This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Killarney
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Killarney by Michael William Balfe — Lyrics
By Killarney’s lakes and fells,
Em’rald isles and winding bays,
Mountain paths and woodland dells,
Mem’ry ever fondly strays.
Bounteous nature loves all land;
Beauty wanders ev’rywhere,
Footprints leaves on many strands,
But her home is surely there!
Angels fold their wings and rest
In that Eden of the west,
Beauty’s home Killarney,
Ever fair Killarney.
Innisfallen’s ruin’d shrine
May suggest a passing sigh,
But man’s faith can ne’er decline,
Such God’s wonders floating by.
Castle Lough and Glena bay,
Mountains Tore and Eagle’s nest;
Still at Mucross you must pray,
Though the monks are now at rest.
Angels wonder not that man
There would fain prolong life’s span,
Beauty’s home Killarney,
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About Killarney
Michael William Balfe’s Killarney for SATB voices opens with a gentle evocation of the landscape. The setting captures the romantic spirit of the text, which luxuriates in the beauty of Killarney’s lakes and fells, describing it as a place where beauty itself makes its home. The lyrics move from natural scenery to historical sites like Innisfallen’s ruined shrine and Mucross Abbey, imbuing the song with a sense of gentle nostalgia and reverence. Balfe’s arrangement for choir balances rich harmonic colour with a flowing melodic line, creating an accessible yet evocative part-song that celebrates the scenic grandeur and historical resonance of the famed Irish location.
