The Ghosts of Dunboy / Jeff J Ward

THE SIEGE OF DUNBOY
In June 1602, at the besieged Dunboy Castle on the Beara peninsula in south-west Ireland, 143 men loyal to Donal Cam O’Sullivan Beare, Chief of Dunboy, held out heroically for ten days against a Royalist army of 5,000 sent, under Sir George Carew, to put down a clan rebellion in West Cork. Commanded by Capt Richard MacGeoghegan, supported by Friar Dominic Collins St, the castle was the last rebel stronghold in the south of Ireland in the Nine Years’ War (1593-1603) fought by Gaelic Irish chieftains against English rule. In the siege, the castle was reduced to ruins which remain as a symbol of that struggle.

THE GHOSTS OF DUNBOY

Donal, he was the Chief of Dunboy, against Queen Bess he did deploy
With the clans he stood his ground to resist the forces of the crown
And in the dark year 1602, to Beara came the cruel Carew
An army he had 5,000 strong, sent to crush the rebellion

Donal made ready for the fray and for reinforcements marched in vain
While MacGeoghegan, with a goodly friar, held Dunboy whose fate was dire
Betrayed by Owen, damn his eyes, the one who became the foe’s ally
He told how to crack the castle walls and relentless flew the cannonballs

CHORUS: Hey-now! Would you fight for your homeland?
Hey-now! Would you fight to the very last man?
The soul of Erin none can destroy
But now you’ll hear them call / but can’t you hear them call
– the ghosts of Dunboy

O’Sullivan’s band was brave and sure, but seven score men, hardly more
Ten days they held out, a desperate stand, showed Carew the defiant red hand
In cellars the last few barricaded, valiant still though hope had faded
MacGeoghegan to the Royalists fell, trying to blast them all to hell

Prisoners dragged to Castlehaven, sixty hanged, no-one could save them
For Carew he spoke with the devil’s breath, Friar Dominic too, put to death
Now Donal on the rampage went and after the west of Cork was rent
Battle-worn he looked to the north, and with his people he set forth

Written & produced by Jeff J Ward
Jeff: vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, bouzouki
Ecki Krupp: tenor banjo, Irish D whistle, bodhran
Eric Sijpestijn: bass guitar
Recorded at Sweet Ticket Music, Allihies, Beara, Aug-Sep 2017
Engineered by Chris Muijzert

https://jeffjward.bandcamp.com/

https://www.reverbnation.com/jeffjward

  / boundforbeara