The Galway Girl Lyrics:
Many Reasons to Love this Song

The Galway Girl lyrics share the story of a young man who is entranced by the beauty and poise of an young Irish lady.  A pure love song with a cheerful, bouncy rhythm, it is a crowd favorite as you will see below.  

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Irish Expressions: The Galway Girl Lyrics. Image of crowd singing "Galway Girl." Photocredit: KamiFilms (via YouTube).

As with a number of famous Irish songs, the original "The Galway Girl" was not written by an Irishman, but has nevertheless become a fixture of any Irish music playlist.  The song was written by American Steve Earle in 2000 and first performed by Irish musician Sharon Shannon. It goes something like this:

Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
Of a day -i-ay-i-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
Of a fine soft day -i-ay-i-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl
'Round the salthill prom with a galway girl

If you would like to see all the lyrics to this lovely song, click here to jump straight to them.

OR - stick with us for a moment and we'll tell you a bit more about this fascinating example of lovely Irish sounds.

Things to Know About The Galway Girl Lyrics

Here are five fun facts about The Galway Girl.  Hopefully they will entice you to sing along next time you hear it!

  1. "The Galway Girl" was an actual person!   Steve Earle met Joyce Redmond in Galway and wrote the song about her. 
  2. The Galway Girl lyrics refer to an Irish city with a long, rich history of music and entertainment.  The song has been credited with enhancing Galway's global reputation as a tourist destination.
  3. The Galway Girl has been interpreted and re-recorded by many artists including the Irish Tenors, Irish band Fiddlers Green and Celtic Woman.
  4.  The version performed by Sharon Shannon and Mundy reached the top of the charts and became the most downloaded song in Ireland in 2008.
  5. While obviously similar in style and subject matter "The Galway Girl" by Earl and "Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran are two different songs.

The Galway Girl Lyrics

One of the best ways to express your Irish side is to sing along to beautiful Irish songs.  And the key to singing along is - obviously - knowing the words!  So here they are:  The Galway Girl lyrics.

Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
Of a day -i-ay-i-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
Of a fine soft day -i-ay-i-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl
'Round the salthill prom with a galway girl

We were halfway there when the rain came down
Of a day -i-ay-i-ay
And she asked me up to her flat downtown
Of a fine soft day -i-ay-i-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a galway girl

When I woke up I was all alone
With a broken heart and a ticket home
And I ask you now, tell me what would you do
If her hair was black and her eyes were blue
I've traveled around I've been all over this world
Boys I ain't never seen nothin' like a galway girl

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriter: Stephen F. Earle
The Galway Girl lyrics © Bmg Gold Songs

Our Favorite Performance

One of the most irresistible things about The Galway Girl is its crowd appeal.  Here is an example of what we mean!

Another Version - Which Do You Like Better?

As you probably know by now, we love the musicianship and vocal style of Celtic Thunder.  Have a look at their version of The Galway Girl.

Want More Irish Song Lyrics?

It is probably obvious - at Irish Expressions, we love Irish songs!  The music of the Emerald Isle brings people together, telling stories that touch every human emotion.

Learning the lyrics and singing these songs gives us a deeper sense of connection with Ireland, wherever in the world we happen to be!

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