The dreadful news through Ireland has spread from shore to shore Such a deed no living man has ever heard before The deeds of Cromwell in his time Im sure no worse could do Than them Black and Tans that murdered those four youths in Killaloe Three of the four were on the run and searched for all around Until with this brave Egan in Williamstown was found They questioned him and tortured him but to his comrades he proved true And because he would not tell their whereabouts he was shot in Killaloe On the twelfth day of November the day that they were found Sold and traced through Galway to that house near Williamstown They never got a fighting chance but were captured while asleep And the way that they illtreated them would cause your blood to creep The hackled them both hands and feet with twines they could not break And brought them down to Killaloe by steamer on the lake Without clergy judge or jury on the bridge they shot them down And their blood flowed with the Shannon convenient to the town After three days of perseverance their bodies they let go And ten pm the funeral passed through Ogonnolloe They were kept in Scariff chapel for two nights and a day Now in that place of rest they lie, kind people for them pray If you were at the funeral it was an awful sight To see four hundred clergymen and they all dressed up in white Such a sight as these four martyrs in one grave was never seen They died to save the flag of love the orange white and green Now that they are dead and gone I hope in peace theyll rest Like all young Irish martyrs, forever among the blessed The day will come when all will know who sold their lives away Of young McMahon and Rogers, brave Egan and Kildea
killaloe, egan, williamstown, four, martyr