The Lonely Banna Strand - The Wolfe Tones

'Twas on Good Friday morning,

All in the month of May,

A German Ship was signalling,

Be yond out in the Bay,

We had twenty thousand rifles

All ready for to land,

But no answering signal did come

From the lonely Banna Strand.

«No signal answers from the shore»,

Sir Roger sadly said,

«No comrades here to meet me,

Alas, they must be dead,

But I must do my duty

And at once I mean to land»,

So in a small boat rowed ashore

On the lovely Banna Strand.

Now the R.I.C.

were hunting

For Sir Roger high and low,

They found him in McKenna’s fort;

Said they: «You are our foe»,

Said he: «I'm Roger Casement,

I came to my native land,

I mean to free my countrymen

On the lonely Banna Strand.

They took Sir Roger prisoner,

And sailed for London town,

And in the Tower they laid him,

A traitor to the Crown;

Said he «I am no traitor»,

But his trial he had to stand,

For bringing German rifles

To the lonely Banna Strand.

'Twas in an English prison

That they led him to his death,

«I'm dying for my country»

He said with his last breath,

They buried him in British soil

Far from his native land,

And the wild waves sing his requiem

On the lonely Banna Strand.

They took Sir Roger home again

In the year of '65,

And with his comrades of '16

In peace and tranquil lies,

His last fond wish, it is fulfilled

For to lie in his native land,

And the waves will roll in peace again

On the lonely Banna Strand.