You've heard of Julius Caesar
and of great Napoleon too
An d how the Cork militia
beat the Turks at Waterloo
But there's a page of glory
that has yet remains uncut
And that's the warlike story
of the Slattery Mounted Foot
This gallant corps was organized
by Slattery's eldest son,
A noble -minded poacher
with a double -breasted gun.
And many a head was broken, aye,
and many an eye was shut,
When Lernon to maneuver
in the Slattery mounted foot.
And down from the mountains
came the squadrons and platoons,
Four and twenty fighting men
and a couple of stout gossoons.
And when we marched behind the drum
to patriotic tunes,
We felt that fame would gill
the name of Slattery's
light dragoons.
Well, first we reckoned out
a round O'Sullivan she be.
It used to be the shop -house,
but we called it the canteen.
But there we saw a notice
which the bravest heart unnerved,
A liquor must be settled for
before the drink is served.
So on we marched,
but soon again
each warrior's heart grew pale
For rising high in front of us,
we saw the county jail
And when the army faced a
bout was just in time to find
A couple of big policemen
had surrounded us behind
Still down from the mountains
came the squadrons and platoons
Four -and -twenty fighting men
and a couple of stout garsoons
Says Svateri,
we must circumvent
these bludgeoning bastoons
Or else, it seems, they'll take their names
as Svateri's light dra
goons
We'll cross the ditch or eat a cride
and take the foe in flank
But yells of consternation
here arose from every rank
For posted high upon a tree
we very plainly saw
Trespassers prosecuted
in accordance with the law
We're foiled, exclaimed, both slattery
Here ends our bold campaign
Tis merely throwing life away
To face that nearing rain
I'm not as bold as lions
But I'm braver nor a hen
And he that fights and runs away
Will live to fight again
And back to the mountains went
The squadrons and platoons
Four and twenty fighting men
And a couple of stout garsoons
The band was playing cautiously
their patriotic tunes
So sing the fame, if rather lame,
Slattery's life pregoon
They reached the mountain safely,
though all stiff and sore with cramp
Each took a whet, a whisky net,
to dissipate the damp
And when they loaded all the pipes
for Slattery Upson says
Today's immortal fight
will be remembered by the dead
I never shall forget, he,
while this brave heart shall be
The eager way you followed me
when I headed the retreat
You preferred the soldier's maxim
when desisting from the strife
Be st be a coward for five minutes
than a dead man all your life
And there in the mountains lay
in squadrons and platoons
Four -and -twenty fighting men
and a couple of stout gazoons
They nevermore will march again
to patriotic tunes
Though all the same they sing the fame
of Scattery's light dragoons
Brendan O'dowda 
