I'd sit beside my mother's knee, just by the cottage door,
And listen to her fairy tales, and all the fairy lore;
Of fairy runes and goblin men, and little elves and sprites,
Ah! how the hours went speeding by, those starry Irish nights!
Oh! the fairy tales of Ireland, Oh! happy bygone years,
I dream about them even now, they fill my eyes with tears.
If you're a lad from Donegal, from Clare or any part,
Sure, the fairy tales of Ireland will be hidden in your heart!

And though I'm far from Erin's isle, across the cruel tide,
I close my eyes and I am back just at my mother's side.
Her hand is tightly clasped in mine, 
her words ring sweet and true,
She tells those fairy tales to me, just as she used to do.
Oh! the fairy tales of Ireland, Oh! happy bygone years,
I dream about them even now, they fill my eyes with tears.
If you're a girl from Donegal, from Clare or any part,
Sure, the fairy tales of Ireland will be hidden in your heart!