Who Are We Going to Fight Now
As the British left, one man in jest Asked “Who will we fight now”, All too soon was clear as many did …
Walking in Belturbet By Erne’s Side
From the well the calf it leaped As unwisely the widow chose For ease her load not too long to carry In …
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 …
Turning the Big One Hundred – A North Longfordman Remembered
Dad would have been 100 if alive today. While he always said his date of birth was the 22nd as the “all …
A Nice Time of Year to Go
A nice time of year to go – So long ago, like yesterday – When the veil of life was at its …
Blackbirds at Ballinamuck Sing in The Trees
The blackbirds at Ballinamuck sing among the trees Where the rebels, prone, were slain, English cavalry chased through where horses could run …
When The Devil Was Beat by Duffy
A common folk story in Europe, in North Longford it was attributed to a local blacksmith as the hero of the tale, …
Memories of Grandmother at Drumnahara
The shaking hands that set the plate Of ice cream and jelly that vibrate With an old woman’s smile under curled hair …
The Three Wishes of Willie the Wisp
Based on the story from the Folklore Commission https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5009178/4994671 There once was a blacksmith as broke as could be, Who no future …
To Visit A Strangers Grave
I walk in town to which confined For nine more weeks I bring to mind The graves I would visit today Of …
The Ambush at Clonfin
Man for man, and gun for gun, Mere peasants stood to the test, With faith in God and their fellow man, They …
Sitting Shoreside by Nabelwy Lake
Looking back through photos, a shot of Lough Nabelwy reminded me of one of my favourite walks in North Longford, and of …
Fireside Tales Told at Halloween
Stories of North Longford families, Of folk then dead and gone – Were told to me when I was young By those …
John Darrell Boyd – Elegy on an Deceased Airman
One of the few of your clan, you died… Who fought in so many wars over the years – Your young bride, …
Old Crone of Cairn Hill
Old Crone of Beara is said to have dropped stones that make up cairns on Cairn Hill in Longford. As with many legends, the stories vary, with some saying she was another personification of the Goddess Bridget… #Irishlegend #folklore
Folk of the Land of the Whin
From where to the world’s four corners spread All desire to, but few manage to return To children tales told, songs sung …
Funeral for a Thief
Helen of Troy launched a thousand ships… Chicago May and her wild red hair sent many men to their deaths, or to kill…
Walk at Lough Annagh Remembered
A rather melancholic reflection I remember while walking last year at Annagh Lake. Life indeed tames us all… or am I just …
Betrayal of the Brothers Grimes
In the wake of the 1798 Rebellion, the brothers Grimes, all of whom were executed by the British, were betrayed by a …
Remembering a Country Girl
Verses pondering the life of May Ann Duignan (Degnan), aka Mrs May Churchill Sharpe, aka Chicago May, as I walked past her …