Legacy -- Celtic Traditional and Contemporary Music in Minnesota


Hills of Connemara
(Noel McLaughlin)
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Excise men once attempted to control the illegal production of liquor (tea or tay) in rural Ireland through the imposition of excise taxes, in much the same way that the U.S. government (Revenuers) once tried to tax moonshiners in Appalachia. This song suggests that at least some Irish authorities were less rigid than their American counterparts.

Chorus
 Gather up the pots and the old tin can
 The mash, the corn, the barley and the bran
 Run like the devil from the Excise man
 Keep the smoke from rising Barney.

Keep your eyes well-peeled today
The big, tall men are on their way
Searchin' for the mountain tay
In the hills of Connemara

Mountain breezes as they blow
Hear them echo in the valley below
The excise men are on the go
In the hills of Connemara

A gallon for the butcher, a quart for Tom,
A bottle for poor old Father John
To help his prayers and hymns along
In the hills of Connemara.

Stand your ground, now don't you fall
The excise men are at the wall
Jesus Christ, they're drinking it all.
In the hills of Connemara.

Swing to the left and swing to the right.
The Excise men will dance all night.
Drinking up the tay 'til the broad daylight
In the hills of Connemara.
 
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