Saint Donatus of Fiesole
At Inishcaltra he learned to write At his mothers knee to pray In Italy he learned to fight In Ireland he was …
The Night Nelson Learned to Fly
Liam Sutcliffe blew up Nelsons Pillar. This poem tells the story. He passed away today. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam …
Ireland – Is It But a Notion?
As the Catalan Independence movement is crushed for now by Spain, we remember the Irish declaration of 1919… the events of the …
Bread and Salt – Poetry of the Levant told in the Music of Words
As part of Bread and Salt, there was a poetry reading of Iranian and Arab poetry in the Black Gate Cultural Centre …
To Carry a Hen When Walking
“Is trom Cearc i bhfad.” Translation: “A hen is heavy over a long distance.” Meaning: Something apparently easy may become difficult over …
When the Potatoes Did Not Grow
The dark tale of the Irish famine… republished on the site When the potatoes from the blight they did not grow And …
Good Food, Good Meat
My mother worked in the 1925 F Street Club in Washington, where she met Fidel Castro who left little positive impression on …
A Holy Book Proves No Shield
The death of Mahon, the King, who set a little too much faith in the Bible for protection! An old verse of …
Still Running the Still
Still in the shed, and a worm in the field The guards are out looking for the still But the word went …
Catalonia
Catalonia votes for independence. Spain will not allow it… why can Kosovo and Kuwait have freedom but not Catalonia and Kurdistan? Not …
The Death of Niall the Third of Ireland
Republishing this old verse of mine, part of a series. When Niall the Third was of Ireland High King There came underneath …
Does Kafkas Ghost Roam Josefovs Streets Unhappy
Kafka had his dying wish ignored… and the worlds literature is all the better for it…Bringing this verse from a few years …
Flickering Candles Foretell Death
A tradition of foretelling a death from North Longford… From the Irish Folklore Commission In days gone by a tradition old Of …
When Its Bad Manners to Say Thanks
The story of a ghost miller on Lough Gownas Inch Island From the Irish Folklore Collection On the waters of Gowna there …
Famine Food
What we dismiss as a weed Was once all there was to feed The hungry in a land of plenty Guarded by …
Culture Night in Cafe 45 – Longford Leads in Literature and Arts
This Culture Night I was in Longford reading with Longford Writers Group who I joined lately, in Cafe 45, after which I …
The Famine Cross
At the back of St Josephs Hospital in Longford, there is the local famine graveyard. This poem is dedicated to those interred …
Vampire Killed By Love
I have a friend who is big into all Vampire stories, and we were discussing the saying about who loves the flower …
Whats in a Name
By Mac and O the rhyme does go An Irishman can be known Through this rhyme and a little time The truth …
1798 Thinking
“Thats 1798 thinking” ~ Longford phrase meaning its an old fashioned notion and idealist, unlike modern reality To think like we did, …