Oh, our troop was made ready at the dawning of the day,
From lovely Enniskillen, they were marching us away;
They put us onaboard a ship to cross the raging main,
For to fight the bloody battle in the sunny land of Spain.
Fare thee well Enniskillen, fare thee well for awhile,
And all around the borders of Erin’s green isle;
And when the war is over, we’ll return in full bloom,
And you’ll all welcome home the Enniskillen Dragoons.
Oh, Spain it is a gallant land where wine and ale flow free,
And there’s lots of lovely women there to dandle on your knee;
And often in a tavern there, we’d make the rafters ring,
When every soldier in the house would raise lift glass and sing.
Fare thee well Enniskillen, fare thee well for awhile,
And all around the borders of Erin’s green isle;
And when the war is over, we’ll return in full bloom,
And you’ll all welcome home the Enniskillen Dragoons.
Well we fought for Ireland’s glory there and many a man did fall,
From musket and from bayonet and from thundering cannonball;
And many a foeman we laid low amid the battle throng,
As we prepared for action, you would often hear this song.
Fare thee well Enniskillen, fare thee well for awhile,
And all around the borders of Erin’s green isle;
And when the war is over, we’ll return in full bloom,
And you’ll all welcome home the Enniskillen Dragoons.
Well, now the fighting’s over, and for home we have set sail,
Our flag above this lofty ship is fluttering in the gale;
They’ve given us a pension, boys, of fourpence every day,
And when we reach Enniskillen, never more we’ll have to say.
Fare thee well Enniskillen, fare thee well for awhile,
And all around the borders of Erin’s green isle;
And when the war is over, we’ll return in full bloom,
And you’ll all welcome home the Enniskillen Dragoons.
Fare thee well Enniskillen, fare thee well for awhile,
And all around the borders of Erin’s green isle;
And when the war is over, we’ll return in full bloom,
And you’ll all welcome home the Enniskillen Dragoons.
There are at least three versions of this song, the first listed below(Enniskillen Dragoons 1) is that which has been recorded, the second (Enniskillen Dragoons 2) is most likely the original from which the popular version has come and the third (Enniskillen Dragoons 3), a version written and recorded by Tommy Makem.