Lyrics by Andrew O’Connell
Castletown, Co. Laois.
Andrew singing in sean nos style:
Click here to see Andy singing at the Late night Session of the Castletown Festival 2008
Chorus
If you ever go to Ireland, a treat you have in store;
And if you’re into dancing, the treat is ten times more;
So polish up your dancing shoes, pack your T-shirts by the score,
And with the Half-Door dancers, be sure and take the floor.
If to the centre of the country, you happen for to roam;
You may stumble on the place that these dancers they call home;
It’s there that you’ll find music, there’ll be dancing and be song;
You might even hear they say: “a light heart lives long”.
After the day’s work, we’re glad to take a break,
If we hear a reel or jig, we’ll find a floor to flake,
Inspired by the music, we’ll make the rafters shake,
With the chorus of the dawn, ‘tis home our way we’ll make.
Chorus
Our major celebration is in the month of May;
After the sowing, before the turf and hay.
Reels, jigs and polkas, it’s then that they hold sway,
Solid for the weekend, there’s dancing night and day.
From all parts of the country, and even from beyond,
Dancers they do gather and they form a common bond.
The beauty in the dancing, they willingly do share,
Raising all our hearts ar aghaidh leis an misteir.
Chorus
The village of Castletown and Sheeran’s of Coolrain
Echo to the battering of the Cashel and the Plain.
The waterfall sounds different; the cows don’t moo the same,
When dancing and sweet music you add to their refrain.
Dancing is a pastime that’s been there since time began;
We’ve been reeling and been jigging since before Adam was a man.
It puts us in good humour; it makes our trouble fly;
It’s great to soothe our mood – we’ll dance until we die!