Children Of Lir

<br>[Music: KF, JF Words: KF]<br><br>In a time of myth and magic,<br>lived a man of timeless power,<br>Lir was his name,<br>but his temper had turned sour.<br>He would not be king of the land,<br>Bov Dearg was chosen instead.<br>Lir would pay no tribute to him,<br>And secretly wished he was dead.<br><br>Alas with time Lir`s wife did lie,<br>and he was full of great sadness,<br>Dearg heard this and sent word to Lir,<br>to meet with him in his palace.<br>When they met they both embraced,<br>Their friendship was made then.<br>Dearg summoned his daughter eve,<br>And told Lir he must marry again,<br><br>Lir`s love for Eve was as strong as with his first wife,<br>A seed was planted, Fionnula and Aedh were born.<br>But her next child birth would take away her life,<br>Fiachra and Conn, from their mothers stomach were torn.<br><br>Lir`s sadness knew no bounds -<br>he cried out to the night,<br>Dearg was there to comfort him<br>and help him see the light.<br>He had 4 beautiful children<br>and with time another bride,<br>Eve`s sister Aoife would stay loyal to his side.<br><br>But Aiofe had a jealous side - a canker in her mind,<br>She moved against the children, love for them she could not find.<br>She took them in her chariot to a lake not far away.<br>And changed them into swans like night time into day.<br><br>300 years on Derravaragh, so commenced the spell,<br>the children would swim to the shore, their story to tell.<br>300 years on the sea of Moyle, a cruel and bitter place,<br>The children missed their father here, the smile upon his face.<br><br>In the sea of Moyle the waves did crash,<br>and beat the land with might,<br>The rain fell fierce and the wind blew hard,<br>the swans all feared for their lives.<br>Fionnula was strong and wisest of all,<br>And guarded her brothers from strife.<br>Under her wings they hid from night,<br>And waited for the morning light.<br><br>Finally the day did come,<br>to leave this terrible sea,<br>300 more years to live as swans,<br>then they at last would be free.<br>To Inish Gluaire the swans did fly,<br>As fast as they could go.<br>New lands and kingdoms everywhere -<br>Fionnula did see down below.<br><br>There they waited, till at last the day did dawn,<br>The spell was ending,<br>they felt themselves transform.<br>They were now ancient,<br>their youth was gone forever,<br>And as they died,<br>they held hands and went together.