This song is about a pretty lady every man in the town admired, but never had the guts to "ask her out"
She meets a cattle jobber (cowboy?) and he acts like he couldn't care less about her -- which drives her crazy after him -- and he ends up marrying her.
Hahaha I know I'd be the guy singing the song, not the cowboy -- but still it's a cute song.

I think the Irish might be on to something about human nature...



Eileen Og an' that the darlin's name is
Through the Barony her features they were famous
If we loved her then who was there to blame us
For wasn't she the Pride of Petravore?
But her beauty made us all so shy
Not a man could look her in the eye
Boys, Oh boys, sure that's the reason why
We're in mournin' for the Pride of Petravore

REFRAIN:
Eileen Og me heart is growin' grey
Ever since the day you wandered far away
Eileen Og there's good fish in the say
But there's none of them like the Pride of Petravore

Friday at the fair of Ballintubber
Eileen met McGrath the cattle jobber
I'd like to set me mark upon the robber
For he stole away the Pride of Petravore
He never seemed to see the girl at all
Even when she ogled him from underneath her shawl
Lookin' big and masterful when she was lookin' small
Most provokin' for the Pride of Petravore

Refrain

So it went as it was in the beginning
Eileen Og was bent upon the winning
Big McGrath contentedly was grinning
Bein' courted by the Pride of Petravore
Sez he: "I know a girl that could knock you into fits"
At that Eileen nearly lost her wits
The upshot of the ruction was that now the robber sits
With his arm around the Pride of Petravore

Refrain

Boys, Oh boys, with fate 'tis hard to grapple
Of my eyes 'tis Eileen was the apple
Now to see her walkin' to the chapel
With the hardest featured man in Petravore
Now, boys, this is all I have to say:
When you do your courtin' make no display
If you want them to run after you, just walk the other way
For they're mostly like the Pride of Petravore

Refrain

This song is about a pretty lady every man in the town admired, but never had the guts to "ask her out"
She meets a cattle jobber (cowboy?) and he acts like he couldn't care less about her -- which drives her crazy after him -- and he ends up marrying her.
Hahaha I know I'd be the guy singing the song, not the cowboy -- but still it's a cute song.

Research supports this.  It is the woman, and not the man, who makes the "first move"!