Irish Lullaby

Written by J. R. Shannon in 1913 | Copyright Unknown

Over in Killarney
Many years ago,
Me Mither (My Mother) sang a song to me
In tones so sweet and low.
Just a simple little ditty,
In her good 'ould' (old) Irish way,
And I'd give the world if she could sing
That song to me this day.

"Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now, don't you cry!
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, that's an Irish lullaby."

Oft in dreams I wander
To that cot again,
I feel her arms a-huggin' me
As when she held me then.
And I hear her voice a-hummin'
To me as in days of yore,
When she used to rock me fast asleep
Outside the cabin door.

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Hush, now don't you cry!

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
That's an Irish lullaby.

leprechaun sitting down holding a barrel of gold coins

For Parents

Healthy babies should be placed on their backs to sleep to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Read more about preventing this leading cause of death in babies 1 month to 1 year of age from Safe to Sleep .

For Kids

A lullaby is a song to help you fall asleep. You probably know that you don't need as much sleep now as you did when you were a little baby, but do you know how much sleep you do need-and what happens when you don't get enough? Learn about the role sleep plays in your life from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute .

For Teachers

Sleep is a behavioral state that is a natural part of every individual’s life. In addition to learning about the importance of sleep to health, an NIH curriculum supplement on sleep, sleep disorders, and biological rhythms for grades 9 to 12 uses sleep as a way to understand scientific concepts and the purpose of scientific research.