Communion Shared Between Banagher and Polish Ukraine
Background – my mother worked with a Polish man Mikail Jaszczyn from the Polish part of Ukraine, from which they fled during …
Hope is a Horse Fair in Banagher
Our old house, Babser Hynses on the right, is boarded up now. But at least its not torn down, as the developers …
The Fairy Boatmen of Banagher
Verse inspired by a story from the folkore collection Out walking his dog on a July evening In the river there afloat …
Great Hen of Gortagowan
Gortagown without a crown: So in time its name was made – So again its famous in modern time For the hen, …
Tom Moran – Lusmagh Horsetrader Remembered
From youth, from Lusmagh with his stock Among the traders there From far and near, home and abroad All met at Banagher …
Christmas Dream of the Banagher Garda Sergeant
The Sergeant dreamt yet another Christmas morning To find in the stocking he had hung It was another few lumps of coal …
Tom Moran Remembered at 2017 Banagher Horse Fair
The Banagher Horse Fair of 2017 as expected was a great success, with one of the largest turn outs seen in recent …
Weekend of Hit and Miss in Banagher and Longford
I made the Readings at the Pallet this year, and found that its ten years since I was in at the first …
Who Has a Welcome From All At Banagher Horse Fair?
There went out the question from one who was not yet there About the month of September and the Banagher Horse Fair …
Marching Again for Water – 2016 Banagher Horse Fair a Great Success – Readings from the Pallet postponed – the annual Pilgrimage to Banagher
Around this time of the year there are three things on the agenda, the Banagher Horse Fair, the annual Readings at the …
First Day at School
I can’t remember my first day at school in Saint Rynaghs in Banagher (of the famed Annual Horse Fair). So when folk …
Faction Fight of Banagher Town
For fun folk with sticks each other set to fight It was the fashion of the peasantry of the time The …
Are the Fairies Against the Fair?
The locals they were wondering They were trying to make sense Why the Sergeant wants to stop Banagher Fair Or away in …
Restless Sídhe of Keeraun Hill
Keeraun Hill is a fairy fort, or ring fort, or Danish fort, call it what you will outside Banagher in County Offaly …
Willie Rimes At the Quare Horse Fair
We think there was one lawbreaker at the 2015 Banagher Horse Fair.. of course it would have to be that pal of …
“The Window Crisis” and “The Miracle of the Porch”
This article first appeared in the 2014 edition of the “Banagher Review” Dad was a handyman in his spare time… handy to …
Saintjohnstown – So Beautiful A Name
My mother grew up outside the Longford village of Ballinalee. She always said she preferred the English name on it, St. Johnstown… …
People Power Wins at 2015 Banagher Horse Fair and I Manage Not to Get Arrested – Drowned Boy Forgotten in Turkey
I managed not to get arrested at the Outlaw Horse Fair in the Wild West of Offaly… however it was a close …
Missing Electric Picnic and Readings At The Pallet – Unexpected Appearance at Amusing – A Little Boy Drowns in Turkey
Its been a surreal few weeks, with Scene of the Rhyme on in Tullamore, an unexpected appearance organised at the last minute …
Plotting a Duel in Merlin Woods
Merlin Woods in a wood near where I live. A hospital is there now, and the wood is a public park. However, …