Why the Flight of Earls?

The flight of Earls is a pivotal event in Irish history. It commemorates the 1607 journey of a group of Irish Earls to Europe following their failed attempt to escape English control.

The Flight of Earls - Lyrics by Liam Reilly

Liam Reilly, lead singer of the Irish folk group Bagatelle, wrote this song about the 1980s exodus of young Irish men and women leaving Ireland to seek work. It’s a beautiful folk song with lyrics that speak volumes for those of us who’ve left Ireland behind. We may not live there anymore, but we’re still Irish and proud.

You can hear the bells of Dublin in this lonely waiting room, 
And the paper boys are singing in the rain.
Not too long before they take us,
To the airport and the noise,
To get on board a trans-Atlantic plane.

We've got nothing left to stay for and no more left to say,
 and there isn't any work for us to do.
So farewell you boys and girls,
Another bloody flight of Earls.
Our best asset is our best export too.

It's not murder, fear, nor famine that makes us leave this time.
We're not going to join McAlpine's Fusiliers.
We've got brains and we've got vision.
We've got education too.
But we just can't throw away these precious years.

So we walk the streets of London and the streets of Baltimore.
And we meet at night in several Boston bars.
We're the leaders of the future.
Though we're far away from home.
And we dream of you beneath the Irish stars.

As we look on Ellis Island,
And the Lady in the bay,
And Manhattan turns to face another Sunday.
We just think of what you're doing to bring us all back home.
As we look forward to another Monday.

For it's not the work that scares us.
We don't mind an honest job,
And we know things will get better once again.
So a thousand times adieu, we've got Bono and U2.
All we're missing is the Guinness and the rain.

So switch off your new computers for the writing's on the wall.
We're leaving as our fathers did before.
Take a look at Dublin airport
Or the boat that leaves North Wall.
There'll be no youth unemployment anymore.

For we're over here in Queensland and in parts of New South Wales.
We're on the seas, the airways, and the trains.
But if we see better days,
those big airplanes go both ways.
And we'll all be coming back to you again