Thanks for that, John.

The set John F. gave me is a photocopy of a manuscript in his own hand - complete with with old script in the occasional Irish word! Minor differences from the version Una gave you:

----------------------------------------------
1. Down by the Clarin's mossy banks one evening I did stray,
To while away those leisure hours before the close of day,
When my mind began to wander to days now long gone by,
When I roamed as free as gaoith na Síogh, o'er the Fields of Athenry.

2. How often with our dogs and sticks, just at the break of day,
Barefooted o'er the dew clad grass we carelessly did stray,
To hunt the rabbit and course the hare, 'til the moon rose in the sky,
Ah those were the happy days we spent, round the Fields of Athenry.

3. We had some famous hunting dogs I'll mention but a few,
We had Speed and Spot and Rebel, we had noble Murty too,
But Bruno was the king of all as o'er the sod he'd fly,
And t'was woe betide the hare that strayed 'round the Fields of Athenry.

4. As the sun went down a hare we found upon Greg Abbey hill,
And the hunt we had that evening is in my memory still,
We were hungry and our dogs were tired but we made off in full cry,
As for Toorkeel the hare did wheel, from the Fields of Athenry.

5. Our hunting done by the bright new moon our homeward trek we'd make,
Across the bogs to Poll Mhic Eoin by Cahertubber Lake,
And then we'd climb up Crocán Cower, the lights of home to spy,
And we'd hear the curlews plaintive call, o'er the Fields of Athenry.

6. Now Crocán Cower, that fairy hill it is no longer there,
The gravel trucks have hauled it off to Galway city fair,
To make concrete for foundations and the fairies had to fly,
Before diggers and bulldozers in the Fields of Athenry.

7. I remember well young Timmy, he was wild and had no care,
As he sped across the moorland you could see his flaxen hair,
Just to watch himself and Rebel, it would fill your heart with joy,
As they hunted for the rabbits 'round the Fields of Athenry.

8. I recall to mind young Joseph, who joined the Irish Guards,
He was tall and fair with blonde hair, he outran us all by yards,
But I know in all his wandering beneath that alien sky,
His heart was home a hunting 'round the Fields of Athenry.

9. All through those long hot Summer days through those green fields we'd stray,
And the youthful blood flowed in our veins and death seemed far away,
Sure we thought we were immortal, that 'twas just the old that die,
Ah but now there's few of those friends I knew, 'round the Fields of Athenry.

10. There's no heath on the moorland where once we coursed the hare,
The furzy hills where the rabbits were, they now look gaunt and bare,
Where Bruno made that mighty leap, as the pheasant rose on high,
Where that runnach grew there's houses now, in that Field near Athenry.

11. And now I'm old and my head is grey and I'm bowed with the weight of years,
When I think about those happy times my eyes grow dim with tears,
Ah but still I like to ramble where the trout rise to the fly,
Down by the Clarin's mossy banks that flows through Athenry.

12. The Good Lord soon will come for me and my final peace be made,
In that hallowed hill above the town it's there I will be laid,
But when the final judgement comes with it's fanfare from the sky,
I will rise up then and hunt again through the Fields of Athenry.


Note: "runnach" is the Irish word raithneach = furze.

With John's full knowledge, I still stick to singing essentially verses 1,2,3,9,12 distilling it down to the hunting images. It's a fine song at any length IMHO!

Regards