And I've no doubt there's truth in[Am] what they[G] say

But[D7] sure a[G] body's[G7] bound to be a[C] dreamer

When[A7] all the[D7] things he loves are far[G] away

And[D7] precious[G] things are dreams onto an[D7] exile

They[D7] take o're the land[Am] across the[G] sea

Es[D7]pecially[G] when it happenes he's an[C] exile

[A7]From that dear[D7] lovely Isle of Innis[G]free

And when the[C] moonlight peeps across the[G] rooftops

Of this great [A7]city wondrous though it[D] be

I[D7] scarcely[G] feel it's wonder or it's[C] laughter

I'm once[D7] again back home in Innis[G]free

 

I wonder o're green hills and dreamy valleys

And find a peace no other land could know

I hear the birds make music fit for angles

And watch the rivers laughing as they flow

But dreams dont last though dreams are not forgotten

And soon I'm back to stern reality

But though they pave the footways here with gold-dust

I still would choose my Isle of Innisfree

Richard Farrelly or Dick as he was affectionately known was born in 1916 in Kells, Co. Meath. He studied piano as a young boy and was writing songs and poetry by the time he reached his teens. At the age of 23 he joined An Garda Síochána and spent the final period of his 38 years service in the finance department of the Detective Unit at Dublin Castle.

A successful songwriter, Dick succeeded in leaving his indelible footprints in the sands of time with his song "The Isle of Innisfree". On a bus journey to Dublin from his native Kells, Dick got the inspiration for his now timeless composition, and by the time he reached Dublin, he had written the words and music of "The Isle of Innisfree", which later that night he committed to manuscript. "The Isle of Innisfree" became a huge international hit for Bing Crosby in the early 50s, it continues to enrich the repertoires of innumerable artistes and, above all, it endures in the hearts of many to this day as one of the great songs of Ireland.

Film director John Ford on a visit to Ireland heard the tune, which was on everyone's lips at the time and was so captivated by it that he chose it as the theme music for his film "The Quiet Man". The "Isle of Innisfree" becomes the love theme for Sean Thornton (John Wayne) and Mary Kate (Maureen O'Hara) and although the melody is featured well over a dozen times throughout the film, including it's use during the opening sequence, neither Dick Farrelly's name nor the name of the composition appeared in the production credits. Victor Young was credited with the penning of the full musical score.

The "Isle of Innisfree" also makes an appearance in the film "ET" where a scene from "The Quiet Man" is shown, and again the melody is used in the soundtrack of the film, "Distant Voices, Still Lives", a British film made in 1988.

Back in 1948 Anne Shelton recorded his song "If You Ever Fall in Love Again", becoming a hit for her in England. Guy Lombardo and his Orchestra, and The Three Suns, later recorded the song in the USA. Other hit songs from Dick Farrelly during the fifties include, "Cottage by the Lee", which was a huge hit for singer and actor Joe Lynch, "The Rose of Slievenamon", recorded by Joseph Locke and "There's Only the One Killarney" sung by Patrick O'Hagan.

Dick Farrelly continued to write songs throughout his lifetime including "We Dreamed our Dreams", written a few years before he died and it was one of his own personal favourites. It was recorded by The Fureys & Davy Arthur on their album "The Scattering" in 1988. The song has since been recorded by Sean Keane, Cathy Ryan and again by Finbar Furey with the BBC Radio Orchestra on an album entitled "We Dreamed our Dreams". There now features a haunting interpretation of this song by Sinéad Stone and Gerard Farrelly (Dick's son), on their album "Legacy of a Quiet Man", which is dedicated to Dick Farrelly.

Anyone who ever knew Dick Farrelly would have to agree that he was a quiet man. One could say that he was indeed a quiet gentleman.
Dick Farrelly died aged 74 in his home in Dublin, August 1990