'Twas on a dreary New Year's Eve as the shade of night came down A lorry load of Volunteers approached the border town There were men from Dublin and from Cork, Fermanagh, and Tyrone And the leader was a Limerick man Sean South from Garryowen And as they moved along the street up to the barrack door They scorned the danger they would meet the fate that lay in store They were fighting for old Ireland to claim their very own And the foremost of that gallant band was South from Garryowen In comes the captain's daughter the captain of the Yeos Brave United Irishmen we'll ne'er again be foes A thousand pounds I give to you to fly from home with me And dress yourself in man's attire and fight for liberty We are the boys of Wexford who fought with heart and hand And burst in twain the galling chain and free our native land And it's he who comes over the red blossom heather Green banners kissing the pure mountain air Direct eyes in front marching proudly together Freedom sits throned on each proud spirit there While down the hill twining the blessed steel shining Like rivers of beauty that flow down the glen For mountain and valley 'tis liberty's rally Out and make way for the bold Fenian men But the sergeant spoiled their Daring plan he spied them through the door Then the Sten guns and the rifles too a hail of death did pour And when that awful night was o'er two men lay cold as stone There was one from near the border and one from Garryowen No more he'll hear the seagull's cry or the murmuring Shannon's tide For he fell beneath our northern sky O'Hanlon by his side They have gone to join the gallant band of Plunkett, Pearse and Tone Another martyr for old Ireland Sean South from Garryowen