From
Kickham, Charles Joseph. Knocknagow; or, The Homes of Tipperary. Dublin: A.M. Sullivan, 1879.

(This is a popular book that has been reprinted many times. The scene described here takes place in Liverpool.)

"Well," he replied, "when I had administered the Sacraments to her, and remained some time by her bedside, I thought I noticed that she wished to say something to me, but hesitated to speak.... So when I was going I asked her was there anything on her mind that was troubling her.

"'There is then, sir,' said she, 'but maybe 'tisn't much, an' I oughtn't to be bothering you with it....

"'Well, sir,' she said, looking anxiously into my face, 'I'd like to know will my soul pass through Ireland?'"

[The above line has been quoted in several other works, and I assume it inspired the following poem.]

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First 2 verses copied from

Meehan, Eleanor Childs. Memories of a Red-Letter Summer. Cincinnati: The Robert Clarke Co, 1903, p 102.

--which seems to be more reliable though it is incomplete; and the remainder copied from a genealogy web site, where it is said to come from The Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, USA; Feb 15, 1880:

WILL MY SOUL PASS THROUGH IRELAND?
[Dennis O'Sullivan?]

1. "Oh, Soggarth Aroon! sure I know life is fleeting;
Soon, soon in the strange earth my poor bones will lie;
I have said my last prayer and received my last blessing,
And if the Lord's willing, I'm ready to die.
But, Soggarth Aroon! can I never again see
The valleys and hills of my dear native land?
When my soul takes its flight from this dark world of sorrow,
Will it pass through old Ireland to join the blest band?

2. "Oh, Soggarth Aroon! sure I know that in heaven
The loved ones are waiting and watching for me;
And the Lord knows how anxious I am to be with them
In those realms of joy, with the souls pure and free.
Yet, Soggarth, I pray, ere you leave me forever,
Relieve the last doubt of a poor, dying soul,
Whose hope, next to God, is to know that when leaving,
'Twill pass through old Ireland on the way to its goal.

3. "O Soggarth Aroon! I have kept through all changes
The thrice blessed shamrock to lay o'er my clay;
[THERE SEEMS TO BE A MISSING LINE HERE.—JD]
And oh, it has 'minded me, so far, far away.
Then tells me, I pray you, will I ever again see
The place where it grew, on my own native sod?
When my body lies cold in the land of the stranger,
Will my soul pass through Erin on its way to our God?"

4. "Arrah, bless you, my child, sure I thought it was heaven
You wanted to go to the moment you died,
And such is the place on the ticket I'm given,
But a coupon for Ireland I'll stick to its side:
Your soul shall be free as the wind o'er the prairies,
And I'll land you at Cork on the banks of the Lee;
And two little angels I'll give you, like fairies,
To guide you all right over mountain and lea."

5. "Arrah, Soggarth Aroon! Can't you do any better?
I know that my feeling may peril your grace,
[ANOTHER LINE MISSING HERE?]
I won't make a landing at any such place.
The spot I long for is sweet Enniskillen,
As among the far down I was born and bred—
The Corkies I never much fancied while living,
And I don't want to visit them after I'm dead.

6. "Let me fly to the hills where my soul can make merry,
In the north, where the shamrock more plentiful grows;
In the county of Cavan, Fermanagh and Derry
I'll linger till called to a better repose.
And the angels you give me will find it inviting
To visit the shrines in the Island of Saints;
If they bring from St. Patrick's a small bit of writing
They'll never have a reason for any complaints."

7. "A soul, my dear child, that has pinions upon it
Need not be confined to a province so small—
Though Ulster and Munster, and Leinster and Connaught—
In less than a jiffy you're over it all.
Then visit sweet Cork, where your Soggarth was born,
No doubt many new things have come into vogue,
But one thing you'll find, that, both night, noon and morn,
As for centuries back, there's no change in the brogue."

8. "Good Mother, assist me in this my last hour.
[ANOTHER LINE MISSING HERE?]
And, Soggarth for all, and for all you have power,
And I take it as penance for what I have said;
And now, since you tell me through Ireland I'm passing,
And finding the place so remarkably small,
I'll never let on to the angels in crossing
That we know a distinction in counties at all."

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Soggarth aroon = dear priest