What's the news, what's the news,
Oh, me bold Shelmalier
With your long-barrelled gun of the sea
Say, what wind from the south blows your messenger here
With his hymn of the dawn for the free
Goodly news, goodly news,
Do I bring, youth of Forth.
Goodly news shall you hear, Bargey man.
For the boys march at dawn
From the south to the north
Led by Kelly, the boy from Killane.
Tell me who is the giant
With the gold curling hair
He who strides at the head of your band?
Seven feet is his height, with some inches to spare
And he looks like a king in command.
Ah, me boys, that's the pride of the bold Shelmaliers,
‘Mongst our greatest of heroes, a man.
So fling your beavers aloft and give three ringing cheers
For John Kelly, the boy from Killane.
Enniscorthy's in flames and
Old Wexford is won
And tomorrow the Barrow we cross
On a hill o'er the town we have planted a gun
That will batter the gateway to Ross.
All the Forth men and Bargey men
March o’er the heath
With brave Harvey to lead in the van
But the foremost of all in that grim gap of death
Will be Kelly, the boy from Killane.
But the gold sun of freedom
Grew darkened at Ross
And it set by the Slaney's red waves
And poor Wexford, stripped naked,
Hung high on a cross
With her heart pierced by traitors and knaves.
Glory-o, glory-o to the brave men who died
For the cause of long downtrodden man
Glory-o to Mount Leinster's
Own darling and pride
Dauntless Kelly, the boy from Killane