queen's company
To the land of her birth her kin for to see.
'Twas then that the villains did usurp the throne,
And our lonely Queen could not flee to her home.

Sing a tooralay tooralay, God send you sleep
For all who did love you will ne'er cease to weep.

The King and his warriors they wasted no time
And rushed to the fortress to punish the crime
But seeking his lady was left to our dear
And Rory did find her, so never you fear.

Sing a tooralay tooralay, God send you sleep
For all who did love you will ne'er cease to weep.

She was back in her lord's arms when Rory was caught
And thrown in a dungeon, escape he could not.
O'Donnell accused him of spying, you see,
So the gallows became Rory's cruel destiny.

Sing a tooralay tooralay, God send you sleep
For all who did love you will ne'er cease to weep.

As he stood on the scaffold he cast down his gaze
And thought of the vow to love all his days
The beautiful Queen he had freed from her sorrow
Knowing his troth would not last till the morrow.

Sing a tooralay tooralay, God send you sleep
For all who did love you will ne'er cease to weep.

When Rory McGuinness he died on that day
For us all did the light of the sun go away
Never again will we see his broad smile
'Til we all meet again on Tir nan Og's far isle.

Sing a tooralay tooralay, God send you sleep
For all who did love you will ne'er cease to weep.