Emigrants

McAlpine's Fusiliers

As down the glen came McAlpine's men with their shovels slung behind them

It was in the pub they drank the sub and up in the spike you'll find them

They sweated blood and they washed down mud with pints and quarts of beer

And now we're on the road again with McAlpine's Fusiliers

I stripped to the skin with the Darky Flynn way down upon the Isle of Grain
With the Horseface Toole I knew the rule, no money if you stop for rain
When McAlpine's god was a well filled hod with your shoulders cut to bits and seared
And woe to he who looks for tea with McAlpine's Fusiliers

The song reflects the blood, sweat and tears that the Irish poured out in the building of Britain. Apparently McAlpine’s Fusiliers was written by Martin Henry of Rooskey, near Doocastle in East Mayo, sometime in the late 50s. Martin, like other labouring men over several generations in that part of Mayo, had for many years been a spailpín or seasonal harvester in England and again, like many others, had gravitated into construction in search of better-paid employment The song was adapted later by Dominic Behan

In October 2000, Killawalla Community Council sponsored an "Emigrant Sunday." They emailed a newsletter to emigrants. The newsletter contained a collection of emails from members of Killawalla's Diaspora scattered around the world. Young people from Killawalla continue to emigrate to places like the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and various parts of Europe. They emigrate, not by choice but for financial and work reasons. 2012 became the year of "The Gathering," inviting emigrants to visit home once again. Many families were reconnected with each other. One of the aims of this Killawalla Website is to connect home with abroad; to be a bridge across the waters. People, no matter why they leave home, still want to connect with home. We will use the Killawalla website to reconnect those abroad with home again.

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