Daoiri Farrell - Valentine O'Hara - Chords

 This is song from his "A Lifetime of Happiness" album. 

Valentine O’Hara is a traditional Irish ballad telling the dramatic life story of a doomed antihero. The narrator, Valentine, is an Irishman who flees his homeland after getting a woman pregnant. He joins the British army, serves abroad, but is flogged by a cruel officer and deserts. Homeless and hunted, he turns to highway robbery—stealing from nobles and giving to the poor, in a Robin Hood-like twist. Ultimately, he is captured and sentenced to hang at Tyburn.

The ballad exists in multiple versions across Ireland and Britain, often under titles like Alan Tyne of Harrow. The Irish version, Valentine O’Hara, is believed to be the oldest. Daoirí Farrell learned it from Frank Harte’s powerful rendition and included his own arrangement on his 2019 album A Lifetime of Happiness, with contributions from Dónal Lunny.

The song captures themes of exile, injustice, rebellion, and fate, and stands as a vivid example of Irish folk storytelling. Though rooted in history, its emotional core—freedom lost and honor sought—remains timeless.

Now here's lyrics and chords. Daoiri plays in C so put capo on the 5th fret.

{t:Valentine O'Hara}

{st:Daori Farrell}

Capo 5

I [G]am a gallant [C]highway [G]man, called [C]Valen[D]tine O'[G]Hara

And I [C]come from poor but [G]decent [D]folk nigh [G]to the [C]Hill of [D]Tara

By the [D]getting of a [G]maid with child, to [C]England [F]I went[G] over

I [G]left my [C]parents and [G]I be[D]came a [G]wild and [D]daring [G]rover

 

Well, it's [G]straight to England [C]I did [G]go, where [C]I be[D]came a [G]soldier

Re[C]solved to fight Bri[G]tannia's [D]foes; no [G]Hector [C]great was [D]bolder

I [D]fought all in some [G]foreign shores, where the [C]cannons [F]loud did[G] rattle

[G]Believe me [C]boys, I [G]do not [D]boast how [G]I be[D]haved in [G]battle

 

Well it's [G]many's the battle [C]I fought [G]in, in [C]Holland [D]and French [G]Flanders

For I [C]always fought with a [G]courage [D]keen, led [G]on by [C]great [D]commanders

Until a [D]cruel Ensign [G]found me out, and [C]I was [F]flogged and[G] carted

Oh [G]Cruel [C]Usage [G]they gave [D]me, and [G]so I [D]soon de[G]parted

 

 

Well it's [G]straight back to England [C]I did [G]go as [C]fast as [D]winds would [G]drive me

Re[C]solved that of my [G]liber[D]ty, no [G]man could [C]e'er [D]deny me

For I [D]slept out in the [G]fields at night, by [C]all my [F]friends[G] forsaken

I [G]dared not [C]walk the [G]road by [D]day, for [G]fear I [D]might be [G]taken

 

But [G]I being of a [C]courage [G]keen and [C]likewise [D]able-[G]bodied

I [C]robbed Lord Nelson on the [G]King's [D]Highway with my [G]pistols [C]heavy [D]loaded

I [D]placed my pistols [G]to his breast which [C]caused his [F]heart to[G] quiver

Five-[G]hundred [C]pounds in [G]ready [D]gold to [G]me he [D]did de[G]liver

 

Well, with [G]part of my new [C]store of [G]gold I [C]bought a [D]famous [G]gelding

That [C]could jump o'er a [G]five-bar [D]gate, and I [G]bought it [C]from Ned [D]Fielding

Lord [D]Arkinstone all [G]in his coach I [C]robbed near [F]Covent[G] Garden

And [G]two hours [C]later [G]that same [D]night I [G]robbed the [D]Earl of [G]Warren

 

In [G]Turnham Green I [C]next did [G]rob the [C]reve[D]nue col[G]lector

And [C]what I took from [G]him I [D]gave to a [G]widow [C]to pro[D]tect her

I [D]always robbed the [G]rich and great, for to [C]rob the [F]poor I[G] scorned it

And [G]now in [C]iron [G]chains I'm [D]bound and [G]dooomed I [D]now lie [G]burning

 

And it's [G]straight to Newgate [C]I do [G]go, all [C]by the [D]law con[G]victed

To [C]hang all on the [G]Tyburn [D]tree, of [G]which I'm [C]much af[D]frighted

[D]Farewell my friends and [G]neighbors all, like[C]wise my [F]native[G] Tara

Kind [G]provi[C]dence may [G]test the [D]soul of [G]Valen[D]tine O'[G]Hara

If you copy these lyrics and import them into an lyrics and chords app like Songbook you can see the chords above the lyrics, transpose etc. In the Songbook app you can define Bouzouki as instrument and it has chords implemented so you can see how to play them. You even can define your own chords, which is really handy sometimes. The app is available for most platforms.

Here I have collected some videos how this app works.