This song was composed by Patrick Barry,
who was born in 1887 on Red Island,
and committed to paper by his daughter Mary Anne Counsel.

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On the fourteenth day of February, as you may understand,
A lady from the city on Red Island she did land.
To start the night school teaching I'm going to let you know,
Both great and small she took them all who were willing for to go.

Our other teacher on the Island, now we all do know her well,
To learn us how to read and write if we only could keep still.
When she came in the school room we didn't know what to say,
About 25 people in one class who did not know B from A.

She taught us how to write our name in a few nights we caught on,
Now we can open up our books, read for her one by one.
For myself I was awful stupid Miss, I didn't know what to do,
But now I can take my pen in hand and write a line to you.

The first night that I went to school it did seem strange to me,
A lesson from my book on the page two or three.
For education I got none and grammar I don't use,
Among educated people, language got to be excused.

We had two splendid teachers here I'm going to explain,
Pat Barry is one of them I couldn't leave out his name.
Bride Reddy is the other I hardly can describe,
She is seven years here teaching school, her age is twenty-five.

Miss Mary McCarthy took the high school, Miss Reddy's second class,
Our new teacher took the dunces to learn us hard and fast.
But she was pretty nimble and she knew what to do,
She learned us how to read and write and quickly put us through.

Every night when work was over the music would begin,
And every pupil in the school with her they had to sing.
For she could play the organ and it was plain to see,
She sang the songs both new and old that suited you and me.

The first song that she sang for us I tell you it was grand,
It was "Fare you well my Pretty young gals, we're off for the Rio Grande".
The second one she sang for us I tell you it's no lie,
It was "Nancy tickle me fancy to my charming Billy Boy".

The women are joined in a club, I have it for to say,
A beautiful mat that they have hooked, a present for Father Dee.
I know he will be charmed with it, all hands would hear him say,
Red Island yet was never slack, when she had a cent to pay.

We know the times are very bad, and every one knows that,
We're starting corporations, where our Island won't go flat.
And now we have our ice house built, and we make no delay,
And now we are going to start a farm, we got to make it pay.

It was on the 30th night of March the women they begun,
To have a party in the school, I was the only man.
I had my cup of cocoa, and I did enjoy it too,
The women they danced a jolly old set, a part of the Lancers too.

The reason that they had me there you all may hear them cry,
It was to play the accordion to make their time go high.
They waltzed and danced until twelve o'clock and then we all joined in,
We spoke a few short verses and we sang God Save the Queen.

Now to conclude and finish, I mean to end my song,
Patrick Barry is my name, Red Island I belong.
If this is not completed Miss, I'll tell you what I'll do,
I will compose another one and send it straight to you.