> Peter Bellamy > Songs > The Lisburn Lass

The Lisburn Lass

[ Roud 5694 ; Ballad Index RcLisLas ; trad.]

Geordie Hanna of Derrytresk, Co Tyrone learned The Lisburn Lass from Jimmy Robinson from Maghery and sang it on his 1978 album Geordie Hanna Sings and on his posthumous 2002 album The Fisher’s Cot. Séan O Boyle noted on the first album:

Many admirers of Geordie Hanna’s technique consider that his singing of this song is the finest example of his style. Here we have, at its best, his art of melodic embellishment and rhythmic variation, and we can feel his own emotional involvement in the story he has to tell.

Mary Anne Connelly sang The Lisburn Lass in her cottage, Wattlebridge, Co Fermanagh on 6 August 1980 to Keith Summers and James Halpin. This recording was included in 2004 on the Musical Traditions anthology of football, hunting and other traditional songs from around Lough Erne’s shore from the Keith Summers collection, The Hardy Sons of Dan. Rod Stradling noted:

The only other example of this song in Roud is that by Geordie Hanna of Derrytresk, Co Tyrone. Lisburn is in Co Antrim, southwest of Belfast.

Peter Bellamy learnt The Lisburn Lass from Geordie Hanna of County Tyrone and sang it unaccompanied in 1983 on his privately issued cassette of English, Irish, Australian and American traditional songs, Fair Annie.

Lyrics

Mary Anne Connelly sings The Lisburn Lass

Saying, you girls and boys where e’er you be,
I hope you’ll listen unto me,
And for those few lines that I here write down
In praise of a maiden in Lisburn town.

She is tall and straight, likewise complete
Like waxwork made from head to feet.
Yet my heart does rend when I do her pass,
For I’m deep in love with the Lisburn lass.

The very next time I saw this maid,
I vowed she’d have my heart betrayed,
Till at length her parents did on me frown,
I was forced to list in Lisburn town.

“O Henry, dear”, this maid did say,
“What tempted you for to list that day?
And leave your parents of high renown
And to go and list in Lisburn Town?”

Saying, “It’s fare thee well father and mother too,
Unto you all I am bidding adieu.
All by my foes I am here cut down
For loving a maiden in Lisburn town.”

Peter Bellamy sings The Lisburn Lass

Young boys and girls wherever you be
Come pay attention unto me.
In these few lines I have penned down
All about the lass of Lisburn town.

For it happened in the harvest year
As I walked up, the day being clear.
And in going home, these words I said:
“O I am deep in love with the Lisburn maid.”

For she’s proper tall, she’s all complete,
Like some waxwork beauty from head to feet.
And my heart do rend when I see her pass,
For I am deep in love with that Lisburn lass.

But everything kept to going round
Until her parents on me did frown,
Until her parents all on me did frown
And I was forced to list in Lisburn town.

“But them, Willy dear,” this young maid did say,
“What has tempted you to go away?
I would leave my parents of high renown
And I would go with you from Lisburn town.”

But off to India I had to go,
Off to fight and face the foe.
Not knowing when the ball might cut me down
And I must bit adieu to Lisburn town.

Now farewell, father and mother too,
Likewise my darling I bid adieu.
For these cruel foes they have cut me down,
So farewell, my love and Lisburn town.