This is the tale my great grandfather, Martin Little told my father when he was a boy. Martin had begun a new life in America, away from the unrest and hard times - but he loved his native Ireland and had a great concern for its people. The first two verses tell Martin's emmigration story, the last two focus on his concern and his prayer for peace. This is Martin's story;

Look Ahead Tommy

The land was rich in beauty, magic and song
But it was hard to raise a family, working someone else's land
So we kissed our Mom and sisters, our Dad he gave use fare
With me brothers Sean and Michael, I left them standin' there
So long ago

We worked a time in England, and we sent a bit back home
But Michael took to drinkin' and in two years he was gone
I moved on to Boston when Sean joined the Fusiliers
And I haven't seen the others for five and thirty years
to the day

Chorus:
Look ahead Tommy
This Boston life is kind
And you can build a better world
Then the one I left behind
Look ahead Tommy
And don't forget your name
Is a tribute to the land from which we came

In Galway and Kilkenny, where our friends and cousins many
Since nineteen hundred twenty, have been war torn by the day
In a land that's rife with troubles, we often share their struggles
In our hearts and in our prayers, your grandmother and me
Everyday

Go to Chorus

In Galway and Kilkenny, when the fightin' dies away
And peace returns to Ireland, so many miles away
Count your blessings in the new world, tell your children of their start
Oh and take me back to Ireland, if it's only in your heart
One day

Go to Chorus