Daoiri Farrell - The Unquiet Grave - Lyrics and Chords

“The Unquiet Grave” is a centuries-old ballad, believed to date back to at least the 17th century, and catalogued as Child Ballad 78 and Roud 51. Deeply rooted in the British and Irish folk tradition, it explores themes of grief, love beyond death, and the danger of clinging to the past.

The song tells the story of a mourner who sits at the grave of a lost lover for “a twelve-month and a day.” On that final day, the ghost of the deceased speaks, asking the mourner to move on, warning that excessive grief “will not let me sleep.” The mourner asks for one final kiss, but the ghost replies that such a kiss would be fatal. The song ends with a bittersweet truth: even the strongest love must yield to death and decay.

Daoirí Farrell recorded this haunting ballad on his 2016 album True Born Irishman. His version features a sparse, atmospheric arrangement with pipes, whistle, cello, and banjo, capturing the ethereal tone of the lyrics. Farrell’s expressive voice brings emotional depth to the ancient dialogue, offering a powerful meditation on mourning, memory, and the limits of love across the boundary between life and death.

I couldn't find a live version of Daoiri singing this song with only bouzouki backing. So here is the album version.

 {t:The Unquiet Grave}

{st:Daoiri Farrell}

 

Oh, the [D]Wind doth [G]blows [Em]today my [A]love

[G]A few small [D]drops of [A]rain

And [D]never have I [A]had but [D]one true [G]love

Now In [D]cold clay [A]she is [D]lain[D/G]     [D] 

 

And I'll [D]do as [G]much for my [Em]own true [A]love

[G]As any [D]young man [A]will

I'll [D]sit all [A]on my [D]true loves [G]grave

For [D]twelve months [A]and a [D]day [D/G]     [D] 

 

At [D]twelve [G]months and a [Em]day being [A]gone

A [G]voice it [D]spoke from the [A]deep

"Who [D]is it [A]sits all [D]on my [G]grave

And [D]will not [A]let me [D]slee[D/G]p?"  [D] 

 

Oh, tis [D]I, tis [G]I, my [Em]own true [A]love

That [G]sits all [D]on your [A]grave

I [D]crave one [A]kiss from [D]your sweet [G]lips

And [D]that is [A]all I [D]crav[D/G]e    [D] 

 

"Well if you [D]had one [G]kiss from my [Em]clay cold [A]lips

My [G]breath it is [D]earthly [A]strong

And [D]had you but one [A]kiss from [D]my cold [G]lips

You're [D]time on [A]earth would soon be [D]done[D/G]"    [D] 

 

Oh my [D]time being [G]long, or my [Em]time being [A]short

[G]Tomorrow [D]or to[A]day

[D]May God in [A]heaven take [D]all of my [G]soul

For I'll [D]kiss your [A]lips of [G]clay

 

See [Em]down in [A]yonder [G9]garden [A]fair

[Em]Where we [G9]used to [A]walk

Oh, the [D]sweetest [A]flower that [D]ever did [G]grow

Is [D]withered [A]to the [D]stal[D/G]k    [D] 

 

And that [D]stalk is [G]withered [Em]dry now my [A]love

[G]And so our [D]hearts they must de[A]cay

So [D]make your[A]self con[D]tent, now my [G]love

Until [D]God takes [A]you aw[D]ay."[D/G]     [D] 

 

Oh, the [D]wind doth [G]blow t[Em]oday my [A]love

A [G]few small [D]drops of [A]rain

And [D]never have I [A]had but [D]one true [G]love

Now In [D]cold clay [A]she is [G]lain [D]

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.

Daoiri Farrell - Collected chordsheets and Tabs

Over the years, I have made and collected several tabs and chord sheets from Daoiri Farrell. Over the last 10 years, he has undoubtedly become one of Ireland's most influential singers. 

I first met him in 2011 at a weekend workshop and was impressed by his manner and musicality. At the time, he was still relatively unknown and had just released his first CD, which I had to purchase immediately. 

I still have a video of him playing my bouzouki made by Heiner Dreizehnter and singing the song ‘Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore’. I had requested this song because he had sung it at the ceilidh the night before. You can also find this video on YouTube.

Here are the links to my chordsheets and tabs:

A Pint Of Plain

Biddy Mulligan

Blackwaterside / New Tabs!

Bogie's Bonnie Belle

Boozin'

The Creggan White Hare

Farewell To The Gold

Galway Girl

The Galway Shawl

The Galway Shawl - Intro and chords

The Hills Of Granemore

Fergie McCormack

John O'Dreams

The Little Drummer

McShane

The Mickey Dam

Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore and here

Pat Rainey

The Shady Woods Of Truagh

Sonny's Dream

Sweet Portadown

Tipping It Up To Nancy

The Unquiet Grave

Valentine O'Hara

The Wedding Above In Glencree

When The Breakers Go Back On Full Time

Windmills

Young Emmet

Here's a link to a concert I filmed with his Trio in 2019. This is an excerpt, The Blue Tar Road.

Daoiri Farrell - The Hills Of Granemore - Lyrics and Chords

“The Hills of Granemore” is a traditional hunting ballad rooted in County Armagh, Ireland. It tells the poignant story of a hare hunt in the hills near Granemore and Keady. Set on a fine morning, the song follows a group of hunters and their hounds as they pursue a hare across the fields. Told with rich natural imagery and dramatic tension, the ballad ultimately shifts perspective to the dying hare, who curses those who brought the hounds and bids farewell to the countryside.

Though often treated as anonymous folk tradition, the song is sometimes attributed to Owen McMahon of Tassagh. It is indexed as Roud 2883 and has appeared in various folk song collections. A local Granemore publication links the song’s origin to a hunt in the winter of 1933–34, said to have inspired a version created in the house of Joe and Pat Toner.

Daoirí Farrell learned his version from the late Al O’Donnell, a singer he greatly admired. Farrell recorded it on his 2019 album A Lifetime of Happiness. His deeply emotive delivery and subtle arrangement highlight the song’s underlying themes of respect for nature, loss, and the fading traditions of rural Ireland.

Unfortunately I couldn't find a live version of Daoiri singing it alone with Bouzouki backing.

{t:The Hills Of Granemore}

{st:Daoiri Farrell}

No Capo

 

One [G]fine winter’s [D]morning, my [Bm]horn I did [A]blow

To the [D]green fields of [G]Keady, to [A]hunt I did [D]go

We [G]gathered our [D]dogs and we [G]circled [Bm]around

[A]Oh, for none [G]loves the hunt [D]better than the [Bm]boys of May[A]down

 

And [G]when we ar[D]rived, they were [Bm]all standing [A]there

So we [D]took to the [G]fields in [A]search of the [D]hare

But we [G]did not go [D]far ’til some[G]one gave a [Bm]cheer

[A]Over [G]high hills and [D]valleys, the [Bm]wee hare did [A]steer

 

When she [G]got to the [D]heather, she [Bm]tried them to [A]shun

But the [D]dogs they never [G]missed her, one [A]inch where she [D]ran

They [G]were kept well [D]packed, going [G]over the [Bm]hill

[A]They [G]had set thems[D]elves on this [Bm]wee hare to [A]kill

 

And it [G]being quite [D]early, I [Bm]stopped for a [A]while

Twas [D]little I [G]thought they were [A]going to meet [D]Coyle

For [G]had I known [D]that, I’d have [G]lain near the [Bm]town

[A]I’d have [G]tried to get [D]rid of those [Bm]dogs of May[A]down

 

As we [G]drew o’er the [D]hill it was a [Bm]beautiful s[A]ight

There were [D]dogs black and [G]yellow and [A]dogs black and [D]white

And she [G]took to the [D]black bank to [G]try them once [Bm]more

[A]Oh, and it [G]was our last [D]look on the [Bm]hills of [A]Granemore

 

And [G]as they grew [D]near where the [Bm]wee hare did [A]lie

She sprung [D]up to her [G]feet for to [A]bid them good[D]bye

But their [G]music did [D]cease and her [G]cry we did [Bm]hear

[A]Saying [G]bad luck the [D]ones brought the [Bm]Maydown dogs [A]here

 

In a [G]field of wheat [D]stubble, the [Bm]wee hare did [A]lie

And [D]Rory and [G]Charmer, did [A]soon pass her [D]by

And [G]there where we [D]stood at the [G]foot of the [Bm]brae

[A]I [G]heard the last [D]words that the [Bm]wee hare did [A]say

 

Oh, no [G]more o’er the [D]green fields of [Bm]Keady I’ll [A]run

Or [D]trip through the [G]fields in s[A]port or in [D]fun

For last [G]night as I [D]lay quite con[G]tent in the [Bm]glen

[A]It was [G]little my [D]thoughts were of [Bm]dogs and of [A]men

 

And [G]no more o’er the [D]green fields of [Bm]Keady I’ll [A]roam

And [D]now that I am [G]dying the [A]sport is all [D]done

Nor [G]hear the long [D]horn that Joe [G]Toner does [Bm]play

[A]Or go [G]home to my [D]bed by the [Bm]clear light of [A]day

 

Oh, you may [G]blame Ole Mc[D]Maddon for [Bm]bringing Coyle [A]here

He’s been [D]at the same [G]caper for [A]manys' the [D]year

Every [G]Saturday and [D]Sunday, he’ll [G]never give [Bm]o’er

[A]With a [G]pack of strange [D]dogs ’round the [Bm]hills of Grane[A]more

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.

Daoiri Farrell - Young Emmet - Lyrics and Chords

 “Young Emmet” is a ballad commemorating Robert Emmet, the Irish patriot who led a failed uprising against British rule in 1803. Written by Paddy Ban O’Brien, the song is a powerful tribute to Emmet’s courage and idealism. Daoirí Farrell recorded the song on his 2023 album The Wedding Above in Glencree, after first hearing it from fiddle player Kevin Glackin at a session in Dublin’s Pipers Corner.

The song begins in Green Street Courthouse, where Emmet stands trial for treason. Alone and defiant, he is accused of trying to free Ireland from “slavery.” The verses recount how he is unjustly sentenced to death, yet remains calm and proud, even as the noose awaits. Emmet is portrayed not as a defeated man, but as a heroic symbol of Ireland’s ongoing struggle for freedom.

Daoirí Farrell’s version highlights the emotional weight of the lyrics through a simple, dignified arrangement. His clear, heartfelt delivery captures both Emmet’s bravery and the sorrow of his execution. More than a historical account, Young Emmet serves as a lament and a call to remember those who gave their lives in pursuit of justice and national independence.

{t:Young Emmet}

{st:Daoiri Farrell}

Capo 2

Intro: 

[D/C#] [D] [D/C#] [D]

In [D]Green Street Courthouse in [D]eighteen and three

Stood young [G]Emmet the [D]hero true and [A]brave

For [D]fighting the tyrant his [D/C#]country to free

And [G]tear from her [A]brow the bonds of [D]slavery

{soc}

There are [A]still men in Ireland who are [D]loy[A]al and [G]true

Who [A]remember their patriots with pride

And with [Bm]God’s help young Emmet

We’ll [D]soon give to you

The [G]epitaph un[A]written since you [D]died

{eoc}

 

Well [D]alone and defiant he [D]stood in the dock

While Lord [G]Norbury the [D]hanging judge looked [A]down

All a[D]gainst his false charges as firm as a rock

Oh a[G]nother Irish [A]martyr to the [D]crown

 

{soc}

There are [A]still men in Ireland who are [G]loyal and [D]true

Who [A]remember their patriots with pride

And with [Bm]God’s help young Emmet

We’ll [D]soon give to you

The [G]epitaph un[A]written since you [D]died

{eoc}

 

Oh the verdict was guilty the sentence was death

And in [G]Thomas Street the [D]tyrant’s work was [A]done

Oh but [D]young Emmet smiled as he [D]drew on his last breath

For he [G]knew the fight for [A]freedom would be [D]won

 

{soc}

There are [A]still men in Ireland who are [D]loyal and true

Who [A]remember their patriots with pride

And with [Bm]God’s help young Emmet

We’ll [D]soon give to you

The [G]epitaph un[A]written since you [D]died

The [G]epitaph un[A]written since you [D]died

{eoc}

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.