Sean McMahon was born in Derry in 1931 and he was educated at St Derrys Columbs College and in Queens University in Belfast. He returned to Derry to teach in St Columbs and taught Mathematics until his retirement in 1988. During his teaching years he staged many productions of works by Shakespeare and modern dramatists both for St Columbs and for amateur theatre groups in Derry. He also wrote the lyrics for musical shows. His literary career properly began with his anthology The Best from the Bell, which was followed by A Book of Irish Quotations and Rich and Rare, an anthology of prose and verse. Over the past twenty years he has written and edited dozens of books, including biographies of Ulster writers Sam Hanna Bell and Robert Lynd, the bestselling A Short History of Ireland and books on all aspects of Irish life and culture, including A Short History of Ulster, The Island of Saints and Scholars and Irish Names for Children.

• ContentsIntroduction 91 The Irish EmigrantThe Irish Emigrant, Lady Dufferin 15Teddy O'Neale, James Gaspard Maedar 17Shores of Amertkay, Anon 19The Moon Behind the Hill, William Kenneally 20Goodbye, Mursheen Durkin, Anon 22Ireland -A Seaside Portrait, John James Piatt 24Off to Philadelphia, Anon 25The Old Bog Road, Teresa Brayton 27The Emigrant's Letter, Percy French 29An Irish Mother, Percy French 31Goodbye, Mick, Anon 332 A Little Bit of HeavenKathleen Mavourneen, Julia Crawford 37Killarney, Edmund Falconer 38The Exile's Devotion, Thomas D'Arcy McGee 40Come Back to Erin, Claribel 42The Exile's Return, John Locke 43Danny Boy, Fred E. Weatherly 46 I'll take You Home Again, Kathleen, Thomas P Westendorf 47The Shamrock, Maurice Francis Egan 49Mr Dooley on Irish Christmasses, Finley Peter Dunne 50A Little Bit of Heaven, J.Keirn Brennan 54Mother Machree, Rida Johnson Young 56Ireland in America, Alice Furlong 57'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream, John J. O'Brien and Al Dubin 603 When McGuiness Gets a JobWhen McGuiness Gets a Job, Anon 63Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill, Anon 65The Hod-Carriers'Song, Anon 67Paddy on the Canal, Anon 69The Boston Burglar, Anon 714 Wakes and Weddingsand Every County BallMick McGilligan's Ball, AnonIf You're Irish, Come into the Parlour, ShanGlenville and Frank MillerThe Magutres, Edward HarriganLannigan's Ball, AnonTeaching McFadden to Waltz, AnonMcCarthy's Party, Anon 84Finnegan's Wake, Anon 86Macnamara's Band, John J. Stamford 885 The Fighting RaceThe Wearing of the Green, Dion Boucicault 93The Celts, Thomas D'Arcy McGee 95Irish Astronomy, 'Private Myles O'Reilly' 97When Johnny Comes Marching Home, 'Louis Lambert' 99The Croppy Boy, 'Carroll Malone' 101A Savage, John Boyle O'Reilly 103The Fighting Race, J. I. C. Clarke 104The General's Death, Joseph O'Connor 107The Fenian Man o War, Anon 108Come to the Bower, Anon 109Mush, Mush, Anon 111'Throw Him Down, McCloskey', John W. Kelly 113A Challenge, John L. Sullivan 115Clancy Lowered the Boom, Anon 1166 My Irish Molly, OMolly Bawn, Samuel Lover 119Molly Brallaghan, Anon 120Colleen Dhas Cruthen na Moe, Dion Bouctcault 122The Rose of Tralee, William P. Mulchinock 124Bridget Donahue, Johnny Patterson 125My Wild Irish Rose, Chauncey Olcott 127Little Annie Rooney, Michael Nolan 128Macushla, Josephine V. Rowe 130My Irish Molly, O, Billy Jerome 131Peggy O'Neill, V. Pearse, E. G. Nelson and Gilbert Dodge 1337 On Stage, Everybody!Barney Brallaghan''s Courtship, Peter K. Moran 137Dear Old Donegal, Johnny Patterson 139The Donevans, Edward Harrigan 141The Mulligan Guard, Edward Harrigan 142'Who Threw the Overalls in Mistress Murphy's Chowder?',George L. Geifer 144Down Went McGinty, Joseph Flynn 146Harrigan, George M. Cohan 149If We Only Had Old Ireland Over Here, Anon 1508 A Great Day for the IrishMaggie Murphy's Home, Edward Harrigan 153Muldoon, the Solid Man, Edward Harrigan 155The Band Played On, John F- Palmer 157Casey at the Bat, Ernest Lawrence ThayerWhen Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Chauncey Olcott and George GraffIt's a Great Day for the Irish, Roger Edens© Copyrigh

Sean McMahon was born in Derry in 1931 and he was educated at St Derrys Columbs College and in Queens University in Belfast. He returned to Derry to teach in St Columbs and taught Mathematics until his retirement in 1988. During his teaching years he staged many productions of works by Shakespeare and modern dramatists both for St Columbs and for amateur theatre groups in Derry. He also wrote the lyrics for musical shows. His literary career properly began with his anthology The Best from the Bell, which was followed by A Book of Irish Quotations and Rich and Rare, an anthology of prose and verse. Over the past twenty years he has written and edited dozens of books, including biographies of Ulster writers Sam Hanna Bell and Robert Lynd, the bestselling A Short History of Ireland and books on all aspects of Irish life and culture, including A Short History of Ulster, The Island of Saints and Scholars and Irish Names for Children.

• ContentsIntroduction 91 The Irish EmigrantThe Irish Emigrant, Lady Dufferin 15Teddy O'Neale, James Gaspard Maedar 17Shores of Amertkay, Anon 19The Moon Behind the Hill, William Kenneally 20Goodbye, Mursheen Durkin, Anon 22Ireland -A Seaside Portrait, John James Piatt 24Off to Philadelphia, Anon 25The Old Bog Road, Teresa Brayton 27The Emigrant's Letter, Percy French 29An Irish Mother, Percy French 31Goodbye, Mick, Anon 332 A Little Bit of HeavenKathleen Mavourneen, Julia Crawford 37Killarney, Edmund Falconer 38The Exile's Devotion, Thomas D'Arcy McGee 40Come Back to Erin, Claribel 42The Exile's Return, John Locke 43Danny Boy, Fred E. Weatherly 46 I'll take You Home Again, Kathleen, Thomas P Westendorf 47The Shamrock, Maurice Francis Egan 49Mr Dooley on Irish Christmasses, Finley Peter Dunne 50A Little Bit of Heaven, J.Keirn Brennan 54Mother Machree, Rida Johnson Young 56Ireland in America, Alice Furlong 57'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream, John J. O'Brien and Al Dubin 603 When McGuiness Gets a JobWhen McGuiness Gets a Job, Anon 63Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill, Anon 65The Hod-Carriers'Song, Anon 67Paddy on the Canal, Anon 69The Boston Burglar, Anon 714 Wakes and Weddingsand Every County BallMick McGilligan's Ball, AnonIf You're Irish, Come into the Parlour, ShanGlenville and Frank MillerThe Magutres, Edward HarriganLannigan's Ball, AnonTeaching McFadden to Waltz, AnonMcCarthy's Party, Anon 84Finnegan's Wake, Anon 86Macnamara's Band, John J. Stamford 885 The Fighting RaceThe Wearing of the Green, Dion Boucicault 93The Celts, Thomas D'Arcy McGee 95Irish Astronomy, 'Private Myles O'Reilly' 97When Johnny Comes Marching Home, 'Louis Lambert' 99The Croppy Boy, 'Carroll Malone' 101A Savage, John Boyle O'Reilly 103The Fighting Race, J. I. C. Clarke 104The General's Death, Joseph O'Connor 107The Fenian Man o War, Anon 108Come to the Bower, Anon 109Mush, Mush, Anon 111'Throw Him Down, McCloskey', John W. Kelly 113A Challenge, John L. Sullivan 115Clancy Lowered the Boom, Anon 1166 My Irish Molly, OMolly Bawn, Samuel Lover 119Molly Brallaghan, Anon 120Colleen Dhas Cruthen na Moe, Dion Bouctcault 122The Rose of Tralee, William P. Mulchinock 124Bridget Donahue, Johnny Patterson 125My Wild Irish Rose, Chauncey Olcott 127Little Annie Rooney, Michael Nolan 128Macushla, Josephine V. Rowe 130My Irish Molly, O, Billy Jerome 131Peggy O'Neill, V. Pearse, E. G. Nelson and Gilbert Dodge 1337 On Stage, Everybody!Barney Brallaghan''s Courtship, Peter K. Moran 137Dear Old Donegal, Johnny Patterson 139The Donevans, Edward Harrigan 141The Mulligan Guard, Edward Harrigan 142'Who Threw the Overalls in Mistress Murphy's Chowder?',George L. Geifer 144Down Went McGinty, Joseph Flynn 146Harrigan, George M. Cohan 149If We Only Had Old Ireland Over Here, Anon 1508 A Great Day for the IrishMaggie Murphy's Home, Edward Harrigan 153Muldoon, the Solid Man, Edward Harrigan 155The Band Played On, John F- Palmer 157Casey at the Bat, Ernest Lawrence ThayerWhen Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Chauncey Olcott and George GraffIt's a Great Day for the Irish, Roger Edens© Copyrigh