Babser
My family came to Banagher in 1977 from Ballinalee in North Longford (via Clones, Athlone, Daingean and Moate!) and I grew up with the Banagher Horse Fair as one of my favourite memories. Due to lack of work, all three children in our family had to leave the town. Now, instead of getting more work in and trying to capitalise on cultural events and hertitage like our horse fair, they are trying to shut it down.
It will be going ahead on Spetember 13th this year… see you there! The Facebook page is here for Banagher Horse Fair!
A bogey man whose name was said in a joking tone
Whenever something would creak
A chill would run up the spine
When of tales of ghosts they would speak.
But he was no ghost – or so we hoped
But the man who once owned our house before
Where tales were told of banshees
Headless horses, fairy forts, black dogs and more…
Our ghost stories were of North Longford
And of the Great Famine dead
A long way from our little village of Banagher
Where jokes of the bogeyman were said.
And they who told those tales now are spirits
Five and one year gone, soon to be
And maybe others will tell the tales
Or have the bogeyman as me!