Lyrics

Whiskey Fire (The Great Fire of Dublin)
written by Enda Patrick Cullen, Aisling Kavanagh and Enda Reilly

Fire Dublin's Whiskey Fire
That blessed stinkin fire
Dublin's Whiskey Fire

Verse 1
Oh friends of Dublin young and old
Come round and hear me well
Of Chamber Street's great Whiskey Fire
A soberin tale I'll tell
When deep within the Liberties
fire spread quickly on the breeze
brought the people to their knees
But not the way you'd think

Verse 2
A ragin’ fire lit the Liffey sky
making day of night
Flames reached to the streets below
Trailing left and right
A warehouse called Malones it found
Soon barrels blew high off the ground
And flaming 'cratur's ran around
The cobblestones and kissed the Whiskey

Fire Dublin's Whiskey Fire
That blessed stinkin fire
Dublin's Whiskey Fire

Verse 3
For hours the fiery chaos reigned
Like lava, whiskey ran
The flaming river burned the streets
Like hell revealed to man
But folk who like their whiskey hot
Filled hands and hats and boots and pots
Imbibed their smoking 'Balls of Malt'
Shoutin Sláinte to the Fire
Dublin's Whiskey Fire
That blessed stinkin fire
Dublin's Whiskey Fire

Verse 4
Then Captain Ingram soon was hailed
To tame the whiskey fire
As water on its own had failed
The blaze now burning higher
''To halt the flaming flow for sure
He orderd sand and horse manure
Made the call to build the walls
And ten hail Marys to restrain the fire

Dublin's Whiskey Fire
That blessed stinkin fire
Dublin's Whiskey Fire

Verse 5
Brave men of Dublin Fire Brigade
To their orders went
Used shovel, bucket, rake and spade
'Till every man was spent
From horseshit, sand and gravel made
Their stinking fireproof barricades
Quenched the flames the day was saved
Heroes one and all who built the walls to tame the fire

Dublin's Whiskey Fire
That blessed stinkin fire
Dublin's Whiskey Fire

Verse 6
For poor oul Dublin's Liberties
The end is bitter-sweet
For 13 of our people died
From drinking off the street
And though we morn the loss of lives
From the fire of 1875
Thank God some whiskey stock survived
A comfort to us all
So here’s to all who rang the bell
Survived the flames
This tale to tell
5000 barrels blown to hell
Like burning rain it fell
Like burning rain it fell
As Fire

Dublin's Whiskey Fire
That blessed stinkin fire
Dublin's Whiskey Fire