Dance Rory o'More 5658

Young Rory O’More, courted Kathleen Bawn,
He was bold as a hawk, – she as soft as the dawn;
He wish’d in his heart pretty Kathleen to please,
And he thought the best way to do that was to tease.

“Now, Rory, be aisy,” sweet Kathleen would cry,
(Reproof on her lip, but a smile in her eye),
“With your tricks I don’t know, in troth, what I’m about,
Faith you’ve teased till I’ve put on my cloak inside out.”
“Oh, jewel,” says Rory, “that same is the way
You’ve thrated my heart for this many a day;
And 'tis plaz’d that I amn, and why not to be sure?
For 'tis all for good luck,” says bold Rory O’More.

“Indeed, then,” says Kathleen, “don’t think of the like
For I gave half a promise to soothering Mike;
The ground that I walk on the loves, I’ll be bound.”
“Faith,” says Rory, “I’d rather love you than the ground.”
“Now, Rory, I’ll cry if you don’t let me go;
Sure I drame ev’ry night that I’m hating you so!”
“Oh,” says Rory, “that same I’m delighted to hear,
For drames always go by conthraries, my dear;
Oh! jewel, keep draming that same till you die,
And bright morning will give dirty night the black lie!
And 'tis plaz’d that I am, and what not, to be sure?
Since 'tis all for good luck,” says bold Rory O’More.

“Arrah, Kathleen, my darlint, you’ve teas’d me enough,
Sure I’ve thrash’d for your sake Dinny Grimes and Jim Duff;
And I’ve made myself, drinking your health, quite a baste,
So, I think, after that, I may talk to the praste.”
Then Rory, the rogue, stole his arm round her neck,
So soft and so white, without freckle or speck,
And he look’d in her eyes that were beaming with light,
And he kiss’d her sweet lips; – don’t you think he was right?
“Now, Rory, leave off, sir; you’ll hug me no more,
That’s eight times today you have kiss’d me before.”
“Then here goes another,” says he, “to make sure,
For there’s luck in odd numbers,” says Rory O’More.

“Rory O’More; Or, Good Omens” is, as one might gather, Irish. It was written in 1826 by Samuel Lover (1797–1868). The poet, also a novelist and portrait painter of some note, wrote a novel called Rory O’More, A National Romance in 1837 which Lover ultimately dramatised, a play in which Tyrone Power (1797–1841) played the leading role.

Lover set out to write a song completely devoid of vulgarity, a brief glimpse of rustic Irish courtship, and he did just that. As a song “Rory O’More” was very popular and the tune was part of the repertoire of the military bands at the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1837.

In the revolutionary history of Ireland there have been three heroes named Rory O’More or Ruaidhri og ua Mordha: in the 16th century Rory, Captain of Laoighise, and his son, Rory Oge, and Rory O’More also known as Roger Moore, who organised the Irish rebellion of 1641. (See also “The Wild Geese”)