How to Play The Irish Rover on Guitar?

The Dubliners - The Irish Rover can be played in the key of G using the G, C, D, Em chords. For G, To play G, press fret 2 on the A string with finger 2, let D, G, B ring open, mute low E, high E. For C, To play C, press fret 1 on the B string with finger 2, let low E, G, high E ring open, mute A, D. For D, To play D, press fret 2 on the low E string with finger 2, press fret 2 on the G string with finger 2, press fret 2 on the high E string with finger 2, let A, D ring open, mute B. For Em, To play Em, let low E, G, B, high E ring open, mute A, D. Barre: Use your index finger to press multiple strings on the same fret, keeping your finger flat. You can play The Irish Rover with the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ strumming pattern.

Dubliners - The Irish Rover Chords

Chord reference G, C, D, Em

Rhythm tips ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

In the [G]Fourth of July, eighteen hundred and [C]six, We set [G]sail from the sweet cove of [D]Cork We were [G]sailing away with a cargo of [C]bricks For the [G]grand City [D]Hall in New [G]York

She was a [G]wonderful craft, she was [D]rigged ‘fore and aft And how [G]the wild winds [D]drove her She ‘stood [G]several blasts, she had [Em]twenty-seven [C]masts And they [G]called her the [D]Irish [G]Rover

We had [G]one million bags of the best Sligo [C]rags We had [G]two million barrels of [D]stones We had [G]three million sides of old blind horses’ [C]hides We had [G]four million [D]barrels of [G]bones

We had [G]five million hogs and [D]six million dogs [G]And seven million barrels of [D]porter We had [G]eight million bales of old [Em]nanny goats’ [C]tails In the [G]hold of the [D]Irish [G]Rover

There was [G]Barney McGee from the banks of the [C]Lee There was [G]Hogan from County Ty[D]rone There was [G]Johnny McGurk who was scared stiff of [C]work And a [G]man from [D]Westmeath called [G]Malone

There was [G]Slugger O’Toole who was [D]drunk as a rule [G]And fighting Bill Tracy from [D]Dover And your [G]man Mick McCann, from the [Em]banks of the Bann Was the [G]skipper of the [D]Irish [G]Rover

We had [G]sailed seven years when the measles broke [C]out And our [G]ship lost her way in the [D]fog And the [G]whole of the crew was reduced down to [C]two ‘Twas [G]meself and [D]the captain’s old [G]dog

Then the [G]ship struck a rock; oh Lord [D]what a shock [G]The bulkhead was turned right [D]over We turned [G]nine times around then [Em]the poor old dog was [C]drowned Now I’m [G]the last of the [D]Irish Ro[G]ver

Artist The Dubliners

Album 25 Years Celebration

Genres Folk

Year 1987

Key G

The Dubliners - The Irish Rover can be played in the key of G using the G, C, D, Em chords.

For G, To play G, press fret 2 on the A string with finger 2, let D, G, B ring open, mute low E, high E.
For C, To play C, press fret 1 on the B string with finger 2, let low E, G, high E ring open, mute A, D.
For D, To play D, press fret 2 on the low E string with finger 2, press fret 2 on the G string with finger 2, press fret 2 on the high E string with finger 2, let A, D ring open, mute B.
For Em, To play Em, let low E, G, B, high E ring open, mute A, D.

Barre: Use your index finger to press multiple strings on the same fret, keeping your finger flat.

You can play The Irish Rover with the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ strumming pattern.