An Irishman in Haarlem

I came as a stranger to Haarlem

But I wasn't a stranger for long

For the people of Haarlem opened their hearts

So now I will sing them this song. (Spoken)

It's true that I miss the mountains

And the waves that crash on the shore

And the plaintive cry in a cloud filled sky

Of a raven above rocky Gweedore.

It's true that I miss the river

That races it's way to the sea

As it tumbles and falls and rushes and calls

On it's journey to the broad estuary.

And the Spaarne it doesn't race

Like the rivers in far Donegal

But moves so slow with a genteel flow

That looks like no movement at all.

But here I am in Haarlem town

And don't feel my loss so strong

My tears have dried for the people tried

To make me happy amid their throng.

They like to sit in a bar

And drink and talk and sing

They raise good cheer with good Dutch beer

For they know living is the thing.

And when I walk these cobbled streets

It's like being back in time

For they built a past that was made to last

And these streets now feel like mine.

So thanks for being kind to a stranger

Who came here from over the sea

And not at all sure if I could endure

A place that seemed foreign to me.

But the people of Haarlem opened their hearts

So I feel a stranger no more

They gave to my soul an entirely new role

On their welcoming, friendly Dutch shore.

~~Aidan Sharkey

This poem was sung by Paul Marselje
Listen to the music: