Tommy Makem – They Told Us No Irish Need Apply lyrics

Just think of all the presidents who came from Irish folk
There was Wilson and Buchanan, there was Jackson, Grant and Polk
There was Cleveland and McKinley and the brave Jack Kennedy
And many more whose names have joined that goodly company

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And they told us no Irish need apply!
Yes, they told us no Irish need apply!

You've heard about James Curley, that man of great renown
And Honey Fitz, who proved his worth as Mayor of Boston town
And Rose and Ted and Bob and Jack and all the Kennedy clan
And the noble John McCormack, who is honored through the land

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Did you know John Hancock's family came from the County Down?
And composer Victor Herbert, he was born in Dublin town
And the blood in Davy Crockett's veins was Irish through and through
And Connie Mack, the baseball great, well he was Irish too

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The father of the navy, John Barry was his name
He was a gallant Irishman, from Wexford town he came
To the many Irish giants in the literary field
You can add F. Scott Fitzgerald and the great Eugene O'Neill

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Whenever people talk about great service to mankind
No doubt, the name of Boston's Cardinal Cushing comes to mind
And Doctor Thomas Dooley should be leader of the van
His entire life was spent in helping out his fellow man

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In the noble art of self-defence, as you'll already know
We had men like John L. Sullivan, who never feared a foe
And gentleman Jim Corbett was among the very best
Likewise the bold Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey and the rest

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We're the men who built the railroads, we're the men who fought the wars
We're the men who manned the police force, we're the men who drove street cars
We're the men who formed your unions, we're the men who sang your songs
We're the men who filled your history and tried to right your wrongs

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