{"id":2788,"date":"2016-06-07T02:04:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-07T02:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/?p=2788"},"modified":"2016-06-07T02:08:47","modified_gmt":"2016-06-07T02:08:47","slug":"on-the-border-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/on-the-border-run\/","title":{"rendered":"On The Border Run"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tea
Tea was traded for coffee… turf for coal… sugar for chocolate for sale on the black market either side of the border between Eire (now known as the Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The line that Craig the clever chap
\nCarving Ulster in three, drew on a map
\nThe maximum area the minority could hold
\nCleft to the Union barely a Century old
\nResented by all this border imposed
\nBut borders bring opportunity we supposed
\nWhen war broke out shortages were rife
\nWe knew how to move contraband to ease the strife
\nYou only conned the taxman, sure what is the harm
\nSure you cant get by on the money earned from a farm
\nThat is how to the frolics and fun
\nMy father joined his cousin: on the border run!<\/p>\n

Leitrim and Fermanagh have long winding roads
\nDifferent taken each night with forbidden loads
\nWe had turf, but no coal, but we had tea
\nThey had the coal and they had coffee
\nSure we had the sugar and butter and isnt it grand
\nTrading beyond the law between the two halfs of our land!<\/p>\n

One night it was decided they would head up with tea
\nTo swap or to sell for what its value would be
\nBring down what they would buy as they always did
\nBribe the B-Specials who would ignore what they knew was hid
\nA third man, long vetern of smuggling was with them this night
\nAsked if for the craic to join them his young daughter might?
\nSure the child she is welcome to join us on the road
\nThe car is strong all agreed, she would be no load
\nThey planned for her to sit on the chests of tea
\nTo hide it so no police inspecting would see…<\/p>\n

Now she was important – not just there for the fun
\nShe was excited: till she saw the gun
\nThe B-Special pointed at the window: she was fearful, amazed
\nThe men nonchalant, completely unfazed
\nAnswering all the questions, showing papers that the policeman could see…
\nBut the girl was frightened… and started to pee!<\/p>\n

If what a dilemma: what would her dad say
\nOh why did she have to come in the car today
\nThe smell got stronger as she was dreading
\nSomeone started to sniff as the smell was spreading
\nThe policeman noticed nothing or at least nothing said
\nThen the girl did the thing all the menfolk did dread
\nTapped her dad on the shoulder saying “Listen to me…
\nI really am sorry, i just wet the tea!”<\/p>\n

Now the police were interested in their official way
\nTell us there please what that child did say
\nAs odd to them as if code what she had spoken
\nQuickly glossed over by her father now awoken
\n“Shes a foolish child, ignore her” he said not wincing
\nThe B-Specials let them go them sounding convincing…
\nOne classic border run story I as a child by my father was told
\nThe tea with added flavour and aroma: it still was sold!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The line that Craig the clever chap Carving Ulster in three, drew on a map The maximum area the minority could hold Cleft to the Union barely a Century old Resented by all this border imposed But borders bring opportunity we supposed When war broke out shortages were rife We …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,23,1,213,1904],"tags":[188,2896,112,113,42,1883,1271,2895],"class_list":["post-2788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ireland","category-north-longford","category-uncategorized","category-war","category-world-war-ii","tag-county-longford","tag-eire","tag-fermanagh","tag-leitrim","tag-longford","tag-northern-ireland","tag-smuggling","tag-the-emergency","column","twocol"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7EI4f-IY","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3092,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/longford-during-the-emergency\/","url_meta":{"origin":2788,"position":0},"title":"Longford during the “Emergency”","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"8th August 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Im of Longford extraction and am a Longford man to be when my cottage in Ballinamuck is restored and I move up there in the next few years. 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Stories of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Story Behind a Picture - Lalin Swaris in June 2016 Longford Eye","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/The-Story-Behind-a-Picture-Lalin-Swaris-in-June-2016-Longford-Eye.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/The-Story-Behind-a-Picture-Lalin-Swaris-in-June-2016-Longford-Eye.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/The-Story-Behind-a-Picture-Lalin-Swaris-in-June-2016-Longford-Eye.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/The-Story-Behind-a-Picture-Lalin-Swaris-in-June-2016-Longford-Eye.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/The-Story-Behind-a-Picture-Lalin-Swaris-in-June-2016-Longford-Eye.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3620,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/fixed-bayonets-against-our-own\/","url_meta":{"origin":2788,"position":1},"title":"Fixed Bayonets Against Our Own","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"1st April 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Needless to say I think the Irish army should have gone across the border in 1969, and was angered at Keelin Shanleys presentation of \"If Lynch Had Invaded\" as the most surrenderist piece of collaborationist propaganda ever shown. 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