Back to song list Previous song The Galway Races (1) Next song The Galway Races (3) THE GALWAY RACES (2) As I rode down to Galway Town to seek for recreation On the seventeen of August me mind being elevated There were multitudes assembled with their tickets at the station And me eyes beggan to dazzle and they off to see the races With me wack fol the do fol the diddle idle day There were passengers from Limerick and passengers from Nenagh The boys of Connemara and the Clare unmarried maiden There were people from Cork City who were loyal, true and faithful Who brought home the Fenian prisoners from dying in foreign nations With me wack fol the do fol the diddle idle day And it's there you see the pipers and the fiddlers competing And the sporting wheel of fortune and the four and twenty quaters And there's others without scruple pelting wattles at poor Maggie And her father well contented and he gazing at his daughter With me wack fol the do fol the diddle idle day And it's there you see the jockeys and they mounted on so stably The pink, the blue, the orange, and green the colours of our nation When the bell was rung for starting all the horses seemed impatient Their feet they hardly touched the ground the speed was so amazing! With me wack fol the do fol the diddle idle day There was half a million people there of all denominations The Catholic, the Protestant, the Jew the Presbyterian There was yet no animosity no matter what persuasion But failte hospitality Inducing fresh acquaintance With me wack fol the do fol the diddle idle day 135/319, 1516 characters