Offaly Rover: Traditional emigrant-style ballad (writer unknown, though popularised by singers like Paddy Reilly and Derek McCormack). A nostalgic tribute to Offaly’s landscapes, towns, and people, evoking longing for home.
A rover I have been and a rover I will stay
But to that faithful county I will return someday
Uibh Fhailí how I love you with your heather scented air
Silently the peaceful brosna calls her sons from far and near
Oh Kinnitty I long to see when the woodbine’s in full bloom
To stroll the fields around Ferbane, hear the wild birds in full tune
At Clonmacnoise I’ll see you, onto Banagher we’ll stray
With the fishermen we’ll drink and hear of the ones that got away
Oh dead are still in exile are some friends I used to know
Still I must pass Killoughy where great sportsmen are laid low
By Croghan Hill I see you where in childhood I did play
So adieu to you beloved Slieve Bloom, I must be on my way
Pile the brown turf on the fire, bring the keg in from the barn
Let the blacksmith sing his rebel song and the poacher tell his yarn
Come close my friends and neighbours, fill your glasses to the brim
And we’ll toast our Offaly hero’s from the heather, hill and glen
And we’ll toast our Offaly hero’s from the heather, hill and glen
Anthem of the county
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Songs from the county
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
County Offaly:
Ireland’s county Offaly is a county of historic depth and natural beauty, with the Clonmacnoise monastic site featuring ancient high crosses and a riverside setting along the Shannon. Tullamore’s historic distillery provides insights into Irish whiskey production, while the Bog of Allen Nature Centre explores the county’s unique peatlands. Other attractions include the Slieve Bloom Mountains’ hiking trails. Offaly is Ireland’s 18th largest county by size (1,998 square km) and ninth smallest by population (83,150). Population peaked at 146,857 in 1841 and reached its lowest point, 51,533 in 1961. In terms of hospitality, Offaly is Ireland’s 30th most visited (and third least visited) tourist county with around 37,000 international visitors per year.
Introduction – Adventure – Anthem – Archaeology – Attractions – Awards – Birdwatching – Camping – Castles – Churches – Contact list – Cycling – Dining – Equestrian – Festivals – Fishing – Folklore – Gardens – Golf – Graveyards – Happening – Haunted – Highest – Hiking – History – Holy Wells – Hotels – Hotels top 8 – Hunting & shooting – Instagrammable – Itineraries – Largest town – Luxury – MICE – Movies – Music – Name – New – Novelists – Off the beaten track – Poets – Pubs – Quotes – Random Facts – Restaurant Awards – Sacred Places – Saints – Songs – Spas – Sports – Sunsets – Sustainable – Things to do – Towns – Video – Villages – Walking – Wanderlist – Weddings – Wild swimming – Writers – 1837 – 1846 – 1852 – 1909 – 1955 – 1980 –
