Once more in the dear old land

Dark and gloomy was the day when from Erin I'd to part,
As the good ship sailed away dark and gloomy was my heart;
But home visions to me came as we ploughed the angry sea,
And my heart so fondly yearned for the day when I should be—
 
Once more in the dear old land, once more in old Ireland:
O'er the wide, wide world I've roamed, but my heart still turned to thee; Once more in my native land, once more in my sireland,
Loveliest island that Heaven e'er smiled on, dear Erin, the gem of the sea.

Varied scenes I gazed upon, over land and over sea,
But where'er I chanced to roam, Erin, I was true to thee:
One thought cheered my lonely heart, one thought chased each care away 
Weary years might o'er me roll, still I hope to be some day— 

This is one of a number of Irish songs and sketches produced by Felix McGlennon in the early part of his career for Irish-American performer Harry Melville. The first printed record of it being performed that I can find is in Scotland in June 1885 – later in the year Melville also performed it as part of a four week appearance at Sam Collins Hall in London. It seems to have been added to an earlier dramatic monologue called Outcast for Life which Melville performed regularly in the mid-1880s. The notices mention that the monologue included scenic effects by Felix McGlennon and others..

According to WorldCat surviving copies of the sheet music were published in Boston in 1893 and London in 1903. In the UK and Ireland it appeared in a number of broadsides, in America it was published in several cheap collections of songs published by the Wehman Brothers