>M/7fÍ3 
 
THE 
 
 POETS AND POETRY 
 
 OF 
 
 MUNSTER: 
 
 A SELECTION OF IRISH SONGS 
 
 BY THE POETS OF THE LAST CENTURY. 
 
 WITH POETICAL TRANSLATIONS 
 
 BY THE LATE 
 
 JAMES CLARENCE MANGAN.V 
 
 NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME PUBLISHED, 
 
 WLít^ tie ©rtstnal JMttétc, 
 
 AND 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE AUTHORS. 
 BY JOHN O'DALY. 
 
 THIRD EDITION. 
 
 DUBLIN : 
 
 JOHN O'DALY, 9, ANGLESEA-STEEET. 
 
 MBCCCM. . 
 
 BOSTON COLLEGE LIBRARY 
 CHESTNUT HILL, MASS, 
 
33S.& 
 
 Dublin: Printed by Edward Eull, 6, Bachelor's-walk. 
 
TO 
 
 THE FAIR DAUGHTERS OF MUNSTER 
 
 WHOSE MANY VIRTUES 
 HAVE ENDEARED THEM TO ALL, 
 
 ®te Wolumt 
 
 IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 BY 
 
 THEIR ADMIRING AND HUMBLE SERVANT, 
 
 Se2i5t)?W U21 <£>m2lJ3t). 
 
4 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Preface xi 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 
 James Clarence Mangan xiii 
 
 <t)ot)t)C4'ó rtyc Co\)-tyAyA Donogh Mac Con- 
 
 Mara .... 1 
 Se454t) tU T>UAxt)<\ . . John O'Tuomy . 8 
 Siwoitjar ri)ejc Cíi41t; . Andrew M'Grath 17 
 2ío*ó454t) Ua K4t4jlle . Egan O'Rahilly . 21 
 2in 7>2lt4iit Ujll?4nj Jt)- The Rev. William 
 
 -$X)X English ... 27 
 
 TJ&'b'S (340t>-aUc) tUSujl- Timothy O'Sulli- 
 
 l]oB4)t) ..... van 29 
 
 Pe4/o4}ji U4 í)o]]tí))t) . Peter O'Dornin . 31 
 6054T) (Ktuvo) U4Sú]llio- Owen O'Sullivan 
 
 b4li) (the Red) . . . 35 
 
 Se4á4í) (Cl4|i4c) rijeic John Mac Donnell 
 
 i)OTt)r)4iU (the Clarach) . 35 
 
 William Heffernan (the Blind) — Hugh 
 
 and Andrew Mac Curtin — Conor and 
 
 Donogh O'Sullivan — Brian O'Flaherty, 
 
 and James Considine . * 36 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 Pagk. 
 
 John O'Cunningham — Maurice Griffin — 
 William Cotter (the Red) — George Ro- 
 berts — James O'Daly — Thomas Cotter — 
 
 Edward Nagle 37 
 
 Eoghan (Owen or Eugene) O'Keeffe ... 38 
 John Murphy (of fUtA0jT)i)e4c) 39 
 
 POETRY. 
 As I was Walking one Evening fair, &c. ... 5 
 Bean n4 Cleice Gaojle Dame of the Slender 
 
 Wattle .... 13 
 
 olle T)4 5lte The Brightest of the 
 
 Bright .... 24 
 Be4n n4 n-Ott-TboVc Maid of the Raven 
 
 <t)onn Locks .... 41 
 
 B4n-CbT)OK 6i|ie4t)n O ! . The Fair Hills of 
 
 Eire, O ! ... 45 
 Uajll-cúnwó 1)4 Téjnne A Lament for the Fe- 
 nians 51 
 
 Wdi]t)T) W) Cl)itill)or)í)4ií) Moirin Ni Chuillion- 
 
 nain 57 
 
 Cujrle not l)-6)5re . . . Spirit of Song . . 61 
 OU'OÁr) S\)eÁiá)\) XX) T)\)U- JohnOTuomy'sDrink- 
 
 4TTJ4 ing Song .... 65 
 
 ^tver45|U-ó 2iwojij4jr Andrew Magrath's Reply 
 rt)eic C]iá)t 41ft Sl)e454n to John OTuomy . 67 
 
 «ID Bbéj* The Maiden ... 73 
 
 Tne45it4t) 4) ft 4T) rn-Béjt A Reply to the Maiden 75 
 
 léjjt-rm464it Whiggiona . A Whack at the Whigs 77 
 2tn BbU*-BljTiujt)3J0ll . The Flower of all 
 
 Maidens. ... 83 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 1P4rGUJ5JlT) 4t) 2t)l)4T)5411te 
 
 SIJÚ3415 
 
 Ké4lT?4TJ CbjUe C4JÍ)níÓ 
 
 )í)5loí) U) 31je4TW)lT; . - 
 2ltj Se4ti'oujr)e Seojjtre 
 S)5ile N) 3b4-ó4it4'ó . . 
 Suisse Pbe4T>4j]t Uj 
 
 <t>boj|U)ii) 
 
 2t)djn.)íj N) CbujtljoT)n4itj 
 
 2lirl?t)5 Cbont)CÚb4in- Ui 
 Kion/o4jn 
 
 2ll) Cl)ílll-tlOT)T) .... 
 
 2t)difijn Nj Cbujllionr)4?r) 
 
 2ii? ISewrw tiwcfu-o . . 
 
 Cwciljx) Ni U4ll4c4?n . 
 TP4jIt;?Ú54td K13 Sé4]tlur 
 
 2in Bb4jn73jxe4b4C 'r 4T) 
 2t)l)415T)e41) .... 
 
 Sl4wce Kj5 Sé^tilur • . 
 
 )t)5)ot) 4t) Tb^oj^ o'n 
 
 n-3le4nii 
 
 <t)otrji)4ll t)4 3ité?ne . . 
 
 13640^ T)4 T)-3é4í)4 Tj4- 
 
 TMjne 
 
 Se454i) Buj'óe .... 
 Sebé4i Ni B1)íi?4)í) . . 
 2lt) VÁirvjr) T)ox)\) 
 
 Page 
 
 The Mangaire Su- 
 
 gach's Pastime . . 87 
 The Star of Kilkenny 91 
 Geraldine's Daughter 93 
 Georgey the Dotard . 97 
 Sighile Ni Gara . . 101 
 Peter O'Dornin's Court- 
 ship 107 
 
 Moirin Ni Chuillion- 
 
 nain 11/ 
 
 Conor O'Riordan's 
 
 Vision . . . .119 
 The Cuilfhion. . .125 
 Moirin Ni Chuillion- 
 
 nain 127 
 
 The Little Bench of 
 
 Rushes . . . .129 
 Caitilin Ni Uallaehain 133 
 A Welcome for King 
 
 Charles . . . .139 
 The Virgin, Wife, and 
 
 Widow .... 143 
 A Health to King 
 
 Charles . . . .147 
 White's Daughter of 
 
 the Dell .... 157 
 Donall na Greine . .161 
 The Return of the 
 
 Wild Geese . . .169 
 Seaghan Buidhe . .171 
 Isabel Ni Brian . .173 
 The Fair-Haired Child 1 77 
 
vili CONTENTS. 
 
 Tage. 
 
 Bél3-ót)OC^t)t)44>U)be . Dark Fairy Rath . .181 
 
 Be4lj c t>ub 41) 3l)l^At)1)4 . Dark Maiden of the 
 
 Valley .... 185 
 
 Jt)3lon Ui 31je4|t4)lT; . . Geraldine's Daughter 189 
 
 Leather away with the Wattle, O ! 193 
 
 C^ojne Cljjll Cb^ir • • A. Lament for Kilcash 197 
 
 Bjnn Ijrjn 2lojt4C 4T) The Fairy Rath of 
 
 Bl) 11054 Bruff 203 
 
 C4jt; Nj NéjU .... Kate Ni Neill ... 207 
 
 Bójr 5be4l <t)ub . . . Black-Haired Fair Rose 211 
 
 Kdjrjn t>ub Little Black-Haired 
 
 Rose 215 
 
 64tt)ot)í) 4T) Cl)i)0)C . . Edmund of the Hill 219 
 
 21 2t)l)4jite 'r 4 ty\)ú)y,r))r) My Darling Mary . 225 
 
 2it) Se4b4C S)úB4]l . . The Wandering Exile 231 
 
 21n B|X4nn'04 .... Whiskey on the Way 235 
 
 2lt) Í>fi40i)4t) <t>ont) . . The Brown Thorn , 239 
 
 2lJTlp)3 64T>b4)ji'D t>oNo- Edward Nagle's Vi- 
 
 5I4JC sion 245 
 
 2llTlW5 Pt)4T>|Ui)c Cun- Patrick Condon's Vi- 
 
 T>úi) sion 25 1 
 
 2ljrlji)5 Cl)or)cíib4iri Uj Conor O' Sullivan's 
 
 Sl)ii)U]ob4iT) .... Vision .... 255 
 
 Tíie43ít4'ó 4)1)01) nc4-ó U) Donogh O'Sullivan's 
 
 St)ú)lljob4)n 411X Cljorj- Reply to Conor 
 
 cíib4ti U4 SV)ú)lliob4)í) O' Sullivan . . .259 
 
 2lirlli)3 4tj 21*411 P4-D|tU)C The Rev. Patrick 
 
 Ui Bbpwi) .... O' Brian's Vision .261 
 
 Sit) 2ib4)T)i) U01 ... The River Lee . . 269 
 
 Sl4n cun) P4r;n4)C S4)n- A Farewell to Patrick 
 
 reul Sarsfield . . .271 
 
 Bnu4C T)4 C4jn5e B4)i)e . The Braes of Carrick 
 
 Bann . . . .281 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 IX 
 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 21 U4)b 'GÚ 43 41) 3-C4JI- 
 
 Have you been at 
 
 Car- 
 
 M15? 
 
 rick? . . . . 
 
 287 
 
 AIES IN THIS VOLUME. 
 
 
 
 The High Cauled Cap 
 
 40 
 
 WaXp'ácáw <f)ub ! . 
 
 
 44 
 
 2in Cí)0'G4'ó B4i) . . . 
 
 The White Cockade . 
 
 50 
 
 2t)djjtr»j Ml CrjU)Ujorji)4)n 
 
 Little Mary Cullenan 
 
 56 
 
 Se4i) BVje4T) Crjnjor) 41) 
 
 The Growling Old 
 
 
 <t>ti4T)T;4ii), .... 
 
 Woman .... 
 
 64 
 
 2li) Ci)0)C)i) TP fi40)c . . 
 
 The Little Heathy Hill 
 
 70 
 
 Béjt einioi)T), 1 . . . 
 
 The Maid Eire is She 
 
 72 
 
 Pl4i)t)C4n) Pe]|ibi5 . . 
 
 Leather the Wig . . 
 
 76 
 
 C41IJ1) í)e4t Cjiúi'ó'ce i)4 
 
 Pretty Girl Milking 
 
 
 n>B<5 
 
 the Cows . . . 
 
 82 
 
 2li) Se4T) «trnjTje . . . 
 
 The Old Man . . . 
 
 96 
 
 2lrj Se4i) <t)U)r)e . . . 
 
 Another Setting . 
 
 97 
 
 Sl5jle 1T) 51)4'ó4iU'ó . . 
 
 
 Slj4b Té)l)rt) .... 
 
 The Hill of Feilim . 
 
 106 
 
 2lí) Spe4U'od)n. . . . 
 
 The Mower . . . 
 
 118 
 
 21 1) CIjújI-ÍJoijij .... 
 
 The Cuilfhion . . . 
 
 124 
 
 2lr) Bejrjni) Uucfwó . . 
 
 The Little Bench of 
 
 
 
 Rushes .... 
 
 128 
 
 Cdicjlfa Mi tUlUdáii) . 
 
 Caitilin Ni Uallachain 
 
 132 
 
 Pie K4C4 41) 5bte4i)i)4 • 
 
 The Humours of 
 
 
 
 Glynn .... 
 
 138 
 
 Se454t) U4 4)U)b)ji 4n 
 
 John O'Dwyer of the 
 
 
 51)le4Tjrj4 
 
 Glen 
 
 146 
 
 43oii)D4ll i)4 Sjiéjrje . . 
 
 Donall of the Sun 
 
 160 
 
 Be4t) 4i) TPIjjji Ktut-o . . 
 
 TheRed-HairedMan's 
 
 
 
 Wife 
 
 166 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Tage. 
 
 S&4$41) Bwféé .... John the Yellow . .168 
 2ln Púirrín ^iotji) . . The Fair-Haired Child 176 
 Bed1)4)U&41) SbXe&Qtlú . Dark Maiden of the 
 
 Valley .... 184 
 
 Leather away with the Wattle, ! 192 
 
 Bjmj tjrin 2loft4C 4t) The Fairy Rath of 
 
 Bljfi034 
 
 Hdir 3be4l <t>ub . . . 
 Kdjrln 4)ub .... 
 64Tr)onr) 4t) C\)\)0)c . . 
 ^lnSjo-D4 , Tj44'o Brj4lluir; 
 
 2ir) Sn)4c-D40)r) Cfton . . 
 
 CUn B05 toéil .... 
 2lt) í)]t4or)4í) <t>onn . . 
 
 Bruff .... 202 
 Black-Haired FairRose 210 
 
 Another Setting . 
 Edmund of the Hill 
 The Wallet of Silk . 
 My Darling Mary 
 The Brown Little Mal- 
 let 
 
 The Soft Deal Board 
 The Brown Thorn . 
 
 Or3uH^r)4)o|iur5oCiU)r)0! Open the Door, O ! 
 
 / Co)|t'óe4lb4c t4iT))]t 
 
 21 1) St/4jcit) edjtTK'o . . 
 
 2ijn. ejjte x)) 'rjeo^jrjí) 
 C74 b-j 
 
 Bjuuc 1)4 C4i]t5e B4jne 
 
 21 fl4jb T3Ú 45 41) 3-C4J1- 
 JHJ3? 
 
 Briiuc r)4 C4)|i3e B4)t)e 
 
 Turlogh the Brave . 
 
 The Little Stack of 
 Barley .... 
 
 For Ireland I'd not tell 
 her Name . . . 
 
 The Braes of Carrick 
 Bann 
 
 Have you been at Car- 
 rick? . . . . 
 
 Another Setting . 
 
 211 
 
 218 
 222 
 224 
 
 228 
 230 
 238 
 244 
 
 248 
 
 250 
 266 
 
 280 
 
 286 
 290 
 
PEEFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 The publication of this little volume was undertaken with the 
 desire of presenting to the public, in a cheap and attractive 
 form, the songs and music which were popular among the 
 peasantry of Munster during the last century, and which are 
 still preserved among the natives, in the more remote dis- 
 tricts of the South. The songs themselves afford favorable 
 specimens of the intellectual capacity of that humble and per- 
 secuted class who contrived, under the most adverse circum- 
 stances, to acquire that education and learning which the 
 English laws interdicted under the heaviest penalties. They 
 also possess a high value, as illustrative of that dreary portion 
 of our history which intervened between the violation of the 
 Treaty of Limerick and the relaxation of the Popery Laws : 
 a period characterized by the ruthless tyranny of the domi- 
 nant Anglo-Irish faction, which drove the oppressed pea- 
 santry into rash and violent acts of aggression, and called 
 into life a spirit of lawless resistance (not yet extinct) which 
 has sent thousands of misguided, but injured men, to the gib- 
 bet and the penal settlements. 
 
 The deep-seated hatred to the English government and 
 settlers everywhere pervading the songs of this period, fur- 
 nishes us with the best index to the political feelings of the 
 people ; and clearly demonstrate that the old natives were 
 ripe for revolution, and desired but a leader in whom they 
 might confide, and a shadowy hope of success, to induce them 
 to rise in arms against their cruel oppressors. Their designs, 
 however, were frustrated by the partial relaxation of the pe- 
 nal code in 1745, and the strict surveillance which the go- 
 vernment maintained in Munster, where the revolutionary 
 spirit was most prevalent. 
 
 Religious oppression being now banished from this country 
 for ever, one great source of discontent has been annihilated, 
 and the two races have been so commingled, that the senti- 
 ments of these songs are daily becoming more obsolete, and 
 valuable only to the lover of our national music, or to the 
 
\11 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 philosophic historian, who desires to study the character of a 
 people and a period through the truest medium — the popu- 
 lar literature of the time. 
 
 The first attempt to form a collection of Irish popular 
 poetry was made by James Hardiman, Esq., whose " Irish 
 Minstrelsy," published in 1831, and which, we must confess, 
 stimulated us to the slight exertions we have made in the 
 cause, has maintained the high position to which it was en- 
 titled, from the well-merited literary reputation of its learned 
 editor ; but the high price at which it was published placed 
 it beyond the reach of the majority of those to whom works 
 of such a nature are most interesting. 
 
 After the publication of Mr. Hardiman's work, the Irish 
 songs were allowed to lie in obscurity, until the editor of the 
 present volume published, in 1843, a small collection of Irish 
 Jacobite Songs, with metrical versions of very high merit by 
 Edward Walsh; and in 1847, the spirited publisher, Mr. 
 James M c Glashan, brought out a very beautiful volume of 
 44 Irish Popular Poetry," also edited by the same gifted 
 writer. 
 
 In the present volume, the original music has been pre- 
 fixed to the songs, and is the first attempt of the kind ever 
 made in this country : many beautiful airs are thus rescued 
 from inevitable oblivion. The English versions, by the 
 ill-fated but lamented Clarence Mangan, are all in the same 
 metre with the originals. 
 
 The first edition of this book having been exhausted in a 
 very short period, the entire work has been carefully revised, 
 many inaccuracies corrected, and five pieces of new music, 
 with nineteen additional pages of new matter, inserted. 
 
 The poem on Sarsfield, at p. 27 1> is curious, as the pro- 
 duction of one who evidently witnessed the scenes he com- 
 memorates ; and was probably in connexion with that intre- 
 pid body of men, known in history as the Irish Rapparees, 
 whose services against the rebels during the revolutionary 
 war were of the highest importance to the Royal cause. 
 
 For the memoir and notes accompanying that poem, we are 
 indebted to J. C. O'Callaghan, Esq., whose talents and re- 
 search, as displayed in his edition of the " Macarice Excidium" 
 just published by the Irish Archceological Society, entitle him 
 to a high position as an historian, even in the age which has 
 produced a Lingard, an Alison, and a Thierry. 
 
JAMES CLAEENCE MANGAN, 
 
 James Clarence Mangan was the son of James 
 Mangan, a native of Shanagolden, in the county of 
 Limerick, who married, early in 1801, Miss Catherine 
 Smith, of Fishamble- street, Dublin. The subject of our 
 brief notice, the first offspring of this union, was born in 
 the spring of 1803. 
 
 His father carried on the grocery business for some 
 time at No. 3, Fishamble-street, but being of a restless 
 disposition, he removed to another locality, having con- 
 signed the establishment and his son to the care of his 
 brother-in-law, whom he induced to come from London 
 for that purpose. 
 
 By his uncle, young Mangan was placed at the aca- 
 demy of Mr. Courtney, Derby-square, Dublin, where he 
 continued as day pupil until he had attained his fifteenth 
 year ; a short time after which he entered a solicitor's 
 office, and by his earnings supported himself and his 
 parents. How long he continued in this situation we 
 have been unable to ascertain ; but we next find him 
 engaged in the library of the University, where, it is 
 supposed, he acquired that profound knowledge of 
 various languages displayed in his translations of "The j 
 Lays of Many Lands," and " Literae Orientales," 
 which appeared in The Dublin University Magazine, 
 A selection of his translations from the German, 
 from this periodical, were collected and printed in two 
 small volumes, under the title of " Anthologia Ger- 
 manica" (Dublin : 1845), the expense of which, we are in- 
 formed, was borne by C. G. Duffy, Esq. Some of his best 
 productions will be found under the signatures of " Cla- 
 rence," "J. C. M.," and "M.," in the Dublin Univer- 
 sity Magazine, Dublin and Irish Penny Journals, Duffy's 
 Catholic Magazine, and The Nation newspaper. To 
 
\1V JAMES CLARENCE MANGAN. 
 
 the latter he was a constant contributor of poetry ; 
 and we have heen informed, that many of his early 
 pieces were printed in the Comet and Satirist news- 
 papers. He wrote many articles, both in prose and verse, 
 for The Irishman ; and also contributed to The United 
 Irishman and Irish Examiner, during their short career. 
 
 The "res angusta domi " opposed an insuperable 
 barrier to Mangan's advancement. All his earnings 
 were devoted to the support of his indigent parents and 
 family. His spirit at length became broken from over 
 exertion, and he was obliged to have recourse to stimu- 
 lants, which he occasionally abandoned, but finally they 
 produced the usual fatal results. A short time before his 
 death his constitution was greatly weakened by an attack 
 of cholera. On his recovery, we found him in an obscure 
 house in Bride-street, and, at his own request, procured 
 admission for him to the Meath Hospital on the 13th of 
 June, 1849, where he lingered for seven days, having 
 died on the 20th,* the day on which we placed the 
 first sheet of our book in the printer's hands. 
 
 For two years before Mangan's death, we were in 
 constant intercourse with him, and induced him to 
 undertake the versification of some of the native poetry 
 of Ireland, of which the songs here printed form part. 
 The remainder of his translations from the Irish, in- 
 cluding the satires of Angus O'Daly (known to Irish 
 scholars as "2ion5ur t)4 n-2loit," cc Angus the Satirist ;" 
 or " B4n/o Ku4/6," <( Red Bard"), a poem of the se- 
 venteenth century, we hope soon to present to the pub- 
 lic ; and in giving this an English dress, we beg to assure 
 our readers that the original lost none of its beauty in 
 poor Mangan's hands, as may be seen by the following 
 specimen : — 
 
 * The fate of Mangan closely resembled that of Camoens. The fol- 
 lowing is M. Chaufepié's account of the death of the great poet of Por- 
 tugal : — " Le chagrin que lui causérent les mauvais traitemens qu'il 
 essuya, augraenta ses autres infirmite's ; en sorte que le trouvant enfin 
 destitué de tout secours, il fut oblige de se retirer dans l'hópital." 
 
JAMES CLARENCE MANGAN. XV 
 
 »D4 T)-2lofi4intj cUnn i)-í)4Ui5, 
 
 HjOjt t)]OT) T>4tt) ríOl r^4Tl-^l'Ó41tt); 
 CUíJt) T)-Í)4l4)5 b4 t>JOT) T>4tt), 
 2Í5lir riOl 21-Ó4JTT) 'OO 2Í0|l4t>. 
 
 THE CLAN DALY. 
 
 By me the Clan Daly shall never be snubbed : 
 
 I say nothing about them. 
 
 For, were I to flout them, 
 The world wouldn't save me from getting well drubbed ; 
 
 While with them at my beck (or my back) I 
 Might drub the world well without fear of one black eye ! 
 
 WUWCIJX 2ÍJX4. 
 
 2t)ti?rjT;jti 2iji4, bu4lTi4 be454, 
 Tltwe 14T) t)4jt cor4W clú ; 
 )\ & 1T cedl -odjb, cedl i)4 cujie, 
 2irnp4ll 4 Ti)-bcdi 54c T>ujne t>ju ! 
 
 THE GOOD PEOPLE (NOT THE FAIRIES) OF ARA. 
 
 The good people of Ara are four feet in height ; 
 They are soldiers, and really stand stoutly in fight ; 
 But they don't sacrifice overmuch to the graces, 
 And hunger stares forth from their fly-bitten faces. 
 
 Z>)5 ?4X>4 ?41|VnTJ5 4JJX UjX be4l4)X), 
 
 'S 34H xA)t re4r)54)r) 4t)t) -do b^t) ; 
 
 CÚ|14t) 4 CltOI'Óe 41jl 4T) 5-Ce4t41tr)4C 50fU34C, 
 
 N4Ó x>e4íií)4'ó ^5 qionj-f Uj-ce 4?n. f Imd ! 
 
 There is one waste, wide, void, bleak, blank, black, cold odd pile 
 On the highway : its length is one-third of a mile : 
 Whose it is I don't know, but you hear the rats gnawing 
 Its timbers inside, while its owner keeps sawing. 
 
 Mangan's acquaintance with the modern tongues 
 was very extensive, as may be seen by his translations 
 from almost every language in the world. His powers 
 of versification were extraordinary. Many of his most 
 beautiful poems were written in an incredibly short period, 
 and with such accuracy, that they never required revision. 
 
Wi JAMES CLARENCE MANGAN. 
 
 As a translator lie stood unrivalled. His original com- 
 positions, t hough small in number, possess very high merit. 
 
 We may here observe, that all his versions of Gaelic 
 poetry were made from literal translations furnished him 
 by Irish scholars, as he was totally unacquainted with 
 the original language. 
 
 In person, Mangan was below the middle size, and of 
 slender proportions ; the ashy paleness of his face was 
 lighted up by eyes of extraordinary brilliancy. His 
 usual costume was a light brown coat : he w r ore his 
 hat closely pressed over his eyebrows, and used to carry 
 a large umbrella under his arm. Of his manners and 
 conversation it would be impossible to give a correct 
 idea ; they may be best described by an extract from 
 his favourite Schiller : — 
 
 " His dreams were of great objects, 
 He walked amidst us of a silent spirit, 
 Communing with himself: yet I have known him 
 Transported on a sudden into utterance 
 Of strange conceptions ; kindling into splendour, 
 His soul revealed itself, and he spake so 
 That we looked round perplexed upon each other, 
 Not knowing whether it were craziness, 
 Or whether it were a god that spake in him !" 
 
 Mangan' s remains lie in the cemetery of Glasnevin, 
 and a subscription is about being raised to erect a 
 monument to his memory — an act of posthumous gene- 
 rosity which adds another name to the sad catalogue of 
 the many men of exalted genius who asked for bread 
 and received a stone. 
 
 The humble hearse that bore all that was earthly of 
 him had but few followers. Amongst these, however, 
 who strove to console him in his hours of bitterest afflic- 
 tion and most poignant despondency, was the Rev. C. 
 P. Meehan, who discharged the last obsequies to the 
 soul of this son of song. 
 
 Mangan was never married : his brother still survives- 
 in destitute circumstances, 
 
THE 
 
 POETS AND POETRY OF MUNSTER. 
 
 Donogh Mac Con-Mara, or Mac na Mara, as the 
 
 name is vulgarly spelled, was surnamed, from the red 
 colour of his hair, <t>OT)t)CA'ó Ktuvo ;* for, as many of 
 our readers may be aware, the Irish peasantry have 
 been long accustomed to designate individuals from 
 certain personal marks or peculiarities — not unfre- 
 quently ludicrous ; a man with crooked legs being, for 
 instance, called " C-dTTj-co^c," and one with a nose 
 turned awry, <£ CdTtj-fn.on4C," while a corpulent person 
 is styled " Bol5-tt)dti." 
 
 < t)ot)í)Cd'ó was a native of Cratloe, in the county of 
 Clare, and connected by blood with the Mac Con Maras 
 of that locality. He made his appearance in the county 
 of Waterford about the year 1738, while on his way 
 homeward from a foreign college, whither he had been 
 sent in early youth to pursue his theological studies — 
 the penal laws at that period, as we need scarcely re- 
 mark, rendering it imperative on a candidate for the 
 Catholic priesthood to forsake his own country, and seek 
 that instruction abroad which he was not suffered to 
 
 * The use of soubriquets to denote personal peculiarities is of very 
 remote antiquity in Ireland, and still exists to a great extent among 
 the peasantry. 
 
 B 
 
J THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 obtain at home. His wild and freak-loving propensities 
 had procured his expulsion from college, after he had 
 spent four years within its walls; and thus he was com- 
 pelled to return to his native soil, and locate himself in 
 Water ford. 
 
 He had not long sojourned in this county before he 
 became acquainted with one William Moran, a kindred 
 spirit, celebrated in bardic lore among the peasantry 
 of his native county. Moran kept a classical hedge- 
 academy at Knockbee, in the parish of Sl)úb Ctm,* 
 a village within an hour's walk of the birth-place of 
 the writer of this sketch; and here, he and his friend 
 laboured conjointly for. the enlightenment and edifica- 
 tion of the young students who attended their school, 
 and taught them the various languages which <t)onnc4'D 
 K 114*6 learned abroad, and Moran acquired at home. 
 
 How long the alliance lasted between the erudite pair 
 we have no certain means of ascertaining ; but, accord- 
 ing to the tradition of the peasantry, it held good 
 until the bards, "in an evil-starred hour," as the Ori- 
 entals phrase it, or, as we would say, in a moment of 
 luckless frolic, happened, in one of their poetical effu- 
 sions, to " damn to immortal fame" a certain fair and 
 frail young damsel of the neighbourhood, who, enraged 
 at being thus publicly satirised, set the hedge "academy" 
 in flames ; so that a dissolution of partnership between 
 
 * Sliabh Cua (now called Sliabh g-Cua), a large mountain 
 district lying midway between the towns of Clonmel and Dungarvan, 
 in the county of Waterford. In an ancient MS. life of St. Mochuda, 
 which we perused some years ago, much light is thrown on the ancient 
 topography of this locality ; for it appears that St. Mochuda and his 
 community made a short stay here, with the view of founding a 
 monastery, but afterwards proceeded to Lismore. One of the five 
 prerogatives of the King of Cashel was " to pass over Sliabh Cua 
 with [a band of] fifty men, after pacifying the South of Eire." — See 
 Leabkar na g-Ceart (Book of Rights), p. 5, published by the 
 Celtic Society. The name is still preserved, but applied to the parish 
 of Seskinan, which is the most fertile in the district. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 3 
 
 the "fratres fraterrimi" was the immediate and melan- 
 choly result. 
 
 The next locality chosen by 2t)4C Con-^tUna ap- 
 pears to have been the barony of Imokilly,* an ex- 
 tensive district in the immediate vicinity of Youghal, 
 in the county of Cork, where he commenced business 
 "on his own account;" but his stay here must have 
 been very brief, for we find him shortly afterwards 
 located in the barony of Middlethird, in the county of 
 Waterford. The hedge-school occupation not prosper- 
 ing here, he soon departed for Newfoundland. 
 
 Accordingly, being well equipped, by the munificence 
 of his neighbours, with food and raiment for the voyage, 
 he set out for Waterford, and thence repairing to Pas- 
 sage, a small seaport town on the Suir, below Waterford, 
 he embarked for his new destination on the 24th of 
 May, 1/45, or, as some accounts have it, 1/48, or 1755. 
 But, alas ! the winds and waves proved adverse to his 
 wishes. He had been but a few days at sea when a 
 storm arose, which drove the vessel on the coast of 
 •France, where the crew fell in with a French frigate, 
 which forced them to hoist sail and steer their course 
 homeward to the Emerald Isle ; and consequently, poor 
 i U)4C Con-^i)4-it4 was obliged to resume his former avo- 
 cation in the very place which he had so recently left. 
 A Mr. Power, one of his patrons, who died but a short 
 time ago, humorously insisted upon having a narrative 
 of the voyage from him, and our hero accordingly pro- 
 duced a mock iEneid of about eighty stanzas on the sub- 
 ject, which he entitled, " 64C/G]t4 5bloU4 4í) 2lbn40)T)," 
 " The April Fool's Tale." Of this poem Edward O'Reilly, 
 in his <c Irish Writers," remarks: "There are some 
 lines in it by no means inferior to any of Virgil's ;" and 
 
 * That portion of this extensive district which immediately ad- 
 joins the town of Youghal is known among the natives as "The 
 Barony." 
 
I Till: POETS AND POETRY 
 
 he quotes the shout of Charon, as described by the Irish 
 haul, thus : — 
 
 kk 4}o 16)5 re 5uj|i dr-4|t'D 'y bejce4C, 
 le fUAfft] 4 $utkió 'co érijOT^-ó r>4 rpe4]t'C4'ó, 
 i t>o cuaUt) 4n cjiiijtjije 6, 9 y cuj]t )y\i)o\)X) 56)m <xy !" 
 
 II lie lifted up his voice ; he raised a howl and yell 
 That shook the firmament, as from some vast bell ; 
 Awakened one grand peal, that roused the depths of hell !" 
 
 Among other eloquent passages in it, we find the 
 following allusions to his partnership with Moran, his 
 location at the Barony, and his removal to Middle- 
 third :— 
 
 "21 r)--Dei]tim, tjo 7^4^411)1) m4]t rij4,U)iVG le 
 bui'6e4C4r 5 
 
 21ífl 4 bei'C T4T) TT)-b4lle, 1)0 4 5-C4l4'6- , p0|l'C 6)5)1) ; 
 
 t\)d r^r) n)-B4|tún)4?r) 4m r)e4jVGr54-ó 'T>)jt 5rj4e'ó)ljb, 
 2I5 ]teic mo ce4t]t4Ti)4r)r) 'r -45 thi^-C'cúSa'ó mo 
 
 TJ|t64'0'C4 
 No r4T) 5-CflC4'C4l4)'Ó 4 5-Cle4CT54t) n)0 540'Ó4l^4'Ó, 
 
 No 4 Uiirnrje4c ?oji Sojwrjr) t)4 5-C40I rt)-b4jxc ? 
 
 No 4jyi Sl)li4b 564l Cu4 ]ir5 biuvó ?6)le, 
 
 ^5 f^W luce ^U4i), -0^454, 'r cl6)|t)c, 
 
 Mo 4 b-)?oc4)|t U)ll]4trj U) 2t)r}dn4rn, ^orjr) 4ifo- 
 
 leisjorjTki, 
 43l)64i)^4c r^4t)-'C4r) or ciorju cUn. m , 6454'ó !" 
 
 " All I have penned I would joyously give away, 
 
 To be at home, or in some snug seaport town ; 
 Or in the Barony, with the Gaels to day, 
 
 Following my trade, and keeping my pupils down ; 
 Or in Cratloe, where my ancestors dwelt of old, 
 
 Or in Limerick, on the tall- barked Shannon agen, 
 Or in Sliabh Cua, the hospitable and bold, 
 
 There feasting bards, and sages, and learned men ; 
 Or with William Moran, the Prince of Poets, who reigns, 
 Who would chant a death-song over my cold remains ! " 
 
OF MUNSTER. 
 
 A series of unpropitious circumstances, however, once 
 again drove him from home, and sent him anew to 
 tempt the ocean in search of Newfoundland. Here, on 
 this occasion, he arrived safely, and spent some time at 
 St. John's, where his old freakish propensities broke 
 out afresh, though they do not appear to have involved 
 him in any unpleasant affair with the natives or others. 
 
 Having one evening met at a public-house a party 
 of English sailors, whom he well knew how to " fool to 
 the top of their bent/' he sang the following song, ex- 
 tempore, to the great amusement of the Irish present, 
 and indeed to that of the English, though the latter 
 understood but one part of it, while the former chuckled 
 in comprehending the entire : — 
 
 As I was walking one evening fair, 
 
 2Í5tir tné 50 T>é4Tj4C 4 m-B4ile Sl)e434in ; 
 I met a gang of English blades, 
 
 2I5UT 14T> x>4 'D-'cn40C4'ó 45 rje4|rG 4 T)4tT)41'D : 
 I boozed and drank both late and early, 
 
 With these courageous " Men-of-War ;" 
 *S 5^H fyiwe lionj S45T4í)415 45 |itj* 4ti éj5jn, 
 
 'S 54t) 'oo 5ty40)t>e)l 4T)t) 40x3 ^o]t Be454t), 
 
 I spent my fortune by being freakish, 
 
 Drinking, raking, and playing cards; 
 5j-ó n4 jugti 41^0-0 454m, 'n4 5]iévb\ie, 
 
 "N4 1X4^ f4t) T5-T-A0541, 40X5 nj'ó 54Í) 4iit'D ! 
 Then I turned a jolly tradesman, 
 
 By work and labour I lived abroad ; 
 *S bjoc 4]t m't^U4ii)5-^ 5U|i moti 4n V3ité45 rffl 5 
 
 Jr be45 T>e'n < c-t40'C4|i t>o tui^ le nj' I4]it). 
 
 Newfoundland is a fine plantation, 
 
 It shall be my station until I die, 
 2t)o é|i4'ó ! 50 m'te4itjt liortj 4 be?t 4 rj-Bifie, 
 
 2Í5 'ojol 54iit^é)|i)5e, 'tj4 45 xml p4'r) 5-C01II : 
 
D THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Here you may find a virtuous lady, 
 A smiling fair one to please your eye, 
 
 21 n p4C4 r^^iont^-D jr me4r4 TJjtéjte, 
 5o n)-beHtC4T) nje 4fi 4 beit 4r rwó4uc ! 
 
 I'll join in fellowship with " Jack-of-all-Trades," 
 
 The last of August could I but see ; 
 21^4 ftOY 45 Cojróe4lb4-ó 9 y 4r n)434ir^^ b4iT> é, 
 
 OUjt b'olC 4T) t4?rij TT)é 4]t TUTlJjt 'n4 4]|l t^jx ; 
 If fortune smiles then, I'll be her darling, 
 
 But, if she scorns my company, 
 ( t>é4r)^4'D " B4in)rc)'óe 4t) TJo)\\ 4t]4jjvoe," 
 
 'S 4r V4T>4 on 41-c-ri 'oo bej'6e4'ó rné 'jtjr. 
 
 Come, drink a health, boys, to Royal George, 
 
 Our chief commander, rj4n. 0JVD4J3 CfijOfo ; 
 'S bjoc-bf |i t)-4tcrír)5)'óe crrr) 2t)rjjte 2ttr)4t4iTi, 
 
 6 ^éir) 'r 4 54n.-D4J5e 'oo le454'ó rior • 
 We'll fear no Cannon, nor " War's Alarms," 
 
 While noble George will be our guide, 
 21 Ctjfiiorcso b-^eic^^T) tt)6 4U bjauro x>4 c4n.r)4t>. 
 
 2I5 4U 21)40* ro 4|i ?4n tuimn t4ll T4tt 
 
 b-*Fjt4}T)C. 
 
 2l)4C Cot)-2t)4|i4 made three voyages across the 
 Atlantic ; and it was in the city of Hamburgh, where 
 he conducted a school, that he wrote the " B4rj-cno]C 
 eine4T)n O !" " The Fair Hills of 6ifte O ! " a song we 
 have introduced into this volume. It is the genuine 
 production of an Irishman, far from his native home — 
 full of tenderness and enthusiastic affection for the land 
 of his birth. 
 
 As evidence that our poet was skilled in the Latin 
 tongue, we need only call the attention of our readers 
 to the following elegy, which he composed in the year 
 1800, at the advanced age of ninety, on the death of a 
 brother bard named 'Ga'O'5 (3-AO'óUc) tU Sú]lle4b4in. 
 
 * Prince Charles Edward Stuart. 
 
OF MUNSTER. / 
 
 " Tliaddeus hie situs est ; oculos hue fleete viator : 
 
 Illustrem vatem parvula terra tegit. 
 Heu ! jacet exanimis, fatum irrevocable vicit ! 
 
 Spiritus e terra sidera summa petit. 
 Quis canet Erinidum laudes ? quis facta virorum ? 
 
 Gadelico extincto, Scotica musa tacet. 
 Processit numeris doctis pia carmina cantans, 
 
 Evadens victor munera certa tulit. 
 Laudando Dominum, prasclara poemata fecit, — 
 
 Et suaves hymnos fervidus ille canit. 
 Plangite Pierides ; vester decessit alumnus ; 
 
 Eochades* non est, cunctaque rura silent. 
 Pacem optavit, pace igitur versatur in alto ; 
 
 Ad superi tendit regna beata patris." 
 
 In person <t>oijíjC4/ó was tall and athletic ; but be- 
 coming blind towards the close of a life considerably 
 extended beyond the average term allotted to man, 
 and being rather straitened in pecuniary circumstances, 
 he was compelled to appeal to the beneficence of the 
 schoolmasters of his neighbourhood, who imposed a 
 " Rate -in -Aid" for him on the scholars. We saw 
 him ourselves in 1810, and paid our mite of the im- 
 post. He died about the year 1814, and his remains 
 lie interred in Newtown churchyard, within half a mile 
 of the town of Kilmacthomas, on the Waterford road, 
 where no stone has yet been placed to commemorate 
 his name, or indicate his last resting-spot to the passer- 
 by : indeed, but for the interference of the worthy priest 
 of the parish, the Rev. Mr. Veale (and to his honor 
 be it spoken), a drain would, some few years back, 
 have been passed through the place of his interment 
 by some Goths, who were at the time turning off 
 a stream of water from a distant corner of the church- 
 yard. 
 
 * Eoghan (Euadh) O'Suilliobhain, of Sliabh Luachvadh, in Kerry; a 
 near relative of Tadhg (Gaodlach) O'Suilliobhain, and a celebrated 
 poet, who died a.d., 1784. For a sketch of his life see page 42 of 
 our " Reliques of Irish Jacobite Poetry." 
 
. s THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 I 
 
 II. 
 
 John OTuomy was born at Croome, in the county of 
 Limerick, in 1/06. Through his own diligence, and 
 by means of the scanty educational facilities which the 
 country afforded, he made considerable proficiency in 
 Latin and Greek, and was tolerably well versed in the 
 literature of his time. The brief sketch which we pro- 
 pose to give of the life of this poet, interesting as we 
 trust it will prove in itself, will be attended with this 
 advantage, that it may serve to elucidate the meaning 
 of much that might otherwise have appeared obscure 
 in his poetry ; and the nature of his compositions will 
 be the better understood from a previous view of his 
 character, and a short narrative of the vicissitudes that 
 marked his career. His poverty, and the restrictions 
 then imposed on education, interrupted his studies too 
 soon, and involved him prematurely in worldly cares. 
 He married young, and embarked in the vintnery busi- 
 ness, first at Croome, but subsequently at Limerick, 
 where the site of his residence in Mungret-street is 
 still pointed out with veneration, as having once been 
 the abode of a philanthropist and a true-hearted Irish- 
 man. His success in the line he had chosen, as may 
 be anticipated, was but indifferent ; for, besides that 
 poets are rarely frugal or fortunate in the management 
 of their temporal concerns, the malediction which inva- 
 riably pursues the man who trades upon the intempe- 
 rance of others, marred the best-directed efforts of his 
 industry. His liberality, moreover, far exceeded his 
 means, and must have inevitably led to bankruptcy. 
 The most generous are usually content with relieving 
 those who crave assistance from them ; but the house 
 of OTuomy was open to all ; his hospitality was un- 
 
OF MUNSTER. U 
 
 bounded ; and, in order that this might be made known 
 to all, the following general invitation was written in 
 broad letters on a large board over his door : — 
 
 "Nj'l ?4r)4c r)4 r4in-^e4n\ 4jx turtle 340)'óe4l, 
 Bn4t4i|i'De'i) 'o&w-ifac, n4 rustic- te4.1t sitoi'óe, 
 21 5-c4r 50 nybe]'óe4'ó Uj6fie4c 541) 1114x5 r)4 T>)5e, 
 H4 50 Tí)-be)'óe4'D nnle ^4]lce 43 Se454U U4 
 ^u4Tt)4 jxo?trje !" 
 
 " Should one of the stock of the noble Gael, 
 A brother bard who is fond of good cheer, 
 Be short of the price of a tankard of ale, 
 
 He is welcome to OTuomy a thousand times here !" 
 
 After this, it is unnecessary to mention that his house 
 was much frequented. Himself, too, the soul and cen- 
 tre of his company (whence his appellation of " Se454n 
 tU duui)4. 4U 5WliJTJ>" " J° nn OTuomy, the Gay,") 
 was not more courted for his hospitality than for his 
 gaiety and good humour. His house was a general 
 rendezvous for the bards and tourists of Minister, who 
 came thither on occasional visits, and sometimes met 
 there in a body, so as to form a sort of poetical club. 
 These bardic sessions,* as they may be called, exercised 
 a healthful influence in the country, and aided powerfully 
 towards reviving the national spirit, bowed and almost 
 broken, as it was, beneath the yoke of penal enactments : 
 they were also a source of unalloyed pleasure to all, 
 Mrs. O'Tuomy alone excepted, to whom patriotism and 
 poetry were of less moment than the interests of her 
 establishment, to which it was impossible that such 
 meetings could contribute any advantage. She often 
 warned her husband that his extravagance was dispro- 
 portioned to his circumstances ; she told him that their 
 means of subsistence must not be consumed by " stroll- 
 ers," and that, unless he disconnected himself from 
 
 * For a history of those bardic schools, see Haliday's edition of 
 " Keating's History of Ireland," p. vi., note J. 
 
10 TIIK POETS AND POETRY 
 
 such society, he would soon be as penniless as any 
 of his associates. Literary pursuits, she insisted, were 
 barren and useless accomplishments, not unbecoming 
 in persons of large fortune, but altogether unfitted 
 for any one who had no resource but his own exertions 
 for the maintenance of a wife and family. From pru- 
 dential motives like these, she cherished a general dis- 
 like of all O'Tuomy's brother rhymers, and at length 
 succeeded, by her continual remonstrances and objur- 
 gations, in breaking up for a season the bardic musters 
 altogether. 
 
 We will here introduce an anecdote illustrative of the 
 friendship which existed between O'Tuomy and a bro- 
 ther poet, Andrew Magrath, of whom we shall have 
 more to say presently. One day, our friend, according 
 to the custom of country publicans, had erected a tent 
 on the race-course of Newcastle (or, as some assert, at 
 the fair of Adare), which was surmounted by a green 
 bough,* as a distinctive mark of his occupation, and 
 also as an emblem of the love he bore his own "green 
 isle." He was eyed at some distance by Magrath, who 
 approached and accosted him, and the following short 
 but pithy dialogue took place between the brother 
 wits : — 
 
 * This ancient custom gave rise to the old adage, that " Good wine 
 needs no bush. 1 ' 
 
 In 1565, the mayor of Dublin ordered that no person should sell 
 wine or ale in the city without a sign at the door of the house. — 
 Harris's Dublin. 
 
 An " Act " of Charles II., " for the improvement of His Ma- 
 jesty's revenues upon the granting of licenses for the selling of ale 
 and beer, provided— " CJat eberg one go to foe Itmuetf 
 
 44 gftall Jabe gome Intern, |*>tafte, or 3Su# at £te 
 44 ISoor, to gtbe notice unto J?trangerg antt Cra- 
 44 better* inhere tSeg mag reretbe (entertainment of 
 44 íHeat, Srtnft, antr SLotrstng for tim'r reasonable 
 
 44 HfOtltt)»" Hence the custom of using the green bush at fairs and 
 patterns. 
 
of munster. 11 
 
 Magrath.* 
 
 " )y 04C4U4C 5UT 4T) cle4C-T4 4 'O-Tidjl] T>0 T5Í5C, 
 215 TJ4|t|t4ir)5 T)4 b-?e4jt 4 T / ce4C 45 dl T)4 T^e." 
 
 11 How clustering and green is this pole which marks your house ! 
 Enticing men in to drink your ale, and carouse." 
 
 O'Tuomy. 
 
 "^W310-0 5e4t 50 VMT * ne^oc rH5e> 
 'ZJÁ'r) c4ii4)'D 45 , ce4C'D, 4T) ¥)\i&)t 'r 4r) t)óp 54t) 'DJOl." 
 
 " Bright silver will pave your way, to quaff your fill, 
 But the hops and malt, alas ! are unpaid for still." 
 
 It is to be regretted that O'Tuomy' s many excellent 
 qualities were not accompanied by greater economy in 
 the management of his domestic affairs. But his impro- 
 vidence was unfortunately incorrigible, for vain were 
 all his wife's impassioned remonstrances and expos- 
 tulations. At length his little capital began to melt 
 away in the sunshine of convivial enjoyment ; business 
 first languished, and then entirely ceased, and with a 
 young and helpless family he was cast once more an ad- 
 venturer on the world. After undergoing many reverses 
 he was compelled to accept the situation of servant at 
 Adare, to Mr. Quade, a caretaker or steward on the farm 
 of a gentleman residing in Limerick. Here he seems to 
 have borne his change of fortune somewhat impatiently, 
 for we find him engaged in frequent contests with his mis- 
 tress, whose ill-treatment evoked his bitterest invectives. 
 This old woman frequently transferred the duties of her 
 office, as poultry-keeper, to the poet, who, however, did 
 not feel at all honoured by the trust ; and his most 
 pointed satires against her indicate this to be the chief 
 cause of his hostility. Poets are seldom to be offended 
 
 * We should here observe that Magrath was somewhat deep in the 
 books of O'Tuomy for certain old scores. 
 
12 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 with impunity. Having the means of reprisal so near 
 at hand, they are not slow to use them with effect against 
 the aggressor. Id justice, however, to O'Tuomy, it 
 should be observed that his was not a vindictive dispo- 
 sition ; and this, perhaps, was the only instance in 
 which his talents were made subservient to the indulgence 
 of private resentment. From a cane which the old woman 
 carried, both as a support in walking, and to keep the 
 hens in order, O'Tuomy contemptuously designated her 
 in rhyme as " Be4i) t)4 Clejce C40jle," "The Dame 
 of the Slender Wattle," and the poem so entitled we beg 
 to introduce here: — 
 
 BesiN N2i ciejctje c^iojie. ■ 
 
 Mjori tasw Ijom ce^jir;, bedrid 'n4 bfi}464ri 40jb'rjjr 
 te4D4]t r)4 ceACT;, \)A funn 4 -óejlb 'Djriedc ; 
 MÍ oft c4t^5 rrjé 4|t ?4-o 50 veuCK 4rr) f ejn.b;jre4c, 
 'S 4rn fie4C'C4jne ce4jtc 45 Be4i) r)4 Clejce C40jle ! 
 
 <£>o c4itiofA'ó tcaI ?4 |t4)t 4iji leijts Uo)te, 
 21 5-CAj'orijorr) ?e4ji, 'r ?Uit;, 't cn-e^ori) Jof4 ; 
 SijfiSJO'o 5e^l 4rrj 5U1C 54n x>oin.b X))^ 4jtbj'ú, 
 C74 -oe-dlb ttjo rrjedr 4.5 Be4r) r)4 Cle?ce C40jle ! 
 
 )X é 14541-d rrjo rrje4r, ^° fbe4t, t>o rijejrib rfjwcwt), 
 
 |N|4C Trj4jn\)0TJ t)4 ?Uj6 T>0 te4T) 4T) Crie)-O)0tr) T))]te4C ; 
 
 4)0 C4r)r)4-ó r)4 Jt4r)rj4-ó 4 7x41)1)4-0 'crieib 4 n Wre^Ti, 
 'S -oo b4)i)i:e4'6 4t) ^4il 'oe Bbe4i) r)4 Clejce C40jle ! 
 
 'Jr ?e4r4c r)4n\ cle4C'C4r 13640^4 tvoein-e co;jrrje4r- 
 
 2I5 ce4T4C'c , r 43C4rpwc 041111-06 ceirniT>e Cjtrce; 
 
 N4'n 4C4ti4n 4ri), 4 b-^-o o brie^t 4t) ^jri-c^fc, 
 
 5o r)-'oe4C4'ó ?4 rrr)4C'c 45 Be4n r)4 Clejce C40jle ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 13 
 
 Cj4 v<vo& trie T54ir^1ol t;|te4b, *y tJiSte 'caojreac, 
 ■ 'S 50 B-?e4C4'ó 54c Beacv 'r ^c^ 4]t ^e^ró rj4 ]tj05- 
 
 40^4; 
 t\!jojt b-? e4T4C rt)é 4]t cle4r4-ó ^]t4r4t) ?eiU-5T)joir)4c, 
 5o " P|ie4b4?ite 4T) St^j-c"* 4t;4 45 Be4rj t)4 Clejce 
 
 C40)le ! 
 
 Slj'Gcjtt) 4T) 2t)4c t>o ce4p t)4 ce^iie f ojllre, 
 TFl4t4r, Te4ttT), Tpeaixt;, 'T toealb T>40^e ; 
 
 30 í)54B4'6 Tn'4T)4TT) ^64^04 'T14 f 6} lb ^I^T) 
 
 'S nje r54|i4'6 ^4 bUr le Be4t) r>4 Cleice C40jle ! 
 
 THE DAME OF THE SLENDER WATTLE. 
 
 Ochone ! I never in all my dealings met with a man to snub me, 
 Books I have studied, however muddied a person you may dub me, 
 I -never was tossed or knocked about — I never was forced to battle 
 With the storms of life, till I herded your hens, 0, Dame of the 
 Slender Wattle ! 
 
 I spent a season a chanting poems, and free from toil and troubles, 
 The faith of Christ I ever upheld, though I mixed with the proudest 
 
 nobles, 
 And gay was my heart, and open my hand, and I lacked not cash 
 
 or cattle, 
 Though low my esteem to-day with you, O, Dame of the Slender 
 
 Wattle! 
 
 My spirits are gone, my face is wan, my cheeks are yellow and 
 
 hollowed, 
 Because the nobles are dead by whom the true old Faith was followed, 
 Who sang the glory of those that died for Eire's rights in battle, 
 And would soon bring dow T n your paltry pride, my Dame of the 
 
 Slender Wattle! 
 
 'Tis very well known I always shunned contention, clamour, and 
 jawing, 
 
 And never much liked the chance of getting a barbarous clapper- 
 clawing ; 
 
 I always passed on the other side when I heard a hag's tongue rattle, 
 
 Till I happened, mo vrone ! to stumble on you, 0, Dame of the 
 Slender Wattle ! 
 
 * An appropriate name for a flail among the Kerry peasantry. 
 
14 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Though used to tlu» ways of tribes and chiefs, and reading the deeds 
 
 that appear in 
 The chronicles and the ancient books that embody the lore of Erin, 
 I scarce ever knew what cruelty was, except through rumour or 
 
 prattle, 
 Till the dismal day that I felt your flail, 0, Dame of the Slender 
 
 Wattle ! 
 
 O ! I pray the Lord, whose powerful Word set the elements first in 
 
 motion, 
 And formed from nought the race of Man, with Heaven, and Earth, 
 
 and Ocean, 
 To lift my spirit above this world, and all its clangor and brattle 
 And give me a speedy release from vou, 0, Dame of the Slender 
 
 Wattle ! 
 
 The history of this woman and her husband, and of 
 their subsequent elevation to rank and fortune, is very 
 extraordinary. Tradition represents them as living at 
 Adare in distressed circumstances, when a stranger 
 one day presented himself before them in search of a 
 treasure, which he had dreamed was buried in the neigh- 
 bourhood. Though he seemed unacquainted with the 
 locality, his accurate description of a ruined mansion in 
 the vicinity, as the place of its concealment, made a 
 deep impression on the old woman, who cunningly 
 resolved to turn the information to her own account. 
 She accordingly advised him to relinquish his foolish 
 search, which, originating from a dream, did not de- 
 serve to be prosecuted ; and the stranger, according to 
 her advice, left the place. He had no sooner departed, 
 however, than she and her husband visited the spot 
 indicated, and digging, discovered a <c crock of gold," 
 covered with a flag-stone inscribed with some half-effaced 
 characters, which they did not take much trouble to 
 decipher, supposing them merely to refer to the treasure 
 they were already in possession of. Filled with joy, 
 they conveyed home the money with secrecy and caution. 
 But it happened that a certain itinerant literary cha- 
 racter, who lodged with them, seeing the inscription 
 on the flag-stone, or pot-lid — for into such an utensil 
 
OF MUNSTER. 15 
 
 had it been converted — fell to deciphering it, and at 
 length succeeded in discovering the words — 
 
 " 21x^4 41) o)\ie4*o ce4T>r)4 4jt &\) t>- < c40d eile," 
 <( There is as much more on the other side" This, 
 though mysterious enough to the poor scholar, was quite 
 intelligible to the initiated pair, who, at once acting on 
 the suggestion, proceeded to the well-known spot, and 
 secured the remainder of the booty. This treasure was 
 shortly afterwards the purchase-money of a large estate 
 in their native county ; and it is said that at this day 
 the blood of the Quades commingles with that of Lime- 
 rick's proudest nobility. 
 
 O'Tuomy's poems are mostly illustrative of his own 
 condition and habits of life. His songs, especially, 
 sparkle with the glow shed over the festive scenes 
 in which he was accustomed to spend so many gay 
 hours with his brother bards. Their inspiration and 
 eloquence would seem to favour the once popular, but 
 now (thanks to Father Mathew) exploded doctrine of 
 Cratinus : — 
 
 " Nulla placere diu, nee vivere carmina possunt, 
 Quas scribuntur aqua? potoribus," 
 
 All the poets of this period, it should be remarked, 
 combined in denouncing the persecuting policy of their 
 rulers, and exposed with indignant patriotism the 
 cupidity and bigotry which brought into action the 
 worst passions of the heart, and perpetrated in the name 
 of religion those atrocities which will for ever sully the 
 fame of Britain. But as the sufferer was not permitted 
 to complain openly, the voice of discontent was often 
 veiled in the language of allegory. Ireland was usually 
 designated by some endearing name, such as — " SjJile 
 W) 51)4'ó4ri4'D," " CáVG)\)\) Ml tUlUc4in," " W6)\i)t) 
 M) Ci)ti)U?on4ltj ;" and introduced under the form 
 of a female of heavenly beauty, but woe-stricken, and 
 dishonoured by the stranger. O'Tuomy's composi- 
 tions on these subjects are replete with Irish senti- 
 
16 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 mcnt and melody, especially his SOTlgs to the airs 
 of" 'Wójjiín Nj CÍ)Ujllj01)1)4jt)," and " Cno^t) B4rj," 
 if White Cockade," which will he found in this collec- 
 tion (p. 50). 
 
 This lamented hard expired, at the age of sixty-nine, 
 in Limerick city, on Thursday, 31st August, 1775, 
 and his remains were borne to his ancestral burial- 
 place — the graveyard of Croome — by a numerous 
 assemblage of the bards of Munster, and others of his 
 friends. James O'Daly, a contemporary bard, who 
 chanted his elegy, gives the precise period of his death 
 in the following stanzas : — 
 
 2ir ?4T>4 y&OX) 54T) ^CAitArjTJdr, 
 
 54u b^tee-pujret;, 5411 riéjrrje4r vfá ; 
 2t)ejc 2t)Ó54r)4 r)-é4ÓT5 'oo éAeAcv&c cjotj, 
 
 C4lrrj4C'G, 'r c4?rj, Y c/jor : — 
 S\)oct5 lÚ34i'ó, 'r Crjéjrj, Y Cr)4?iib]ie, 
 
 T^o] edCTJitAutwó rr)4|t f;4til4j'ó 'Cjnj ; 
 4)Yui5 prions *J4 Tj-éacVG 5411 tt}4n15r)4, 
 
 2ifi r54n4T> le4TJ, Uj Tj\)\i&xr)& 4rj 5bTUnt> • 
 
 )r 'Ofb-dC, Y ^T lé4T), Y 4f 'O-AJTJI'O l]OTT), 
 
 2ifi 'D-'C43|i4'ó, 4it 'D-'ce4r)r) 5 4]t r)--ojorj ; 
 21 5-Criorr)4'6, ?4orj ?40) 54irib-ljc 9 
 
 'S 5l4^4rin4c t)4 r)-54ll jte t>' 640jb 1 
 Se4C'c 5-064x5 T>é45 34t) T>e4rirr)4T), 
 
 5640^-11)054^^ Y CÚJ5, 34T) Cl40)í) ; 
 
 2loir "lie <t)é ^do ce4t)r)4^3 rwt) ? 
 
 2iji T5^M^ te4C, Uj CIjiuuija 4n 3rjíiir)rj ! 
 
 Stricken and feeble, without land, or name, 
 
 Mansions, or princely sway, 
 Are Mogha's ancient race of ancient fame, 
 
 And might, and wealth, to-day ! 
 The noble sons of Cairbre, Conn, and Lughaidh, 
 
 Alas ! are foreigner's prey, 
 But bitterest grief is ours for losing you, 
 
 OTuomy, once the Gay ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 17 
 
 0, woe ! 0, sorrow ! waking heart- wrung sighs, 
 
 Our guide, our prop, our stay, 
 In Croome, beneath an unhewn flag-stone, lies 
 
 While the stranger treads his clay. 
 Tis seventeen hundred years — the account is true — 
 
 And seventy-five this day, 
 Since Christ, His death, that we by death lost you, 
 
 O'Tuomy, once the Gay ! 
 
 III. 
 
 ANDREW MAGRATH 
 
 (Surnamed " ^OAT^jjte SÚ54Ó"). 
 
 Perhaps there is nothing more melancholy and deplor- 
 able than the sight, too often, unfortunately, witnessed 
 in this world of contradictions — the union of lofty 
 genius with grovelling propensities. To see talent of 
 the highest order debased by an association with vulgar 
 and low-lived habits — the understanding pointing one 
 way, while the bodily requirements and appetites drag 
 their degraded victim in an opposite direction — is indeed 
 a spectacle calculated to excite to thoughtfulness and 
 sorrow every generous mind. The world is familiar 
 with examples of this lamentable and ill-assorted union ; 
 and we need only mention the names of Savage, Burns, 
 Byron, and Maginn, as a few of those who have made 
 the most mournful and conspicuous exhibitions of its 
 effects. The subject of our present sketch unfortu- 
 nately adds another to the muster-roll of those ill-starred 
 children of genius ; but we should be unfaithful to the 
 requirements of the task we have undertaken, if we did 
 not allot a place here to the biography of the gay, the 
 eccentric, the jovial, but withal, the witty, learned, and 
 intellectual Andrew Magrath. 
 
 This distinguished poet, who, from his convivial 
 
 c 
 
1 B T BE PO E T S AND P O E T R Y 
 
 habits, was usually called the " Wvins^Jfte SÚ54Ó " 
 (i.e., "Jovial," or "Merry Dealer"), was a native of 
 the county of Limerick, and horn 011 the hanks of the 
 Maig, a river which he has frequently made the theme 
 of eulogy in his poems. Of his earlier years there are 
 scarcely even any traditional accounts; hut we find him, 
 as he grew to manhood, engaged in the occupation of 
 a country schoolmaster. Magrath was the contempo- 
 rary of John O'Tuomy, and a host of others who at 
 this period acquired a high reputation among the ad- 
 mirers of wit and lovers of song ; but, unhappily for 
 himself and those connected with him, his life, and 
 even many of his productions, were at variance with, 
 and unworthy of, his great intellectual powers. Habitual 
 indulgence in intoxicating drinks — that foe to all aspir- 
 ing thoughts and noble impulses — was his peculiar 
 besetting sin ; and, as a consequence, a great number of 
 his songs are so replete with licentious ideas and images, 
 as to be totally unfit for publication. Many of these, 
 however, but particularly some others, in which his 
 better muse predominates, are sung to this day by the 
 Munster peasantry, and, doubtless, will remain unfor- 
 gotten as long as the Irish spirit shall remain unbroken 
 by the tyranny under which it has groaned and 
 struggled through ages of misrule and unparalleled 
 oppression. 
 
 The habits of Magrath were migratory and wan- 
 dering ; he seldom tarried long in any one spot, though 
 usually long enough to leave behind him some rather 
 marked souvenirs of his drollery, and reckless love of 
 mischief and merriment. The caustic severity of his 
 sarcasms rendered him an object of dread to such as 
 were conscious of deserving exposure for their mis- 
 deeds. He delighted, like Burns, in mixing with low 
 company, over whom, of course, he reigned supreme as 
 a triton among the minnows. We may well believe 
 this, however, when we recollect that one of the brightest 
 wits and orators of his day, Philpot Curran, is said 
 
OF MTJNSTER. 19 
 
 to have on one occasion disguised himself in the garb of 
 a tinker, and taken up his quarters for a month with a 
 fraternity of " jolly brothers" who sojourned on the 
 Coombe, in this city, until one of them raffled his tools 
 to enable "the tinker" to go on a "tramp." So has 
 it been related by Moore of Byron, or rather by Byron 
 of himself, in his "Journal," that frequently at night, 
 when ennuye to death by the ice-cold manners of the 
 aristocratic society in which he mingled, he was accus- 
 tomed to rush into the streets, and take refuge in a 
 
 cider cellar ! 
 
 Many of the productions of our poet were penned 
 amid these bacchanalian revels, and are, indeed, redo- 
 lent of the Uirse Be4.t4* bottle. 
 
 Magrath tried his master-hand upon several species 
 of literary compositions, and succeeded in all. He is 
 said to have been the author of those beautiful and 
 soul-stirring words adapted to the air called " 21 X) Se4t) • 
 'Digue" (literally u The Old Man"), which is known in 
 Scotland under the name of "The Campbells are 
 Coming." The incident which gave birth to this exer- 
 cise of the poetical powers of the 21)41)54} |te SÚ54C, 
 has been preserved by tradition, and is highly inte- 
 resting, in the course of his wanderings through the 
 country, our poet chanced to meet with a young woman 
 by the roadside who was weeping bitterly, and appeared 
 to be abandoned to inconsolable grief. Upon inquiring 
 the cause of her affliction, he found that she had been 
 induced, at the urgent request of her parish priest, 
 to wed, for the sake of his great wealth and worldly 
 possessions, an old man, the coldness of whose nature 
 presented but an imperfect requital to her youthful 
 warmth of affection. Magrath, who, with all his 
 failings, possessed a heart ever sensitively alive to the 
 wrongs of injured youth and innocence, was moved by 
 the affecting narrative, and immediately produced an 
 
 * Uisge Beatha, water of life, equivalent to the Latin aqua vita, 
 and French eau de vie. 
 
20 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 extempore song on the occasion. The first stanza oi 
 which runs thus : — 
 
 " Córij4ltile "co ^ti4|t4T 4tuujc 4jx 4t) ru-bo^n, 
 |id5Yí|ie f45411it3 4rj re4r)-rnjne 4 pór4-ó: 
 Bu cini)4*ó leir 6, 4CT) 50 rné4'0Ó5rír) 4 pdc4T>, 
 'S 4 oe^t vat* T)0 rt)4)|tf)r) 45 bu^t 4]t r)4 
 
 CC)li)4]tr41l) !" 
 
 "A priest bade me marry ' for better or worse,' 
 
 An old wretch who had nought but his money and years — 
 
 Ah ! 'twas little he cared, but to fill his own purse ; 
 
 And I now look for help to the neighbours with tears!'' 
 
 The additional notoriety acquired by Magrath from 
 the circulation of this song was not of a very enviable 
 kind. A general outcry was raised against him by all 
 the old men of the whole surrounding country, and he 
 was compelled, like Reynard, to betake himself to "new 
 quarters/' Repairing to Cnoc TÍTilOT* he there re- 
 sumed his former occupation of school-teaching, and 
 varied his leisure hours by the composition of political 
 and amatory ballads. Here he wrote his popular song 
 to the air of " Cji40jbj n 40jb?T)n 4lujt)r) 05," and 
 declares in the opening stanza that he had been invited 
 to Cnoc VÍWW by <t)OT)t) TÍTWT^c,* chief of the Mun- 
 
 * Donn. One of the sons of Milesius, who, being separated from 
 the rest of his brethren by a magic storm raised by the Tuatha de 
 Danans, when effecting a landing on the coast of West Munster, was, 
 with his ship's company, drowned at a place called " Dumhachaibh" 
 " Vaults." In recording his death, Eochaidh O'Flainn, a poet of 
 the tenth century, writes thus : — 
 
 "Bonn, 's Bile, 's Buan, a bhean, 
 Dil, 's Aireach mac Mileadh, 
 Buas, 's Breas, 's Buaidhne go m-bloidh, 
 Do bhathadh ag Darahachaibh." 
 
 "Donn, and Bile, and Buan, his wife, 
 Dil, and Aireach, son of Milesius ; 
 Buas, and Breas, and Buana, found, 
 Were at the Vaults drowned." 
 
 It is traditionally believed that Donn is chief of the Munster 
 Fairies, and holds his court at Cnoc Firinn (hence the appellation 
 Donn Firinneach), a romantic hill in the county of Limerick. See 
 Haliday's Keating, p. 294. Dub. 1811. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 21 
 
 ster Fairies ; and here also he produced another song, 
 in derision of those old women who " lay themselves 
 out" to entrap young men into the snares of matrimony, 
 a production, in our opinion, quite as clever and sarcastic 
 in its way as the " Se^'oujne," though, on account of 
 its perhaps unjustifiable attacks upon the softer sex, 
 who, whether juvenile or ancient, are entitled to our 
 respect, we forbear quoting any portion of it here. 
 
 xlndrew Magrath was, perhaps, the most melodious 
 Gaelic poet of his day ; and we believe that few who 
 peruse his song to the air of " C^)\)\) <t)eAr 
 Cuiurcve T)4 m-Bd," " Pretty Girl Milking the Cows," 
 given in this volume, will dispute the correctness of our 
 opinion. To his biography we have nothing more to 
 add. He reached, notwithstanding all his irregularities 
 and excesses, an advanced age ; but the precise period 
 of his death we are unable to ascertain, though we have 
 been informed that he was living in 1790. His re- 
 mains repose in the churchyard of Kilmallock, in the 
 county of Limerick ; and we have learned, upon good 
 authority, that shortly before his death he bequeathed 
 his manuscripts, which, as may be supposed, were 
 exceedingly voluminous, to a farmer named O'Donnell, 
 residing at Ballinanma, near Kilmallock, at whose house 
 this eccentric genius, but true poet, breathed his last. 
 Peace to his erring spirit ! Let us remember his faults 
 but to compassionate and avoid them, while we honour 
 bis talents, which were, undoubtedly, of a high and 
 striking order. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Eg an O'Reilly, the subject of our present notice, 
 was, according to Edward O'Reilly's "Irish Wri- 
 ters," the son of John Mor O'Reilly, a gentleman 
 
22 THE POETS AM) POETRY 
 
 Farmer, who resided in the village of Crossarlough, on 
 the borders of Lough Sheelau, in the county of Cavan, 
 about the commencement of the eighteenth century. 
 John had been intended by his father, Eoghan, for the 
 priesthood, and was sent to receive his education in 
 Kerry, a county celebrated at that period for the facili- 
 ties it afforded of communicating a knowledge of the 
 classics, by means of its hedge-schoolmasters, who fre- 
 quently made the very cowherds Greek and Latin 
 scholars. Our young aspirant, during his stay here, 
 made considerable proficiency in his studies ; but Fate 
 had willed that he should never reach the goal which 
 his father had pointed out as the object of his ambition. 
 Happening, on his journey homeward, during vacation, 
 to give offence to some person whose name we have 
 been unable to discover, he was waylaid, and attacked 
 by six men armed with bludgeons, one of whom he 
 killed with a single blow. Apprehended and tried for 
 murder, he was acquitted ; but having taken away the 
 life of another, he was, by the canon law, disqualified 
 for the priesthood, and obliged to relinquish the hope of 
 ever attaining to it. He returned to Kerry, where he 
 married a young woman of the name of Egan ; and the 
 subject of our memoir, called also Egan, in compliment 
 to his mother's name, was the eldest son of this mar- 
 riage. John Mor, we may observe, was the author of 
 several poems, with which the peasantry of his native 
 county are stated to have been familiar but a few years 
 since ; and it is also said that copies of many of them 
 are extant in Kerry at the present day. 
 
 Egan was left by his father in comfortable circum- 
 stances ; indeed in the possession of what, at the pre- 
 sent day, would be considered almost opulence. His 
 residence was at Slj4b lu4Cji4T>, in the county of 
 Kerry. He was the author of a great variety of admi- 
 rable songs, copies of which are in our possession, as 
 other copies are also scattered through Munster, and 
 abound particularly in his native district. His " Vision," 
 
OF MUNSTER. 23 
 
 or (( Reverie/' which we give here, is, perhaps, as beau- 
 tiful a piece of modern poetry as can be found in the 
 Gaelic language, and is, in fact, a perfect gem amid the 
 jewels of song. 
 
 3He r)4 75)\e t>o coi)4jtc 4jt rVJáe 4U ii4?3nior, 
 C|ijoro4l 4n Cl)riloro4il 4 -50\ixr)-\ior5, njn, udjctje ; 
 Bjnnjor 4U bjnnir 4 rjiior;4l, t)4it cjiíoí)-5|tU4iU4'ó, 
 <t)ejji3e 'r Firjrje 4 TPIo^iiAt) 'íh 5|tlor-5itu4'ó , n4'D. 
 
 C4ir^ 114 C4ire 4nn 34c jtujbe x>4 bii)T>e-cti4C4)b, 
 Bl)4)T)e4T 4tj dtuijTjqe t>4 jiu^ne le n.jn-r5adb4j'ó ; 
 Jojiywo b4 áU|t>e rj4 sUjue 4?fi 4 bitujrjn bti4C4)'ó, 
 4)o 5eine4'ó 4fi 5eirje4ri)4ji) -o'^ri T4rj t^jx íi4c < c|t4i'ó. 
 
 Vior nor^c T>4tt) -o'nrjr 'r in 50 non-u4i3nioc, 
 
 Tior iFilleA'ó tjo't) 'ouirje 'oo'í) ]or)4'o b4 TvJ3-xm4l34r ; 
 ¥)or n)i\\e&T> r)4 -ojiojnse ctiiri eirion 4]t n/jrj-fiu454'D, 
 'S n°r e?le tj4 ctiiltno-D 4tu liij'ótjb le rJojt-u4ttj4t). 
 
 lenije U4 le)it)e tmu) t>|uii'djti} 't)4 c|tti)T)n-tu4)]titt), 
 'S njé 4U) cti]i)5e 43 4r) C4irne 'co f i)4it>ft)e4'ó 30 
 
 ^JOjl-CjtU41T5 Tt)é ; 
 2ifl 30)]tTT) lijjC 2t)U)|te -Ó41T) ^Ujlt^CT; T>0 b]G5 Uú)tl)Xh 
 
 'S lii)51or 4U bfiuji^oll U4 luirne 50 Bfiuigin 
 
 1U4CÍ14T). 
 
 Hu)t)n) le rt)ijte 4ir) |tu)t)V3 50 c|tojT>e-Ui4jnjije4c, 
 T^tie iott)4ll4ib cu|in4i3, nye rijot)5f*4ib, -cfte flíit)- 
 
 jUUI'ó'Gjb ; 
 <t>o'n n^e-bjtos t?)5)tt), itf tursjin c}4 't) -G-rlfée 
 
 VU4|t4T, 
 50 l)-)0r)4T> 1J4 THOtJA'O, T>0 CUtl)4'D le 'On40J5e4C'U 
 <t>fltl434lb. 
 
24 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 'S ruijUMnn ©o b|uiji)5jolU)b rjor54j'ó'ce, -olao)- 
 
 ÓU4Ó4Ó ; 
 
 21 i)-5eiii)ealU)b 5ejrije4l n)é CUWO 5^n pujiji) 
 
 *S njo bfiujt)3ioll 4ji bfiujntjib 45 bjiujnwe bfiujrw- 
 
 TTJU4C4C. 
 
 ^mmnor *s'ir) r^ ft-Titio-cai b4 ^íojt iunnj-rj, 
 
 Wájt óujbe 'ój rtW-órtje ler rllbirie rrjTr)-bu4itt4 ; 
 'S 4t) TDtune b4 5)le 4i]t cjrje Scu)T5 n\C\ l)-ii4i]te, 
 2I5 ^ejtjorij 4|t iTfJJeit W5e nw c40jt)-íjU4'óc4Ti. 
 
 21 ft clUJt'OW TT)0 SUt^t) T>J, 5IUI1OT) 50 ^10]t-U4lb]teAC, 
 
 Buite^r) 4rj ^=lice 50 t^e 4t 4 3itior-3TiU4t>t)4ib ; 
 Cujfie4í) l)on) 5)olU'D it)4ti cojtr)j|ic o't) it)-Btuu5JT) 
 
 U4j£e. 
 'S 1 5)le i)4 3)le, -do co\)axic a\\ rlise 4tj ti4J3Wor ! 
 
 2ií) CC4t)54l. 
 
 21)0 'CjiéjJj'D, Tt)o tubwG, rt)o Tni]tfi4ji)i), tí)o bfioi), 
 
 TTJO Tfj-C ! 
 
 Iflo fojllreac ti)uitit)e4c, tfyoc4iti-5e4l, bedl-r^jr? 
 
 C40JTJ, 
 
 2ljti 4'64i|tc 45 fuijie4t)tjujb, rworSAir^c, qioTj-'sub, 
 
 buj'óe ; 
 'S 541) leféjor t)4 50jjie 50 B-fjUl'o ^4 leó54iíj t;4Ti 
 
 'CO)!)!) ! 
 
 The Brightest of the Bright met me on my path so lonely ; 
 
 The Crystal of all Crystals was her flashing dark-blue eye ; 
 Melodious more than music was her spoken language only ; 
 
 And glories were her cheeks, of a brilliant crimson dye. 
 
 With ringlets above ringlets her hair in many a cluster 
 Descended to the earth, and swept the dewy flowers; 
 
 Her bosom shone as bright as a mirror in its lustre; 
 
 She seemed like some fair daughter of the Celestial Powers. 
 
 She chanted me a chant, a beautiful and grand hymn, 
 Of him who should be shortly Eire's reigning King — 
 
 She prophesied the fall of the wretches who had banned him ; 
 And somewhat else she told me which I dare not sing. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 25 
 
 Trembling with many fears I called on Holy Mary, 
 As I drew nigh this Fair, to shield me from all harm, 
 
 When, wonderful to tell ! she fled far to the Fairy 
 Green mansion of Sliabh Luachra in terror and alarm. 
 
 O'er mountain, moor, and marsh, by greenwood, lough, and hollow., 
 I tracked her distant footsteps with a throbbing heart ; 
 
 Through many an hour and day did I follow on and follow, 
 Till I reached the magic palace reared of old by Druid art. 
 
 There a wild and wizard band with mocking fiendish laughter 
 Pointed out me her I sought, who sat low beside a clown ; 
 
 And I felt as though I never could dream of Pleasure after 
 
 When I saw the maid so fallen whose charms deserved a crown. 
 
 Then with burning speech and soul, I looked at her and told her 
 That to wed a churl like that was for her the shame of shames, 
 
 When a bridegroom such as I was longing to enfold her 
 To a bosom that her beauty had kindled into flames. 
 
 But answer made she none ; she wept with bitter weeping, 
 Her tears ran down in rivers, but nothing could she say ; 
 
 She gave me then a guide for my safe and better keeping, — 
 The Brightest of the Bright, whom I met upon my way. 
 
 SUMMING UP. 
 
 Oh, my misery, my woe, my sorrow and my anguish, 
 
 My bitter source of dolor is evermore that she 
 The loveliest of the Lovely should thus be left to languish 
 
 Amid a ruffian horde till the Heroes cross the sea. 
 
 To an intimate acquaintance with his mother tongue, 
 Egan O'Reilly united a thorough knowledge of the 
 classics, and had, perhaps, been designed, like his 
 father, John Mor, for the sacerdotal profession. To 
 the kindness of Mr. Patten, librarian to the Royal 
 Dublin Society, we are indebted for the following ex- 
 tract from a MS. copy of Keating' s Ireland, made by 
 him in 1772, and now deposited in the Society's valuable 
 library. It will serve to prove that our bard was living 
 at that period, being the year in which it was written 
 by him. 
 
 It runs thus: — "4 i)4 T5Mob te l)-2lo'6d54rj tU K4- 
 54IU15 x>o Kujsjvj x\))c Se4)i) 0)3, rijjc Sjte, 4 t)-í)|ton| 
 
26 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Coludujft )\\\) ti)-btM54)i) 'o'-AoifCljtiíoro; n)jle, r^^c/c 
 5C7, 45ttf 41) 2|t4 blj4$4ll) TPICÓ7- July 4rj )*e4c'cnj4'ó 
 14." " Written by Egan O'Reilly, lor Rughri, son of 
 John Og Mac Sheehy, of Dromcullaghar, on the 7th 
 
 day of July, 1722." The hook is written in a plain, 
 legible, and hold character, and establishes the writer's 
 power and skill as a perfect philologist in the structure 
 and idiomatic peculiarities of his native tongue. We 
 have one rather curious remark, however, to make with 
 respect to it — that he writes his name in two forms. 
 At the commencement of the w r ork he subscribes him- 
 self U4 K4.54IUJ5 (O'Reilly) ; whereas, at the close of 
 the second volume, he thus writes : — 
 
 \J*4n4é JZ-iMt isecuncu, J&l </Ae p/A, 4 'J £2. 
 2104)1)2152W mi K2lT3t)2l)U6, - 
 
 by which name, indeed, he is best known throughout 
 Minister at the present day. 
 
 There are two songs of our author's in the present 
 collection. One of these, called "The Star of Kil- 
 kenny," was composed on occasion of the celebration of 
 a marriage, in the year 1720, between Valentine, third 
 Viscount Kenmare, and Honoria Butler, of Kilcash, 
 great grand-niece of James, Duke of Ormond. The 
 other was written as a tribute of praise to a poetess, a 
 lady named Fitzgerald,* who resided at Bally kenely, in 
 the county of Cork, and who, from her extraordinary 
 beauty, was a perpetual theme of eulogy among the 
 bards of Munster. 
 
 * This lady had a brother named Pierse, a poet of no mean cele- 
 brity ; his productions, and many amusing anecdotes relating to 
 him, are still remembered throughout the province. He nourished 
 about the middle of the last century ; but the only fragment of his 
 poetry in our possession is an elegy on the death of John Power, 
 Esq., of Clashmore, in the county of Waterford, who died in the 
 summer of 1754. 
 
- 
 
 OF MUNSTER. v 27 
 
 We have only to add, that notwithstanding all our 
 inquiries and researches, we have been unable to dis- 
 cover either at what precise period or locality the death 
 of ^Io'ó454t) U4 K4t4ille occurred. 
 
 21N Z-VLZ^K U)U)2iat) JN51JS. 
 
 The Rev. William English* was an Augustinian friar, 
 and stationed in the convent of that community in 
 Brunswick-street, Cork. It is said that he was born in 
 Newcastle, in the county of Limerick, and that he passed 
 a considerable portion of his early life as schoolmaster 
 in Castletownroche, in the county of Cork, and Charle- 
 ville, in the county of Limerick. Previous to his as- 
 sumption of the Augustinian habit, he had produced 
 many striking and beautiful songs in his native tongue, 
 among which we may reckon the celebrated " CaJTiol 
 2t)unj4n" "Cashel of Munster," and " Coir W B|ii- 
 5)T>e,"t "By the Bride's Silvery Waters," both well 
 known to our Munster readers. His admission into the 
 ranks of the regular clergy is said to have been on the 
 condition of abandoning song-writing for the rest of his 
 life — an obligation which he faithfully kept until the oc- 
 currence of an incident which tempted him to call once 
 more his rhyming powers into action, and, at all hazards, 
 to violate his anti-poetical resolve ; as indeed he did, 
 
 * We have seen this name in an old Irish MS. Hibernicised Gall- 
 Oglaoich. 
 
 f The river Bride, which has its source in the barony of Barrymore, 
 county of Cork, near a place called Gleann an Phriachain (Glinville), 
 and falls into the Blackwater at Strangcally Castle, county of Wa= 
 terford. 
 
28 THE POSTS AND POETRY 
 
 though not without having obtained permission from his 
 ecelesiast ical superior. 
 
 A brother friar, who had been despatched from the 
 convent, according to the custom of the order in Mun- 
 ster, at a particular period of the year, for the purpose 
 oí collecting provisions, obtained a quantity of butter 
 among the benevolent farmers' wives of his district, 
 which he packed in a firkin, and sent to Cork market 
 for sale. Upon inspection, however, by the merchant 
 to whom it was offered, it was found to exhibit, 
 owing to the various sources from which it had been 
 procured, such a strange combination of colours, that the 
 poor friar was, perforce, compelled to return home, 
 and use it himself. Such an opportunity for dis- 
 playing his satirical genius, even at the expense of a 
 brother of the order, was too tempting to be forfeited 
 by our poet ; and he immediately commenced and pro- 
 duced the well-known sarcastic poem, beginning — 
 
 " Cjté rj4 CjU T)4n. t45<ur> 4íj Bn4£4,j|i, 
 CVju^n- XV&1T T)4ruirt) 4t) )xt) t)4 4 nj-b 146413 l" 
 
 " May that friar never know peace in the dust, 
 . Who in butter or buttermilk places his trust !" 
 
 Several of the Rev. William English's poems are, we 
 are happy to state, in our possession. The song by him 
 which we present our readers in this volume, is adapted 
 to a very pleasing air called the " Se4rj'DUir)e " (The 
 Old Man), of the merits of which we have already 
 spoken in our biographical sketch of Andrew Magrath. 
 We regret that our limited acquaintance with the 
 minuter details of our poet's life, precludes us from doing 
 him that justice which his high moral character unques- 
 tionably deserved, but which would be better understood 
 by the reader, were we in a position to illustrate it by- 
 anecdote and narrative. 
 
 The Rev. William English closed his life on the 13th 
 of January, 1778, in Cork, and his remains repose in 
 St. John's churchyard, Douglas-street, in that city. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 29 
 
 VI. 
 
 ^4)1)5 (3^0í>1)2ll2lCr|) U21 SUJUJOBllSlJN. 
 
 Timothy O'Sullivan, a poet, who, either from his 
 simplicity of manner, or from the fact of his being an 
 humble peasant,* altogether ignorant of the lan- 
 guage of Bacon and Shakspeare, usually went by the 
 surname of " SacdUic," or "The Simple," was 
 a native of Kerry, and, unfortunately, was not in his 
 earlier years a model of the strictest rectitude in point 
 of conduct. To his honour, however, be it stated, that 
 he subsequently reformed, abandoned his irregularities, 
 and succeeded in acquiring the esteem and friendship 
 of all who knew him. 
 
 Born a poet — as every true poet, according to Horace, 
 must bef — he early "lisped in numbers," and ere the 
 heyday of his youth was over, had composed a consider- 
 able number of amatory songs, rather too remarkable, it 
 must be confessed, for warmth of sentiment and expres- 
 sion. In after-life, however, he atoned for the sins of his 
 youthful muse by a collection of sacred poems, which he 
 left behind, and which are published under the title of 
 i( The Pious Miscellany," a work at the present day in the 
 hands of almost every peasant in Munster, and, although 
 not comparable in point of style to some pieces of a 
 similar character in our volume, yet characterized by 
 much depth of feeling and energy of language. The 
 book, moreover, possesses this distinguishing merit, that 
 every page, every verse, we might almost say every line, 
 reflects back, as from a mirror, the leading traits in the 
 character of the amiable author. 
 
 * " The ancient natives were universally prejudiced against the dialect 
 of the colonists ; insomuch, that any of them known to speak the 
 rude jargon of the foreigners seldom escaped a reproachful nickname. 1 ' 
 — Hardiman. Note on the Statute of Kilkenny. 
 
 •f* " Poeta nascitur non Jit" — Hon. 
 
30 THE POETS AM) POETRY 
 
 O'Sullivan was accustomed to make periodical excur- 
 sions to a district in the county of Waterford, celebrated 
 for its hospitality, and known by the name of 
 u p40flAÓd," which comprises the barony of Middle- 
 third. In all probability, it was owing to his repeated 
 visits to this territory, that an eminent writer has fallen 
 into the error of supposing him to have been a native of 
 Waterford. There he passed the latter years of his life, 
 and frequently sojourned at the house, and sat at the 
 table of the father of the writer of this sketch. The 
 precise period of his death is unknown — to us at least — 
 but that it probably occurred towards the close of the 
 last century may be conjectured by the following cruota- 
 tion from one of his sacred poems, entitled " 45114)1) 
 40 <t>orrj4m," or "The Lay of the World." 
 
 " Í>ub4)l Te4c , c 4rr) ce4C , c 'oo cé4T)4)b, 
 'S 'crij cé4-o r)4 5~córrj4n\ T>e'r) 5-có)rrjri)orrj 
 
 064*004 ; 
 4))4r x)4 t?^c)'obl)4'ó4r), bl)454)r) 'x 40jrj-'De)c, 
 Sju 4U r3l)454)r) -o'4crjr CVjrijorG 40 Uoj-óe-r) 
 
 '6é4t)4IT)." 
 
 " Since bora was GOD'S Eternal Son, 
 
 Came fourteen hundred years to an end ; 
 Three hundred, four score, ten, and one, 
 Before this lay of mine was penned." 
 
 According to popular report, his remains were interred 
 in Ballybricken churchyard, Waterford, but we cannot 
 vouch for the correctness of the tradition. There is 
 much beauty and pathos in the epitaph written on his 
 death by <T)or)rjC4'ó 2t)r)ejc Coí)-1X)a]XA, but it is ex- 
 tremely doubtful whether it was ever engraved on 
 his tomb. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 31 
 
 VII. 
 
 P62M)2i)R U21 <t>OJKNJR 
 
 Were we not sincerely desirous of rescuing from the 
 wrecks of the Past the names and memories of the 
 truly-gifted children of genius who have flourished, 
 though in comparative obscurity, in our island, we 
 might pass over in silence the claims of Peter O'Dor- 
 nin. But we cannot so far forget the duty we owe to 
 our country and our readers. Although the bones of 
 this poet lie in a remote part of Ireland, the remem- 
 brance of what he achieved and essayed shall not die 
 with him ; and, as far as lies in our power, w r e shall en- 
 deavour to wreath with a garland of verdure his distin- 
 guished, though humble, name. 
 
 Peter O'Dornin was born in the year 1682, in the 
 county of Tipperary, near the renowned Rock of Cashel. 
 At an early age he displayed the most astonishing evi- 
 dences of an intellect far advanced in knowledge ; and 
 his parents accordingly resolved on educating him for 
 the priesthood. But the laws of that dark and dreary 
 period — the statutes against education, domestic or fo- 
 reign — the operation, in short, of the Penal code — inter- 
 posed a veto on their wishes, and prevented them from 
 carrying their purpose into effect.* 
 
 * The following extracts from the Irish Statutes will at once exhibit 
 the state of the Popish schoolmasters and students in Ireland during 
 the penal times : — 
 
 i. 
 
 " No person of the Popish religion shall publicly teach school or 
 instruct youth in learning, or in private houses teach or instruct 
 youth in learning, within this realm (except only the children or 
 others under the guardianship of the master or mistress of such pri- 
 vate house), under the penalty of £20, and three months' imprison- 
 ment."— 7th William III., ch. 4, s. 9. 1694. 
 
 " In case any of his Majesty's subjects of Ireland shall go or send 
 any person to any public or private Popish school, in parts beyond the 
 
32 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Menaced in his early youth by political dangers and 
 hostilities, O'Domin became a fugitive from the home 
 of his childhood. Directing his course towards the 
 north, which he regarded as the safest retreat from 
 the storms of persecution, he arrived at Drumcree, near 
 Portadown, in the county of Armagh. A Catholic 
 clergyman, an ardent lover of his country's language 
 and literature, who has kindly furnished us with 
 materials for this brief biographical notice, states that 
 the following quatrain, in O'Dornin's handwriting, is 
 in the possession of Mr. Arthur Bennett, of Forkhill; 
 and, as will be seen, it completely precludes any contro- 
 versy on the subject of our poet's birthplace. 
 
 " <t)o bj-ó 4nur rt)o c4}n/oe 45 C^mol Tj4 txjoá, 
 Jr é 'd4tac / c r)4 5411/C4CVC t>o r54]t rnjre 'ójoB ; 
 75\)W5 rné |Uta ?ó't) Tty&b \)\) 50 rnulUjc <Dbíi u jm 
 
 Cn/joc, 
 2l)4|i 4. tvpr4iti Tí)é y&)\ve 541)] -cajtijlear 9 T n)e&- 
 
 -64i|t 5<W cjor " 
 
 " The lands of my fathers were at Cashel of the Kings, 
 But the black English tyrant-laws they drove me out from thence ; 
 So I bounded to Drumcree, as an eagle flies on wings, 
 And I found a welcome there, without grudging or expense." 
 
 seas, in order to be educated in the Popish religion, and there be 
 trained in the Popish religion, or shall send money or other thing 
 towards the maintenance of such person gone or sent, and trained as 
 aforesaid, or as a charity for relief of a religious house, every person 
 so going, sending, or sent, shall, on conviction, be disabled to sue, in 
 law or in equity, or to be guardian, executor, or administrator, or 
 take a legacy or deed of gift, or bear any office, and shall forfeit goods 
 and chattels for ever, and lands for life." — 7th William III., ch. 4, 
 s. 1. 1694. % 
 
 in. 
 " If any person, after 1st September, 1709, shall discover any 
 Popish schoolmaster, or any Papist teaching or instructing youth in 
 private houses, as tutor, or as usher, under- master, or assistant to any 
 Protestant schoolmaster, so as the said Popish schoolmaster, tutor, or 
 usher, under-master, or assistant to any Protestant schoolmaster, be 
 apprehended and legally convicted, every person making such dis- 
 
OF MUNSTER. 33 
 
 While sojourning in this locality, he produced an 
 elaborate poem, entitled "The Ancient Divisions of 
 Ireland, and an Account of the different Septs that from 
 time to time have colonised it." The peculiarly power- 
 ful style of this poem attracted the attention of the Hon. 
 Arthur Brownlow, ancestor of the present Lord Lurgan, 
 who requested an interview with O'Dornin ; and finding, 
 upon a close acquaintance with him, that he possess- 
 ed high talents, had received a liberal education, and 
 was withal, a man of polished manners and profound 
 penetration into human character, he took him into 
 his own house to instruct his family, revise his Irish 
 records, enrich his library with Gaelic poetry, and, 
 above all, to infuse into his own mind a deep and 
 lasting love for the literature of his native country. 
 The friendship, thus happily commenced, continued 
 unabated for several years, until, unfortunately, the 
 electioneering contest of the Brownlows of Lurgan, the 
 Copes of Loughgall, and the Hichardsons of Richhill, 
 supervened, and the independent conduct of O'Dornin 
 on that occasion aroused the wrath of Brownlow : the 
 result, after some angry altercation, was a final separa- 
 tion between the poet and his patron. 
 
 The thoughts of O'Dornin now once more reverted 
 towards home : he desired to spend the evening of his 
 days among the friends and companions of his youth, 
 and was anxious that his remains might mingle with 
 the dust of his ancestors. Fate, however, ordained 
 otherwise. A handsome young woman, named Rose 
 Toner, laid siege in due form to our poet's heart ; 
 and he bowed his scholarly head beneath the yoke of 
 Hymen. He spent the i£ honey-moon" in the parish of 
 
 covery shall receive as a reward for the same £10, to be levied on the 
 Popish inhabitants of the country where such Popish schoolmaster, 
 tutor, usher, under-master, or assistant, taught or instructed youth, or 
 did most commonly reside, and shall be convicted thereof." — 8 Anne, 
 c. 3, ss. 20, 21. 1701. 
 
 D 
 
34 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Loughgilly, at Ballymoyre, and subsequently established 
 himself id the neighbourhood of Forkhill, where he 
 opened a school as a competitor with one Maurice 
 O'Grorman,* who bore a high character for ability 
 in teaching. The insinuating address and extensive 
 learning of O'Dornin, however, soon drew over a 
 majority of the scholars to his side ; and O' Gorman, 
 fancying himself deeply injured by his rival, but having 
 no means of redress or retaliation at his command, was 
 forced to leave the neighbourhood, and retire to Dublin. 
 In and about the vicinity of Forkhill, O'Dornin passed 
 a considerable time. Here he wrote a humorous poem, 
 in which he unmercifully satirized the luckless O'Gor- 
 man ; and here also he penned the song (to the air which 
 we give in our present collection) of " Slj4.b ^él'óljrr)," 
 with many other minor poetical compositions, some of 
 which we shall have the gratification of introducing 
 at a future day to the notice of our readers. 
 
 In his latter years, O'Dornin was honoured with the 
 friendship, and enjoyed the esteem, of many of the 
 most eminent men in Ireland. He lived to a green old 
 age, and closed a life which he had consecrated to the 
 vindication of his country's literary renown, and the 
 advancement of the happiness of his numerous friends 
 and acquaintances, on the 5th of April, 1768, in his 
 eighty- sixth year. His death occurred in the townland 
 of Shean, at a place called Friarstown (Shean, we may 
 observe, is now divided into quarters), adjacent to the 
 village of Forkhill, in Armagh ; and his remains were 
 interred near the north-east wall of Urney churchyard, in 
 the county of Louth, somewhat more than three miles 
 northward of Dundalk. The parish priest of Forkhill, 
 the Rev. Mr. Healy, when on his death-bed, requested 
 
 * Wc possess a copy of the 4to. edition of O'Brien's Irish-English 
 Dictionary, with numerous marginal notes and additional words, col- 
 lected from ancient Irish MSS., in the autograph of Maurice O'Gor- 
 man, written at Dublin, in the year 1781. 
 
OF MUNSTER. OO 
 
 to be laid beside O'Dornin; and the poet and the 
 clergyman now repose beneath one stone. 
 
 Our readers will understand that the poets at whose 
 lives and labours we have thus cursorily glanced, form 
 but a few of the great band of native Irish writers 
 whose genius illumed the political gloom and dreari- 
 ness of the eighteenth century. Among their con- 
 temporaries, and not less distinguished for their poeti- 
 cal talent, we may mention — 
 
 I. — 6d54t) KU4X) O'SuilliOD-ájn, a native of Slj4D 
 Ui4C]t4'ó, in the county of Kerry, who flourished to- 
 wards the close of the last century, and was justly 
 celebrated for his judgment and skill in the production 
 of compound epithets. He wrote many songs both in 
 Irish and English, though he always entertained an 
 undisguised contempt and dislike for the latter language. 
 As a specimen of his English versification, we give here 
 the opening stanza of one of those — a song called 
 <c Molly Casey's Charms," which he penned for a village 
 beauty of his acquaintance : — 
 
 " One evening late, it was my fate 
 
 To meet a charming creature, 
 Whose aiiy gait and nice portrait 
 
 Excel both art and nature : 
 Her curling hair, in ringlets fair, 
 
 Down to her waist doth dangle ; 
 The white and rose— united foes — 
 
 Her beauteous cheeks bespangle. 
 Her rolling, glancing, sparkling eyes, 
 Each gazer's heart at once surprise, 
 And bind a train of love-sick swains 
 In Cupid's close enthralling chains. 
 Whoever views her lovely face, 
 That is bedecked with youth and grace, 
 Must every hour, proclaim the power 
 
 Of Molly Casey's charms. 5 ' 
 
 II. — John Mac Donnell, a poet of almost unrivalled 
 power and sweetness, surnamed " C!4ji4C," from the 
 
36 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 broad cast of his features, or from the fact of having 
 been bom al the foot of Clarach mountain, near Mill- 
 street, in the county of Cork. 
 
 III. — William ilefternan, surnamed " <t>4ll,'' or the 
 Blind, a native of Shronehill, in Tipperary, and one of 
 the most delightful of versifiers. Our limited space 
 will not permit us to enlarge upon the writings and 
 characters of these poets ; but we refer the reader to 
 our "Reliques of Irish Jacobite Poetry/' in which will 
 be found detailed biographical notices of them. 
 
 At this period there flourished a host of other 
 gifted men, of whom but " Random Records" remain — 
 men whose powers of denunciation and satire were un- 
 sparingly exercised against the abuses of authority, and 
 the oppressions which their unhappy country was com- 
 pelled to suffer at the hands of her mis-rulers. Among 
 those men, who, although less famous than the O'Tuo- 
 mys and Magraths of their time, yet scarcely infe- 
 rior to them in poetical ability, we may record the 
 names of — 
 
 I. — Hugh and Andrew Mac Curtin, both natives of 
 Clare, who flourished in the early part of the eighteenth 
 century.* 
 
 II. — Conor and Donogh O' Sullivan, both of C)ll)n, 
 or, as they style it, " Cjlljrj C4m-ri4ur)4C 4t) Cl)n.ór)4inV' 
 in the parish of Whitechurch, near Blarney. Some 
 of their songs, printed from the original manuscripts, 
 will be found in this volume. 
 
 III.— Bryan O'Flaherty, a mason, who lived at Bruff. 
 
 IV. — James Considine, of 216 1)4 5-C40|X4C, in the 
 county of Clare. 
 
 * A copy of Dr. Keating' s " Tri Bir-Ghaotha an Bhais" "Three 
 Pointed Shafts of Death," in the handwriting of Andrew M'Curtin, 
 bearing date 1703, is in the hands of a young man in this city. Hugh 
 Mac Curtin wrote an Irish Grammar, an English-Irish Dictionary, 
 and a Brief Discourse in Vindication of the Antiquity of Ireland, 
 which were published early in the last century. Both were celebrated 
 poete, and some of their compositions will be found in this volume. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 37 
 
 V. — John Cunningham, who lived near Castletown- 
 roche, and flourished in the year 1737. We have seen 
 some of his MSS. bearing that date. 
 
 VI. — Maurice Griffin, who followed the profession of 
 schoolmaster at Ballingaddy, in the county of Limerick, 
 about 1778. 
 
 VII.- — William Cotter (the Red), a native of Castle- 
 lyons, some of whose manuscripts, dated 1737, we have 
 in our possession. 
 
 VIII. — George Roberts, one of whose poetical pieces, 
 a fairy- song of remarkable beauty, appears in this 
 volume. 
 
 IX. — James O'Daly,* a native of the parish of 
 Inagh, county of Clare, and contemporary with John 
 OTuomy, whose elegy he chanted. 
 
 X. — Thomas Cotter, of the Cove of Cork. 
 
 XI. — Edward Nagle, also of Cork, a contemporary 
 of the Rev. William English. 
 
 We might append to these the names of a number of 
 others ; but as we do not present the reader with any 
 of their songs, and as we purpose, according to our 
 promise, devoting a volume exclusively to their " Lives 
 and Times," it is unnecessary for us to particularise 
 them here. There are, however, two of the number 
 who cannot be passed over in silence. We allude to 
 
 * Since the time of Donogh Mor O'Daly, abbot of Boyle, a.d. 1244, 
 styled the Ovid of Ireland, from his beautiful verses, the tribe of 
 O'Daly has produced a vast number of eminent poets. 
 
 Edward O'Reilly gives a catalogue of twenty-eight writers of the 
 name ; and they were so numerous in the sixteenth century, that an 
 English chronicler of that period uses O'Dalie as synonymous with 
 poet or rhymer. 
 
 We may here also mention Fa. Dominick O'Daly, O.S.D., founder of 
 the College of " Corpo Santo," and the Convent of "Bom Successo"at 
 Lisbon, and ambassador, in 1655, from Portugal to the court of Louis 
 XIV., on which occasion he gave a series of magnificent fetes to the 
 citizens of Paris. He died in 1662, having been elected Bishop of 
 Coimbra, and was buried in his own college at Lisbon. His " History 
 of the Geraldines" is known to most of our readers, through the excel- 
 lent translation of the Rev. C. P. Meehan. 12mo. Dublin, 1847. 
 
38 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 8tf$41) O'Cuoiii) (Owen O'Keeffe), nnd John Murphy. 
 O'Keeffe, who, like his namesake, the dramatist, pos- 
 sessed the most varied and versatile powers, was horn at 
 Glenville, in the county of Cork, in 1650. lie married 
 early, and had a son, whom he reared for the priesthood, 
 but who died in 1709, at Rochelle, in the flower of his 
 youth, while engaged in the prosecution of his theo- 
 logical studies. 605411, the father, entered Holy Orders 
 after the decease of his wife, in 1707, and closed his 
 life on the 5th day of April, 1/26, as parish priest of 
 Doneraile. His remains are interred in the grave-yard 
 of SeAn-Crjujn/c (Old-Court), about half a mile west of 
 Doneraile. The following inscription was graven on his 
 tomb by a sculptor named <Donnc4-ó ,( t>4t4i5 : — 
 
 " 2I5 yeo 70174-0 lo-óUjcte 6054^ U7 Cij40jnj, £113 
 'Cjiéjrijrj ^4 4inynn. por-o4, 43iir ^jx é)X 6434 4irm4 
 x>o 5I4C 31*4-0 CoiniedST^ ; ojjx 04 -oujrje 54orrij4Ti, 
 5e4r)4n)í)4)-óe, 3]te4nnrrj4lt ; 45ur vo b4 tyle ^d^Urr)^, 
 ^jji-edUc, 45ur cléjjte4c clir-oe, C40)rj, 4 b-ptvjon> 
 £641)34-0 4 -óújtce 45ur 4 ri Wfe^T 1 é, 5ujt 4b ti)itje 
 rjtj t>o cu)ne4-ó 41) rSTtltytW T)e4nj-co7T;ce4i)i) to or 
 
 4 C}Ot)U. 
 
 "<t)o 643 4T) cuystib&e 14 x>e'r) 2lbjt4n, 2l.<t>. I726 ; 
 45itr 4T 'coi I3 T)' 0341b r)4 2t)úrr)4í) é, 43ur ?dr x>4 
 cléjfi; dj]t ir 10^-04 Ie4b4|i l^tj-yosUtT)^, léj]t- 
 r5it)obt4, -o4 T4ot4it |te r)4 t^icni) 4 i)-6jjte 
 4t)JU3. ,, 
 
 The Rev. John O'Brien, afterwards Bishop of Cloyne, 
 wrote the following epitaph, or ¥eú]iv Uioj-óe, which 
 is also engraven on the same stone : — 
 
 "Sji) 434-0 4 l]C, íí)0 T>)t ! ^4 x>' 640b 50 I43 ! 
 S434[fC b4 C40JÍ), 'r" 4 n-x>lj3e rijic <Dé b4 be4c / c ; 
 T4]tit4itie 5noj-oe -o'^ujl C\)AO)ix) b4 tjté^e 4 
 
 T)-T31ie4T ? 
 
 r^ft re4T)c4-o 4 rsr^ob 30 ^ofi 4]t 5t)40j-óeiljb 
 real" 
 
OF MUNSTER. 39 
 
 " A grave-stone lies above thee laid this night, 
 
 Thou mildest priest, in God's great laws well versed — 
 O'Keeffe, of heroes mightiest in the fight, 
 Whose lore illumed the Gaelic learning erst." 
 
 John Murphy (Se454t) 0'2t)ujicíÍ54'ó), born at 
 K4TJ40jr)r)e4C, county of Cork, in March, 1700, was 
 distinguished for the beauty and pathos of his elegiac 
 compositions. In the year 1726, he had transcribed, 
 with his own hand, many native historical tracts of 
 high value. He was the chief patron of a bardic ses- 
 sions, or academy, held periodically at Charleville, and 
 in the parish of Whitechurch, near Blarney ; and we 
 have seen a poem of four stanzas composed by him on the 
 fate of four brothers named Armstrong, who were killed 
 at the battle of Aughrim, for which composition it has 
 been asserted that their sister presented him with four 
 bullocks. Murphy continued his labours as an Irish 
 scribe of high repute to the year 1758. We have in 
 our hands some MSS. beautifully written by him at that 
 period, for a gentleman named Wallace, of Cork. We 
 cannot tell how long he lived, as we have no records 
 bearing on that subject. 
 
 About this period the introduction into female dress 
 of that singularly ridiculous and unsightly article of head- 
 gear known as the " High Cauled Cap," called forth 
 the unsparing satire of the poets of Munster. Numerous 
 and bitter were the rhyming diatribes which they levelled 
 against it. The offensive specimen of bad taste in 
 apparel, however, maintained its elevated position for at 
 least forty years, from 1760 to 1800, and some old dames 
 kept up the custom till 1810, when it entirely ceased to 
 disfigure the flowing ringlets of our^fair countrywomen. 
 Even poetry and satire, it will thus be seen, are not 
 omnipotent. But if Horace, Young, and even Swift, 
 failed in their attempts to correct the manners of their 
 times by ridicule and sarcasm, it can hardly be deemed 
 surprising that such weapons should prove powerless 
 against a cause which influences of so potent a character 
 
40 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 as vanity and fashion had enlisted under their special 
 protection. 
 
 Upon the "High Cauled Cap," several songs were 
 composed to the air which we here present to our 
 readers, hnt unfortunately we have not been able to pro- 
 cure the original words. 
 
 THE HIGH CAULED CAP. 
 
 March 
 Time. 
 
 ^■n 
 
 MZ3L 
 
 ^s^g^e 
 
 > >• > > 
 
 £g» 
 
 #-# 
 
 **±^^ 
 
 > >• 
 
 m 
 
 w — w 
 
 fe 
 
 B 
 
 /Ts 
 
 9 
 
 ?=t 
 
 =€7 
 
 A species of rhythmical composition, similar to the 
 following, was extensively in vogue among the Irish 
 peasantry, about the middle of the last century. In 
 giving it a place here, however, we willingly confess that 
 we are less actuated by its poetical merit, than by a 
 desire to display the extreme facility with which our 
 native rhymers were able to bring into juxta-position 
 
OF MUNSTER. 41 
 
 with the Irish lines that Anglo-Irish phraseology, for a 
 knowledge of which few of them have ever obtained 
 credit : — 
 
 Bemi N2i wok-wit; <t>onn. 
 
 2lr 1 beat) r>4 n-dfi-tok; 'conn, rr)o 3ft4T>-r4. 54T) T>db4'G, 
 
 )r piJ5'ce x>e4T 4 corn 'r4ci)4ri)4 ; 
 Likewise her features round, excel the Lady Browne's ; 
 
 Her equal can't be found 41)1) y&X) AYG-X1 : 
 If I had a thousand pounds, I'd pay the money down, 
 
 «D'^oní) mi be)t 45411) 4 b-Po|i'c-l4)|t5e ; 
 51lUKyp4tt)40]r 4t)i) lor)3, 'r^o ji4CfaTn40?r 4 nui) 
 
 ^ajx ^4}|i5e, 'r tllojt b'e454l 'oújnr) bej£ b4)'ó'Ge. 
 
 Nj 5éiU]rn-n ^o-o' gldn, n)4n. ir ^ón. tdo 'óú)l t4 n'dl, 
 
 'S -C4JI ^4]|i5e íjí |t4C4'D-r4 50 bjt4'ú le4T; ; 
 I believe you're for sport, I beg you'll let me alone, 
 
 'S 5Ujt le bU'D4}jxe4C'c t>o iije4ll4i)i) t;ú i)4rt)i)4le4T;, 
 If I bade my friends adieu, and to go along with you, 
 
 5e4lUim thiit; 5U]t ?4T>4 t>o beit -c|x4ct; ofi]tit)i)ij, 
 I believe I'll stay at home, and never go to roam, 
 
 SC4C4)1) tt)C ? 'DO |14'D4]|ie4C'C 1)) 4)1 Ijoii). 
 
 'G]té)5^)0'D ye4yo4 ^vi) 'G-dl, 'r i)1 leaijfd'ó ri)é 41) 
 rpdji^, 
 
 'S bej'Ó 4^1510-0 50 ^41]ttíl15 -AT)1) tnO pOC4jt>e, 
 
 5uji Tí)]lre l)on) t>o pd5 n4 riU)C|te be4ó 4fi bdjx'D, 
 
 'S 50 m^'ne l)ori) 4m 4)ce -cú i)4 cedl y)t ; 
 What I do to you propose, you may take as a joke, 
 
 'S 4 l)4C4|l4i)l), 1)5 11)454'Ó le4TJ B)TT) 4 05-11)1)40), 
 
 If I had you in my bower, t>o tlW 1 }*) T10T le 'o' coil), 
 'S Be)-óe4c ii)'4)5ne-n ce4i)54)l^e 4i)i) t>o rijdfi- 
 cjxoj'óe ! 
 
 )y bu4x>4|it4 5/ c4 ii)o cjioj'óe le v<X)tx)iorr) rt)ó\i 'oo'd' 
 
 3t>40), 
 
 2l5iir 4-o4bu)ii) d m'4)5i)e 5U]t ledi) ii)e ! 
 
43 Till: POETS AND POETRY 
 
 When I go to bed at night, no comfort can I find, 
 
 But lying on my side in sore grief I 
 By this and that indeed, and the Bible we do read, 
 
 Nj r34Wp4Wtj teat; 4j|i 4)|i5jo'o, n4 A)\i dfx buj'óe, 
 My treasure, wealth, and store, you shall be evermore, 
 
 oajji 4 lujle Ijom *x béan^-D u)'4CF4inn 'oui'c a 
 
 Your civil silver tongue I think is moving on, 
 
 Your chattering or flattering won't coax me : 
 4)4 t)5é)ll)í)T)-ri 'oo x>' tl)5^ 'r 4t) CAM) -do Bejt <vo 
 cfioj'óe, 
 M4|t b'é 4T) pe4C4'ó 'óuj'G rrje ii)e4ll4'ó le t>' cuí'o 
 Sno'ó'cui'óe, 
 Can't you come and try — my kindness you shall find, 
 'S t^d^]\^)\)\) n)'4Cfdii)ti z>u)7j 50 ti4b4)iine4c le 
 Tndn-cnoí'óe, 
 I'll buy you decent clothes, silk and satin shoes, 
 'S 4t)nr4 T)-5^lUiri) 'DO 5I4CAC rw») 4fi Idjrcirj. 
 
 My mind would give consent to go with you, I think, 
 ^ic'c le lj-e45l4'D 51111 cle4T4 cljy 'do snd-ó'ó^ge ; 
 
 If I thought you were true, 'DO ]t4C4it)i) le&n 4 nut), 
 C4ti ^n^e, 54T) e4ctux>, 541) cdircfée, 
 
 Nfl 45411) le ]iÁt> act, "50 tn4T> bu4T) t>o "be^t) t)4 
 
 *S 5U|l 'G41'Ót)JOri)4C l)0tt) 54r4tl4t> 'C4 45 01 T>)5e, 
 
 To you I give my oath (and what could I do more ?) 
 N4 r54nvp4ii)t) le4^ 50 3-C&TWÓ ri^i* 4 5-cld-ó 
 
 One word in reference to our translator,* and we are 
 
 * The earliest known translation of an Irish poem into English 
 verse is Michael Kearney's version of John O'Dugan's chronological 
 poem on the Kings of the race of Eibhear, translated, a.d. 1635, 
 "to preserue that antient Rhyme from theoverwhelmeing flouds of 
 oblivion which already devoured most part of our Nationall Memo- 
 raryes." 8vo. J. Daly, Dublin. 1847. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 43 
 
 done. His reputation as a linguist has been long esta- 
 blished, and his peculiar skill in versification is ge- 
 nerally acknowledged. It will be seen, that he has 
 executed the task allotted to him with equal fidelity and 
 success. We have only to add, that we have awarded 
 him this tribute of praise altogether against his will ; but 
 all who are acquainted with his poetical powers will 
 acknowledge that we have not transgressed the strict 
 limits of truth. 
 
 In conclusion, may we be allowed to hazard the hope 
 that our volume may prove influential in the further 
 advancement of our native literature ? Ulster for the 
 last century has been totally disregardful of the glory to 
 be acquired from this source : it is time for her at length 
 to awake and exert herself to retrieve and redeem the 
 past. Leinster has produced an O'Donovan ; Con- 
 naught, a Hardiman ; but the great and crowning praise 
 is due to Munster for her continuous literary efforts. 
 Surely, the literary achievements of that province, even 
 under the most discouraging circumstances, ought, when 
 contrasted with the inactivity of the other three, rouse 
 them to emulate her services in the cause of Irish lite- 
 rature. 
 
 JOHN O'DALY. 
 
 Dublin, July, 1850. 
 
44 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 B211n!-C1)NOJC ejK62iNN O! 
 4)01)1)04-0 (Bti4*ó) 'lUljejc Cot)-^lMrw, ccc. 
 
 Tor)\) — U)le4c4t) 4)ub O! 
 
 Slow. 
 
 ^j ftgp 
 
 wSfc 
 
 irfrj^ff-^ 
 
 £ 
 
 w 
 
 
 > /n. 
 
 ^fc 
 
 SC/ 
 
 Bejji be4T)t)AC'D ó* it)' citoj-óe 50 tjjjx rj4 b-6)tie4i)t), 
 
 B4r)-ct)0)c 6jiie4T)tj O ! 
 'S curt) 4 rt)4)it)or)r) x>e f)olti4c JK 'r 6)B1)6?IB, 
 
 2i]t b4r)-crjo)c 6)iie4t)i) O ! 
 Sir) 4)-c {I'D 'r)4ti b'40)b)i)i) bfarj-sujT; é4r), 
 2t)4ji r4rt)-cttu)T3 C40jr) 45 C40)rje 5401541, 
 )r é ti)o c4r ^ bejt rr))le rtfjle ) 5-cé)t), 
 
 O b4t)-cr)0)c 6)ite4r)t) O ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 45 
 
 THE FAIR HILLS OF 6)K6 O! 
 
 BY DONOGH (THE RED) MAC CON-MARA. 
 Air : — " Uileacan Dubh O /" 
 
 We have no means of tracing the antiquity of the air to which these 
 beautiful words are written ; but it may with probability be ascribed 
 to the early part of the seventeenth century. " Uileacan Dubh 
 /" literally means a black-haired head of a round shape, or form ; 
 and we have frequently heard it so applied by the Munster pea- 
 santry, with whom it is a favourite phrase, when speaking of the 
 head, particularly that of a female. Some writers are of opinion that 
 " Uileacan Dubh O /" allegorically means Ireland; but we cannot 
 concur in this opinion, for it is evidently a love expression. The 
 song entitled " Plur na m-ban donn og" of which we give the first 
 stanza, can be sung to this air. It must be played rather mourn- 
 fully, but not too slow : — 
 
 11 Da d-tiocfadh liomsa go Conntae Liath-druim, 
 
 A phluirin na m-ban donn og ! 
 Do bhearfainn siuicre ar liun mar bhiadh dhuit, 
 
 A phluirin na m-ban donn og ! 
 Do bhearfainn aor long duit 's bathad faoi sheol, 
 Ar bharr na d-tonn ag filleadh chum tragha, 
 'S ni leigfinn aon bhron ort choidhche na go brath, 
 
 A phluirin na m-ban donn og !" 
 
 " Would you only come with me to Leitrim county fair, 
 
 O, flower of all maidens young ! 
 On sugar and brown ale I'd sweetly feast you there, 
 
 O, flower, &c. 
 I'd shew you barks and ships you never saw before, 
 So stately and so gay, approaching to the shore, 
 And never should you sigh or sorrow any more, 
 
 O flower, &c." 
 
 Take a blessing from m y heart to the land of my birth, 
 
 And the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 And to all that yet survive of Eibhear's tribe on earth, 
 
 On the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 In that land so delightful the wild thrush's lay 
 Seems to pour a lament forth for Eire's decay — 
 Alas ! alas ! why pine I a thousand miles away 
 From the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 
16 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Bj-ótMOt) bujiji bo5 flítl) ^lt C40jr)-ct)0jc e^ne-drji), 
 
 B4ij-ci)ojo 6)]te4i)i| O ! 
 'S dT v*eu)i|i ? i)4 'i) ^ni-r) 'oí* 340 rléjBe aw, 
 
 B4t)-ÓT)0]C 6)|teAt)t) () ! 
 4)o b' 4(io a cojll'ce 'r b4'ójite4c, 71675, 
 
 'S ^l tlJ-bUt tf)41l 40l 4|l ti)40jll1)t) 56)5, 
 
 21t4 5iui*ó 45 it)o c|to)-óe 4 \tf w^kw) ?éjr), 
 <t>o b4r)-ct)0jc 6)ne4i)T) O ! 
 
 2lu4 34rturó l)or)ri)4it a t>-^)|x rj4 T)-6i|te4titi, 
 
 B4t)-ci)oic 6)|te4í)T) O ! 
 'S ^e4|t-co)r) gitojoe t)4 cUoj'ó^eac cé4T>'c;4, 
 
 2Íjt b4r)-cr)0)c Biite^rjr) O 1 
 < liYy;Át-'cu)]ire citoróe! 'r tijo cujrijíje r5&il, 
 
 )4-D 45 54ll-p01C rlOf T^ Sfierl-Oltll, TT)0 1641} ! 
 
 'S a nj-b-Ail'Ge -o4 \iowx) 1p4 c)oy 50 T>40jt, 
 B4r)-ci)0]c BjfieArw O ! 
 
 JT T*IVTW5 't ^T wjtfíi 14T) C|iU4C4jb* í}4 l)-e)ite4í)t), 
 
 B4t)-cr)0)c 6)|ie4T)t) O 1 
 21 5-0111*0 Tt)e4U ? 5ur U4ct;aiji 45 3lu4ire4ó'G ti4 
 
 rl40O4, 
 
 2lri b4r)-crjoic 6ine4t)í) O ! 
 
 K4C40-r4 4|l CU-dllfC, 1)0 1t lU4C TtlO f 40541, 
 
 <t)o'ti t^Uri) trjír) ru4i|tc ir 'otul TSO 51)4e'Ó4l, 
 'S 50 ni'te-Atiti lion) 'tj4 ^ou47r, ^4 U4irle4C'G é, belt, 
 2l|t b4ii-ór)oic 6ifte4í)ii O ! 
 
 * Cruachaibh na h-Eireann. There are various hills in Ireland 
 bearing this name : Ctuach Phadruig, in Mayo ; Cruachan Bri Eile, 
 in the King's County ; but the Cruachan the poet alludes to is a large 
 hill in the parish of Kilgobnet, county of Waterford, within four 
 miles of the town of Dungarvan ; on the summit of which there is a 
 conical pile of stones, known among the natives as Suidhe Finn, or 
 the resting place of Fionn Mac Cumhail, of which we find the fol- 
 lowing account in a MS. of the seventeenth century, now in our pos- 
 session : — 
 
 " And for the monuments from them (the Fenians) in this 
 country anciently named, and still yet contynued, wee have from 
 ffion O'Baoisgne, Suidhe Finn, that is the sitting seate of fíion, vpon 
 the mountaine called Sliabh na m-ban. Gleann Garraidh, in the 
 
OF MUNSTER. 47 
 
 The soil is rich and soft — the air is mild and bland, 
 
 Of the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 Her barest rock is greener to Me than this rude land— 
 
 O ! the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 Her woods are tall and straight, grove rising over grove ; 
 Trees flourish in her glens below, and on her heights above, 
 O, in heart and in soul, I shall ever, ever love 
 
 The fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 
 A noble tribe, moreover, are the now hapless Gael, 
 
 On the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 A tribe in Battle's hour unused to shrink or fail 
 
 On the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 For this is my lament in bitterness outpoured, 
 To see them slain or scattered by the Saxon sword. 
 Oh, woe of woes, to see a foreign spoiler horde 
 
 On the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 
 Broad and tall rise the Cruachs in the golden morning's 
 glow 
 
 On the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 O'er her smooth grass for ever sweet cream and honev flow 
 
 On the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 O, I long, I am pining, again to behold 
 The land that belongs to the brave Gael of old ; 
 Far dearer to my heart than a gift of gems or gold 
 
 Are the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 
 barony of Iffahy, so called from Garrae mac Mornae, and leabba 
 Dhiermoda Vi JDuiffne and Grayne, ymplying their bedding there 
 together, at Polity! eab ay ne, in the country of Vi ffiachragh Aidhne, 
 now called the O'Sheaghnussy his country, which are but a few of 
 many other monuments from them named in divers other places of 
 this k,dome." 
 
 In the next line the poet alludes to the fertile district of Cumeragh 
 (properly Com- Ratkach, from Com, nook, declivity, or opening between 
 two hills which meet at one extremity ; and Rathach, forts, which 
 abound in the locality), in the parish of Kilrosenty, and barony of 
 Middlethird, where the cuckoo is heard earlier in spring than in any 
 other part of Ireland. 
 
48 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 S3drpe41W 4r) 'OflÚÓ'G 4|i 5cMii)4]i 'r fé4\l 41)»), 
 2l|i b4l)-ól)Ojc 6j|ie;4i)i) O ! 
 
 'S V4r4J"D 4bLlt> CÍÍb4jVÉ4 4JI 56454'D 41)1), 
 
 2l|i b4H-cr)0)c 6)iuMr)i) O ! 
 
 Bj*Óe4í)1) bjoUjl 'r r41ÍJ4'Ó 41)1) 4 T)-5le4t)í)TJ4jb 
 
 ce(5t)4i5, 
 
 'S T)4 rjlOT^jb r4 t) 7J-r41Í)jt4'Ó 45 UtMJJVG lljtt) TjeÓJT), 
 
 Ujr5e i)4 Sjujjie* 45 bjiúc'D í)4 f lóáwó, 
 Cojr b4r)-ci)ojc 6)]te4t)i) O ! 
 
 21 r or5uH'ce4c, ^4)1/5640, 4t) 4)t; rji) 6)jie, 
 
 B4t)-ciio)c 6)ite4i)r) O ! 
 Bjt>e4i)t) <c/ Co|t4'ó i)4 SUjtrce" 4 n)-b4itfi í)4 T>éjre, 
 
 2i Tí)-b4r>-CT)ojc 6)jte4r)ii O ! 
 
 B4 b)l)T)e l)Ott) T)4 TT)é4]t4)b 4tX té4'D4 b ceojl, 
 
 Se)t)r))ti) 'r 5é)ti)|te4'ó 4 I405, 'r 4 tti-bd, 
 / C4)tt))ott) t)4 5tié)t)e 0jiix4 40fO4 'r 05, 
 2ifi o4t)-ct)0)c 6)|te4i)t) O ! 
 
 * &ttar. This river has its source in Sliabh Ailduin (the Devil's 
 Bit Mountain, better known as Greidhim an Diabhail), in the county 
 of Tipperary. It takes a circuitous route by Thurles, Holycross, 
 Caher, Ard-Finan, Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, and Waterford ; and, 
 being joined by the rivers Nore and Barrow (hence the appellation 
 " Sister Rivers") at Cheek Point, six miles below Waterford, falls into 
 the British Channel. Donnchadh Ruadh describes its waters in the 
 following line : — 
 
 " Uisge na Siuire ag bruckt na Shloghaidh." 
 
 (i The waters of the Suir swelling into whirlpools." 
 
 The scenery of these rivers (with which we happen to be well 
 acquainted) recalls to our mind the lines of the poet Spenser, in his 
 " Faerie Queene," Book IV., Canto XL, Verse XLIII. : — 
 
OF MUNSTER. 49 
 
 The dew-drops lie bright 'mid the grass and yellow corn 
 
 On the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 The sweet-scented apples blush redly in the morn 
 
 On the fair Hills of Eire, O! 
 The water-cress and sorrel fill the vales below ; 
 The streamlets are hushed, till the evening breezes blow ; 
 While the waves of the Suir, noble river ! ever flow 
 
 Near the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 
 A fruitful clime is Eire's, through valley, meadow, plain, 
 
 And the fair land of Eire, O ! 
 The very " Bread of Life" is in the yellow grain 
 
 On the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 Far dearer unto me than the tones music yields, 
 Is the lowing of the kine and the calves in her fields, 
 And the sunlight that shone long ago on the shields 
 
 Of the Gaels, on the fair Hills of Eire, O ! 
 
 " The first, the gentle Shure, that making way 
 By sweet Clonmell, adornes rich Waterforde ; 
 
 The next, the stubborne Newre, whose waters gray, 
 By fair Kilkenny and Rosseponte boord ; 
 
 The third, the goodly Barow, which doth hoord 
 Great heapes of Salmons in his deepe bosome : 
 
 All which long sundred, doe at last accord 
 To ioine in one, ere to the sea they come, 
 So flowing all from one, all one at last become." 
 
 Although the Suir and Nore flow from the same source, Sliabh Ailduin, 
 the Barrow rises in Sliabh Bladhma, in the Queen's County, which 
 Spenser makes as the parent of the three ; but we must presume that 
 he took Giraldus Cambrensis as authority, he being the only writer on 
 Irish history who fell into this sad mistake. — See Holiday s Keating, 
 p. 29. Dub. 1809. Cambrensis Eversus, vol. i., p. 123, edited for the 
 Celtic Society by the Rev. Matthew Kelly. Dublin. 1848. 
 
50 
 
 Till: POETS AND POETRY 
 
 U2iju-ci)im) ivzij4)i) N2i yejnne. 
 
 S645411 tl4 T3U41!)4, CCC. 
 
 r^oijt) — 2li) Cno , c4'ó B4rj. 
 
 2t)o trfjle 'Cjtius,! xr)o DiiA^fc ! irjo tifidrj ! 
 2ln T5éirt)le 1U*415 4jt tj-U4irle 4]t ^edx) ! 
 
 34t) 1401-óe, 3411 t>iuiit), 541) cí)U4T, 54T) cedl ! 
 2ir é tdo lé)5 tí)o ri)jlle4'ó 4 5-ce4r> 
 
 2if é T>0 tjt40C tt)0 CU]rle 4J1 ^4*0, 
 tUirle 540*041 — y4 Cfill4'Ó-rtt)4C'C 5é4|l, 
 
 2I5 cti4ir)e 4t) bé4til4'ó T)U)b 4 ti-5Ur ! - 
 
OF MUNSTER. «51 
 
 A LAMENT FOR THE FENIANS. 
 
 BY JOHN o'tUOMY. 
 
 Air :— " The White Cockade." 
 
 The air to which this song is written is very much misunderstood, as 
 many persons suppose the White Cockade to mean a military cockade, 
 and with that view, doggrel rhymers have polluted the good taste of 
 the public by such low ribaldry as the following : — 
 
 " A Shaighdinir ! a Shaighdinir I a b-posfadh bean, 
 Le Heigh ! no le Ho I no le bualadh an drum !" 
 
 " O soldier ! O soldier ! would you take a wife, 
 With a heigh ! or a ho ! or a beat of the drum.' 1 
 
 The Cnotadh Ban (White Cockade) literally means a bouquet, or 
 plume of white ribbons, with which the young women of Munster 
 adorn their hair and head-dress on wedding, and other festive 
 occasions. The custom prevailed early in the seventeenth century, 
 for we find a poet of that period, Muiris Mac Daibhi Duibh 
 Mac Gearailt, addressing a young woman in these beautiful 
 words : — 
 
 " A chailin donn deas an ehnotadh bhain, 
 Do bhuar is mheall me le h-iomad gradh ; 
 Tar si Horn 's na dein me chradh, 
 Mar do thug me greann duit 's dod' ehnotadh ban !" 
 
 " O brown-haired maiden of the plume so white, 
 I am sick and dying for thy love ; 
 Come then with me, and ease my pain, 
 For I dearly love you, and your White Cockade." 
 
 The Munster poets, who adhered with devoted loyalty to the cause 
 of the Stuarts, wrote many beautiful Jacobite songs to this air ; of 
 which two different versions will be found at pp. 26, 34, of our 
 "Reliques of Irish Jacobite Poetry;" and probably it is on this 
 account that the Scotch claim the air as their own. 
 
 It makes my grief, my bitter woe, 
 
 To think how lie our nobles low, 
 
 Without sweet music, bards, or lays, 
 
 Without esteem, regard, or praise. 
 O, my peace of soul is fled, 
 I lie outstretched like one half dead, 
 To see our chieftains, old and young, 
 Thus trod by the churls of the dismal 
 tongue ! 
 
52 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 'Be t ; i"6vv4( ; 1141*6 540 ]\\wótú\i bjióni, 
 5*a ; , D407|lfC ójiuu)5, 54c c|tu4'ó'C4r) ^ór; 
 5-u ; fSélrtllc ?n<\i\i 4|t t)-u4?rle itediT)4int), 
 B4 IjoD'ca'ó 4 sfiiuró te 'ciufi'GAt) T>edjt ! 
 2if é "Do 16)5, 7C 
 
 ( 21)aji 4 it)-bj*6e4c i)4 rUuxiS'ce, rr>dfi-r Ijoc/c; 6054^,* 
 4Y4fi cujbe, 9 x 'o'Átt x>U4l 4t) imjrle 4jt 'o-'cdjrt 
 B4 bin-óe-dt)n)4|i, bu4i)4C, bu4C4c, bed-04, 
 Sojllfe-dó, ru454c, rr)U4-ó-5l4t), ro54c. 
 21r é t>o léj5, 7c. 
 
 ^lUjt 4 nj-bjt>e4C 2t)4C Curt)4jl r)4 b-f jonrj-^olc djjx,t 
 'S 4t) buit>jT) T)4> x>iúlc4 ciijtjre 4 Tilled ; 
 Collide luT;ri)4]t, lu?T)T)e4C, ledjac, 
 2t)4c 43l)U)br)e, 'r ^íibUins? £újtt)4c -citeojr). 
 2lr é 'do lé)5, 7C. 
 
 21 n 54|tt4c 5oll, 5t))'óe4C ^054/! 4]t tdj]t, 
 'S Orsufi oU, T50 l4t)r)-b|tjr r^15 ; 
 Coíi4ll C4b4|tT;4c, ior>t)C4ib, 05, 
 Njojt clor 04ll b4 '6e4ll|t4c led. 
 
 2lr é tdo lé)5, 7C. 
 
 2t)4it 4 rt)-b)'óe4c rlioc/G JR 'r 6jbe4jt rhoiji, 
 B4 l)0t)rtj4ti, T)4or)-n)4|i, cjt4ob4c, cdjjx ; 
 'S fjti-6tie?b 40)b)t)i) eifie4ri)dji), 
 2lr) R)5 ^it f joljtd'ó -cjté^rje -ctiedji}. 
 21f é X50 lél5, 7C. 
 
 * Eoghan Mor, King of Minister, and ancestor to the Ui Fidh- 
 gheinte, who possessed that portion of the county of Limerick lying 
 west of the river Maig, besides the barony of Coshma in the same 
 county, and were exempt from tribute, as being the seniors of the 
 Eugenian line, having descended from Daire Cearba, the grandfather 
 of the great monarch, Criomhthan Mor Mac Fidhaigh. — See 0^ Fla- 
 herty's Ogygia, pp. 380, 381 ; Book of Rights {published by the 
 Celtic Society} p. 63, 66, n, 67, n. 
 
 f Other copies read " ar bord." 
 
 j Mac Cumhail na bh-fionn-fholt oir, Mac Cumhal of the golden 
 locks of hair. Fionn Mac Cumhail, commander-in-chief of the Irish 
 militia, of whom it is traditionally related, that his hair was of the 
 
OF MUNSTER. 53 
 
 Oh ! who can well refrain from tears, 
 Who sees the hosts of a thousand years 
 Expelled from this their own green isle, 
 And hondsmen to the Base and Vile ? 
 O, my peace, &c. 
 
 Here dwelt the race of Eoghan of old, 
 The great, the proud, the strong, the bold, 
 The pure in speech, the bright in face, 
 The noblest House of the Fenian race ! 
 O, my peace, &c. 
 
 Here dwelt Mac Cumhal of the Flaxen Locks, 
 And his bands, the first in Battle's shocks ; 
 Dubhlaing, Mac Duinn, of the Smiting swords, 
 And Coillte, first of heroic lords. 
 O, my peace, &c. 
 
 The Goll, who forced all foes to yield, 
 And Osgur, mighty on battle-field, 
 > And Conall, too, who ne'er knew fear, 
 
 They, not the Stranger, then dwelt here. 
 O, my peace, &c. 
 
 Here dwelt the race of Eibhear and Ir, 
 The heroes of the dark blue spear, 
 The royal tribe of Heremon, too, 
 That King who fostered champions true. 
 O, my peace, &c. 
 
 colour of the finest gold, and in graceful curls covered his shoulders. 
 We ourselves know many of the Irish peasantry who take pride in 
 these " golden locks." Many extravagant stories are told of Fionn, 
 as to his enormous size and strength ; but Dr. Keating states, on the 
 authority of the .ancient records of the kingdom, that " Fionn did not 
 exceed the common proportion of the men of his time ; and that there 
 were many soldiers in the Irish militia that had a more robust con- 
 stitution of body." See his History of Ireland, vol. i. p. 412, Dublin, 
 1809. For an account of all the other Fenian heroes whose names are 
 introduced in the song, I would also refer the reader to Keating's 
 History, which seemed to be a text-book with the Munster poets, to 
 furnish them with historical incidents for their poetic effusions. 
 
THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21)4)1 4 ii)-b)-óe4c Nj4ll t)4 ti-^ojt-bfuvc ri*ó)ll, 
 San |tÍ$e*ófi putyp Séllle n\\é)n)xe a 5-c'ri(57T)r) ; 
 Vi|i Cljfuxojbe* t]\4XOc&c 'Cjxéi'c, 54c ^fiedm, 
 ie cloj-oearij 34c C40Hi)-ye4|i 064^ 'oe'r) 'cdjfi. 
 Sir 6 ^0 I675, 7c. 
 
 21t) 041^-11)1164-0 Btt14T)f T>o'ti tl4T)i)-tu)l ^oji, 
 B4 -64t4H)4ll, T>14T>4, 4 ri))4t) 'r 4 cldt) ; 
 
 te ^64^^411) o *Dl)i4 -CU5 ti^Ux) 'r W? 
 
 C^lim <t>4T)4)|l ?4 C14C 4T 14t4lb 6054)11. 
 
 2lr é -do 16)5, 7C. 
 
 2lr 6 'oo Ijot) tt)o cfioi'óe le bridrj, 
 5u]t 40iyc4i'ó Cjiioro 4 T>-'Gi5e4C'C 4 5-c'itdit)t) ; 
 114 Béiji cu)fi BiobU Jor4 4T cdi|t, 
 'S í)4]t 5é)ll T)4 i)40iri), z>Á 'ólíse, 'í)4 'd'oti'o ! 
 2lr é T)0 16)5, 7C. 
 
 * The Red Branch Knights were the chief military force of Ulster, 
 and resided at Eamhain (Emania), the palace of the Kings of 
 Ulster. They were highly celebrated during the first century for 
 their victories under their champions, Cuchullainn and Conall Cear- 
 nach. See Annals of the Four Masters, translated by Owen Connel- 
 lan, p. 267, note. Book of Rights, published by the Celtic Society 
 1847, p. 249. 
 
 ■f Brian, surnamed Boroimhe, assumed the sovereignty of Ireland 
 a.d. 1002 ; and was killed at the Battle of Cluain Tairbh (Clontarf) 
 on the 23rd April, 1014. An account of the various tributes exacted 
 by Brian may be seen in the Leabhar na g-Ceart (Book of Rights), 
 
OF MUNSTER. 55 
 
 And Niall* the great, of the Silken gear, 
 For a season bore the sceptre here, 
 With the Red Branch Knights, who felled the foe 
 As the lightning lays the oak-tree low ! 
 O, my peace, &c. 
 
 The warrior Brian, of the Fenian race, 
 In soul and shape all truth and grace, 
 Whose laws the Princes yet revere, 
 Who banished the Danes — he too dwelt here. 
 O, my peace, &c. 
 
 Alas ! it has pierced mine inmost heart, 
 That Christ allowed our Crown to depart 
 To men who defile His Holy Word, 
 And scorn the Cross, the Church, the Lord ! 
 O, my peace, &c. 
 
 * Nial, surnamed u Naoi n-Giallaidh" (Of the Nine Hostages) 
 monarch of Ireland at the close of the fourth century, was one of the 
 most gallant of all the princes of the Ultonian race. He made 
 several descents on Britain, and it was against his incursions that 
 some of those successes were achieved by the Romans which " threw 
 such lustre round the military administration of Stilecho, and inspired 
 the muse of Claudian in his praise." 
 
 Nial was killed, anno 406, during one of his invasions of Gaul 
 
 ''Flaherty's Ogygia. Moore's Ireland. 
 
56 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Se45AT) UU 'oiUTt^, ecu. 
 
 Tonn :— 2t)(5)ii'ji^r)j^CljU)U)oi)a)r). 
 
 Gently, bu t J/ *& > » é 
 
 not too fn r \ ii~ v^~ 
 
 S7ow. ^-p 
 
 "f~^T 
 
 ^^Sf 
 
 mm 
 
 * 
 
 É 
 
 g 
 
 «^n -^^ 
 
 s 
 
 i>— p- 
 
 "i — »■ 
 
 H^ s£h 
 
 ^M^ 
 
 2lrt) 4or)4it real ^5 V-ovuiieAezi, 
 C)A redl^ui'óe -art) cujtwe U? 
 
 2ÍC-D 41) rpélTtfte4T) Tt)4)re4C 1l)Ó1]t-ÍÍ))T), 
 2lr 1 WtfljlJTJ N1 CbuilllOT)T)á)í) ! 
 
 Ba |ié)5, b^ fi4tfi)4Ti, lto-5^ ^ e 5 
 Ba cóiit, c)ojvg4, cliroe, c4)5 ; 
 
 21 CTiAob-^ojlc cat rn^t 1 dji buj'óe, 
 tU T>-TO)itrl31* 50 Ti]io)$te as VAX- 
 
OF MUNSTER. 57 
 
 MOÍRIN NI CHUILLIONAIN, 
 
 BY JOHN o'TUOMYi 
 Air : — " Moirin Ni Chuillionain" 
 
 Moirin Ni Chuillionain (Little Mary Cullenan) is one of those alle- 
 gorical names by which Ireland is known in Irish song, and which 
 became a favourite theme with our Munster poets. We have no less 
 than sixteen different versions bearing this name in our collection, 
 three of which we select for our present volume. The Irish reader 
 will readily perceive that it is of that Jacobite class peculiar to the 
 middle of the last century ; for at that period the poets, excited to the 
 highest degree, gave vent to their deepest passions in order to rouse 
 the fallen spirit of the nation in behalf of the Stuart family. 
 
 This beautiful air approaches that of the " Beinsin Luachra" 
 (Little Bench of Rushes) in plaintive tenderness of expression and 
 melody, and is known in various districts of the south by different 
 names. In Waterford, for instance, the peasantry call it " Moirin Ni 
 Ghiobarlairí* (Little Mary Giblin). In Tipperary, it is called " The 
 Rose-tree of Paddy's Land" In all the other southern counties the 
 original name is still preserved — as, indeed, it ought to be, for there 
 is nothing so hateful as calling our airs by strange names and after 
 stranger incidents. 
 
 It must be played in moderate time — neither too slow nor too 
 quick, but rather mournfully, like most of the Jacobite airs. 
 
 One evening roaming lonely, 
 
 As pale twilight just began, 
 I met the fair, the only, 
 
 The bright Moirin Ni Chuillionain ! 
 The maid whom Eire blesses, 
 
 The dignified, the gay, the neat, 
 Whose brilliant golden tresses 
 
 Wave down o'er her waxen feet. 
 
5c THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 B4 Jlé, lu ie&l, b4 sleoj-o-ce j, 
 B'd3 j, *T b'ojlce 4ji-o ; 
 
 B4 réjti), b4 f Uc-ct^it, reditu j, 
 
 B4 f no5-"))n, b4 f r)U)5^e r4rij ; 
 B4 bé4T4C, bUr-04, bed-6' ), 
 B4 beol-b)T)n t>4ji l')t)t) 4T) b4b, 
 
 B4 ri^OffiM, T1)4)re4C, T1)0jVD4 j, 
 
 B4 rT)o-ó4n)A)l, ti))0i)l4'ó, n))0C4)fi, rr)r)-d'<iil. 
 
 ^15 -ceAC'c fie nfair 'oo't) 05 ri))i), 
 'tloir Tt)d)'Dj5jit) 5U|i bji)i)e At) b4b ; 
 
 'N4 é4T)U)t 45 C41)'G4)Í)1) ^07341-06, 
 
 2i ii)dfi-co)U co)r )H))oll 7^454; — 
 'S i)4'i) -ce t>o rp|ie454c cedl-rjt,* 
 
 Cl)U)fi ceo 'D|X40)'óe4C'c' 4jt U)ri))5t 14, 
 'S 4r pé4jtU'ó d r)e4Tr) 4T) 'G-reoj-o 5rtir)rj, 
 
 <t)o f ed)l Cfijoro 411) coji)i)e 41) 'c-rMi'o. 
 
 í)0 rlé4<y04r r^^-l 'OO'l) 05-ít)T)40), 
 
 'S b4 Tbó)t V)\)\) i)4]t ityroe 4 tjiác'c ; 
 
 4)^640411) Cflé4T> T>0 feÓjl 1, 
 
 04t) T1)0tl-buj'Ó)1) T>4 C0)T1))]IC rl4T), 
 
 21t) 40T) ^4)1 rler^T^I^ bdci)4 1, 
 
 <t)o bjtedx^g r)T)t) le? l)-ion)4'D 3]t4'6 ; 
 
 Mo c|te4X) 41) -cjteib 't)4 5-0011)1)11)564 
 21 n)d|t c|i)004)b )i))r T4)l? 
 
 Jr tr)é x)0 f e^px 4 5-cdri)i)ii)'óe, 
 
 Cj4 )Ul-040)r 4T)0)T T)0 'Clt4c / C; 
 
 Oil)' TJ40)b 'r d Ucr; tí)o r)Ú4'ó-c)oc, 
 
 W)15 60541) 5no)X)e 'r 54C C)i)e4'ó )r fe4|iTi: 
 
 Siloes Né)U, 'r 2ilpV5> 'r n)dti-Cl)U)i)T), 
 'S pd]t 2t)l))le4'ó ujle T)'t4r ; 
 
 le l)-é4T) t>o ii)4]tb4)'ó bed r)i)i), 
 215 r'cnotiu)5e4C'c 4)1 n))]te 4^4)n) ! 
 
 * Ceol-sith, fairy music. 
 \ The death of the sons of Uisneach, in the first century of the 
 
OF MUNSTER. 59 
 
 So pure, so fair, so blooming, 
 
 So mild, placid-souled and meek ; 
 So sweet and unassuming 
 
 A maiden 'twere in vain to seek ! 
 Her fair and radiant features, 
 
 Her tall form 'twas bliss to see — 
 The noblest of God's creatures, 
 
 The loveliest, the best is she ! 
 
 Her face, her brow of marble, 
 
 Breathed music, oh ! far more 
 Than lays the wild birds warble 
 
 In greenwood glens anear the shore, 
 Or his whose fairy metre 
 
 Bewitched Uisnigh's sons one day, 
 More tender far, and sweeter 
 
 Were hers that Christ sent in my way. 
 
 I bowed before the Daughter 
 
 Of Light, Love, and Heavenly Song, 
 And asked her what had brought her 
 
 To us without a warrior-throng. 
 Had she come o'er the ocean 
 
 To melt our hearts and make us wail ? 
 Or owned she the devotion 
 
 Of Conn's tribes of Inisfail ? 
 
 " O ! I'm thy Fondest-hearted," 
 
 She said, " though now beneath a ban ; 
 From me in days departed 
 
 Sprang Eoghan and each noble clan, 
 The sons of Conn the glorious, 
 
 And Neill and Art, who filled the throne 
 Though now the foe, victorious 
 
 Thus makes me pine so lorn and lone. 
 
 Christian era, formed the subject of one of the " Three Sorrows of 
 Story-telling" (Tri Truagh na Sgealuigheachta). See Transactions 
 of the Gaelic Society. Dublin. 1808. 
 
60 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2li) k'uo)) id'úji te&fifi le cdjft T)X)X), 
 2I5 -oeóiiti^edóT; 4H)ujc 4fi ?4i) ; 
 'S ii)é *C4nf tfi4C4*ó 45 fcndi nrl5)b, 
 
 í)o ie<5n rwt) 30 inuie 4T) c4r ! 
 
 2li) f éimcr-V^I* ^ POjt 540j*óe4l, 
 Mí rndfi -o)b 4 cult 4|t ?454)l, 
 
 le ?4ob4|t-i)e4tiT; w&ta'® ^d)jii))'óe, 
 3o )=drirui5e4c 50 'o-'gjsj'ó 411) t>4tI. 
 
 'C4 Cé4T)TI4 45 'Ge4C'D T>411) topuyseAcv, 
 
 O cdjrcÍ5lt> T)4 cjui)i)i)e I4rj ; — 
 le l)-40i) 'oo'i) 'Cjteib if) 5e4b4-ó n)é, 
 
 'S Ijj l4ri)'C40J 4 CUjt 411) p4)TVG ; — 
 
 21 n ?é]i)i)e4c )X 1P©4|ifi cld-ó 'r 5t)40j, 
 
 4)'4|X T3U1f 11)1*0 4]t ^UJfl)!)!) 2i-ó4)ii), 
 
 Béis^-ó 4|t cjil c'itd)T)i)1'óe, 
 le 2t)d)fi)n Nj CljujUjoi)i)4jij ! 
 
 Se454i) U4 Cii4n)4, ccc. 
 
 21 cu)rle 1)4 V)-é)5re ! * 611x31-0 ru4r ? 
 )X -cmtireAC 4 i)-é45-citu)t tt)é 541) ruai), 
 541) T>u)i)e r-Ai) 'c-tao^I 
 
 215 farrow rsé^i, 
 
 2ijt "GUflUr 4.1) "Cé '-C4 '5-Cé)l) 4)1 CU4)jVC, 
 
 'S 6)|te ii)o ó]to)'óe 't;4 íi) , )í)'cii)1) oifc ! 
 
 í)o b^iTJe l)oii) ru^ on)' úit-á^r 05,f 
 3e4tilt4-ó '5iir b^ut' 1)4 n)-bú|t 50 fed)! ; 
 
 jr ta^oa njé 45 rú)i 
 
 5o b-?e)CF)i)i) 4 5í)U)T, 
 2ll) ^4|l|t4)rie *pjíít) , G4C, ^)Ot)tl, 4 5-c'ltd)í)l). 
 
 'S 6)|te ii)o cito)-óe, 7c. 
 
 * A beautiful invocation — " Pulse of the bards, awaken ! " 
 
OF MUNSTER. 
 
 " Our Prince and true Commander 
 
 Is now, too, an exile far. 
 Alas ! we both must wander 
 
 Until the avenging Day of War ; 
 But through what distant regions 
 
 I know not, till the Gaels shall come 
 And with their victor legions 
 
 Lead him and me in triumph home. 
 
 " Crowds throng to seek and find me — 
 
 Of lovers I have many, in truth, 
 But none of all shall bind me 
 
 In Wedlock's bands but one brave Youth. 
 A Hero bold and portly 
 
 As ever graced the name of Man 
 Will share Three Crovms full shortly 
 
 With his Moirin Ni Chuillionain." 
 
 61 
 
 SPIRIT OF SONG, 
 
 BY JOHN O'TUOMY. 
 
 O, Spirit of Song, awake ! arise ! 
 
 For thee I pine by night and by day ; 
 With none to cheer me, or hear my sighs 
 
 For the fate of him who is far away. 
 
 O, Eire, my soul, what a woe is thine ! 
 
 That glorious youth of a kingly race 
 
 Whose arm is strong to hew tyrants down, 
 
 How long shall it be ere I see his face, 
 
 How long shall it be ere be wins the Crown? 
 O, Eire, my soul, &c. 
 
 f Ur-ghas og, Fresh young branch, Charles Edward Stuart. 
 
62 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Co]t|tu)3 30 téflt 4 T)-éj^e4C'c 'oiutj, 
 
 2T T reiW^-TJ 'OT l é4C'C 'oo jxéjit rj4 TU45 ; 
 
 S)T) CU34)13 41) ^-401) 
 
 le ):uj|ijot)t) T)or) ^é^rjr), 
 
 'S 4f T^U1flTT)e4C TÍ|lé4T) T>0 T>é4T)):4r bU4)|lTJ. 
 
 'S é)]te n)o ó]toi'6e, 7c. 
 
 X4 P)l?b 'r Sé4íi)ur * 5tó, 'r 4. rlu43, 
 'S 1)4 Piste le céjle 4 'céAC'c le bu4t>, 
 
 'Gjocpij'o 50 léiit 
 
 9X B-?iHT)T)iOít) 'r 4. b-?4ob4ti, 
 
 'S 41) JT)T)1T 5^1 &05& nél3^T) CU4t). 
 
 'S ©ijte tt)o cfio)T>e, 7c 
 
 BitHHPJT> *T itAobTF-di'o, — -oé4T)?4iT> 1^4)3, 
 2i)jx b]tti^r)ir3 b40)t 4T) bé4tiU'ó t>U4)jtc ; 
 
 CllljVpi'D 1)4 540it)eil 
 
 *N4 t)-1or)r)4'D4ib ?é)T), 
 S)1) rt))re le nf ]i4e 'r 4t) é)3te ru4T\ 
 'S 6?jie n)o ófio^e, 7c 
 
 B4 b)t)tje lion) rÚT> 4 itúti \'x 4 fsot 1 » 
 2lí) 5loiT)e 50 Vj-újt t>4 t>)Ú34 4|i bdivo ; 
 
 CíL1T)10C'C4 f Ú34Ó, 
 
 2t)tjii)fiti'i)e4c, it)uji)'Ge, 
 'S 30 TT)-b|iir'ce4ti 4T) ce4i)i) 1)4 00541)^40 led ! 
 'S 6)fie ti)o cjto)t>e, 7c 
 
 21 2t)l)tl)tie 1)4 W40TT) ! 1)4C 401t4C, TU4)|tC 5 
 
 2íi) bjiiri'ó T&0 néúcn 4]t Bl)é)|t 41) U4b4)ti ; 
 B)4T> ?u)ji)oi)i) T>e'r) Cíjléiji 
 
 215 reit)l))TT) 1)4 'D-T3é4T5,t 
 
 'S 54c b)le 'oo't) é)5te 43 T>é4t)4ri) 'Oiuu). 
 'S 6)|ie rt)o cttoj'óe, 7c 
 
 * Pz'Zifi agus Seamus, Philip V. of Spain, and James Francis 
 Stuart, whom the native Irish recognized as King James III. 
 •j* D-Fead, i. e., Te Deum. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 63 
 
 Why, Bards, arise ye not, each and all ; 
 
 Why sing ye not strains in warlike style ? 
 He comes with his heroes, to disenthral 
 
 By the might of the sword, our long-chained isle ! 
 O, Eire, my soul, &c. 
 
 Kings Philip and James, and their marshalled hosts, 
 
 A. brilliant phalanx, a dazzling band, 
 Will sail full soon for our noble coasts, 
 
 And reach in power Inis Eilge's strand. 
 O, Eire, my soul, &c. 
 
 They will drive afar to the surging sea 
 The sullen tribe of the dreary tongue ;* 
 
 The Gaels again shall be rich and free ; 
 
 The praise of the Bards shall be loudly sung! 
 O, Eire, my soul, &c. 
 
 O, dear to my heart is the thought of that day ! 
 
 When it dawns we will quaff the beaded ale ; 
 We'll pass it in pleasure, merry and gay, 
 
 And drink shame to all sneakers out of our pale. 
 O, Eire, my soul, &c. 
 
 O, Mother of Saints, to thee be the praise 
 Of the downfal that waits the Saxon throng ; 
 
 The priests shall assemble and chant sweet lays, 
 And each bard and lyrist shall echo the song ! 
 O, Eire, my soul, &c. 
 
 * The old Irish detested the language of the stranger ; they would 
 not, they said, " writhe their mouths with clattering English," which 
 they considered a senseless jargon. — Stanihursfs Description of Ire- 
 land, 1586, p. 13, and Be Reb. in Hib. Gest., 1584. 
 
64 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 
 n 
 
 > 
 
 >- 
 
 ^ L f* 
 
 V y \ 
 
 A P 
 
 • fi * 
 
 \ J 
 
 /L - 
 
 P r r 
 
 r r 
 
 • é 
 
 frh 1 m 
 
 r Ui 
 
 1 M 
 
 • 
 
 W 4 • 
 
 U9- 
 
 b±3- 
 
 
 2lr T>uwe Tí)é t)joUr liut) 14, 
 'S ClUfl)Or Tt)0 BUIX))!) curt) |uu)-54jr> 
 2í)ut)4 Tt)-bei'óe4'ó 4,ii)4)t) 'oiu^e 
 
 2ltt) CIU'DJOC'GA'Ó T))Ol^4T), 
 
 )t tijjre Bej'óeA'ó f lor teJT at) 4it)-'C|x4i > 6. 
 
 C40f34J'Ó Mfl t)-'OÓJ'G)T) 'oe't) tt)-bfuií)-T>4t), 
 BVjúji T)-T>eoó4/ó4 1)4 'conjAT^j'ó le b^n-l4it) ;* 
 
 C4 V^IT^ T3lUli)3> 
 te le)5)or) r^t) ti-fjot) r)-5Ut), 
 'S 4r ^e4|tti 101)4 'i) biu^t) bj'óeAr 45 T>fi4í)-c4t). 
 
 * Ban-lamh, Bandle ; a measure two feet long used at country 
 fairs by dealers in frieze, flannel, &c. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 65 
 
 O'TUOMY'S DRINKING SONG. 
 
 Air : — " The Growling Old Woman" 
 
 The song which we lay before our readers was written by O'Tuomy 
 amid those festive scenes for which his house was remarkable ; and 
 a reply to it, by the witty Mangaire Sugach, will be found on 
 the next page. 
 
 This pleasing air, though quite common in Munster, has, we believe, 
 escaped the notice of Bunting. Like Moirin Ni Chuillionain, the 
 poets made it a general theme for their effusions, some of which are in 
 our collection, and rank high among the Jacobite class peculiar to the 
 middle of the last century. The circumstance which gave rise to 
 this air is rather singular. 
 
 A peasant who had the misfortune to be yoked " for better for 
 worse" to a scolding wife, who never gave him a moment's peace, 
 composed a song to which the air owes its name. The first stanza 
 runs thus : — 
 
 " A shean-bhean chrion an drantain, 
 Ni bhion tu choidhche acht a cam-rann, 
 Leath-phunt tobac do chur ann do phiopa, 
 Ni chuirfeach ad chroidhe-si aon t-solas." 
 
 *'_0, you withered, growling old woman, 
 You never will cease scolding ; 
 A half pound of tobacco to smoke in your pipe, 
 Would not make your heart merry or joyful I" 
 
 I sell the best brandy and sherry, 
 To make my good customers merry ; 
 
 But, at times their finances 
 
 Run short, as it chances, 
 And then I feel very sad, very ! 
 
 Here's brandy! Come, fill up your tumbler, 
 Or ale, if your liking be humbler, 
 
 And, while you've a shilling, 
 
 Keep filling and swilling, 
 A fig for the growls of the grumbler ; 
 
60 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 4)o IV41T; Ijonjra cedltM 'i)4 'D- < c)orn-p4i), 
 í)o b^ic ljonjf4 rpófvc 45ur bfun-T^r) ; 
 4)o b^jr; ljonjr4 4t) 5lojt)e 
 2lo 2t)ii|i|i4inr) -d4 l)0t)4-ó, 
 'S cujDe4C'G4 f^o)te 3411 íí)e4b-fi4t). 
 
 2I5 4it|iir eoUjr i)4 re4i)- j o4rij, 
 C4jib4r, dl, 45ur 4b-]t4i) ; 
 
 Tumion 4t) 5l)0C4ir, 
 
 ^5 IW« i)4 Uojte, 
 SUT) Tt)4|l 'DO 51))'D1l)-r) 54c ioii-'cUr. 
 
 ?Ke2i5KSi4)t) 2iJN4)KJ21jS 2t)tyC CK21)i;t). 
 
 2ljfi 51je454t) U4 / Cbii4ti)4. 
 
 ^oijrj : — " Se4T)-Be4r) Cljfijor) 4rj 4)ji4i)Ti4)t)." 
 
 Jr T>ujtje -cu 'óíoUr l)úi) 14, 
 Bu^riilil 541) tyt)5 45UT bit4T)--o4i) ; 
 
 'S Ctl)|ie4r 'DO CU1D>10C'C4'D, 
 
 2ljt ii)|ie4rb4'D cu)ti)i)e, 
 
 'S 4 T)-]t)C)í)t) l]0t)'G4'D 'DO ri)e40-|X4T) ! 
 
 )r ^De)ii)it) 4 tiir 50 it)e4ll-?4'D, 
 5o rt))i))c t>o bin'ow le rle4ri)'i)4i) ; 
 'S 30 5-cui|tiii 54c t)--DUiT)e, 
 
 2lfl 310T>4TÍ) CUTt) b40)T^, 
 
 le 5lu54|t 541) ó|i)c 5 'r le rG4T)-c4|VD 1 
 Nf l b)T)í)e4r 4T» Uojte, — 1)4'^ fe4T)-'D4)T}, 
 
 'S 1)) H))lir ^4]! l)T)T) 'DO XTJ\l\X)-C&)\) 9 
 B)Ot) J0TT)4'D 'DO TJUire 
 
 4)0 5lo]rje, 34Í) 1)01)4-0, 
 'S 'D'tufse t)4 'Djijbe 4-d t'C4i)-c4i) ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 67 
 
 I like, when I'm quite at my leisure, 
 Mirth, music, and all sorts of pleasure. 
 
 When Margery's bringing 
 
 The glass, I like singing 
 With bards — if they drink within measure. 
 
 Libation I pour on libation, 
 
 I sing the past fame of our nation 
 
 For valor-won glory, 
 
 For song and for story, 
 This, this is my grand recreation ! 
 
 ANDREW MAGRATH'S REPLY TO JOHN 
 OTUOMY. 
 
 Air : — " The Growling Old Woman." 
 
 O, Tuomy ! you boast yourself handy 
 At selling good ale and bright brandy, 
 
 But the fact is your liquor 
 
 Makes every one sicker, 
 I tell you that, I, your friend Andy. 
 
 Again, you affect to be witty, 
 
 And your customers — more is the pity — 
 Give in to your folly, 
 While you, when you're jolly, 
 
 Troll forth some ridiculous ditty. 
 
 But your poems and pints, by your favour, 
 Are alike wholly wanting in flavour, 
 Because it's your pleasure, 
 You give us short measure, 
 And your ale has a ditch-water savour! 
 
&8 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 BuJHtJt) T>4 T>jol TT)4|t l)ííl) 14, 
 
 'S WuftruiT)!) t>4 r)ot)4t) 'i)4 541)1)-c4jivg, 
 Nj rulT;ri)4|i t>o'í) ^ujfijoi), 
 Sjbre -o4 1t)riT)x;, 
 
 3o jtuj'cj'o ^4 b|ví5 TW cuti) |X4t)-34jr ! 
 
 )r njwjc t>o l)Oi)ujr Ioii)-c4jivg, 
 'S ciijjtjr ?4 ftyaojl 1 le cub4ti-4r| ; 
 
 4)o cujfi in Toiler 
 
 34t) cutter 4]t f ttl3e, 
 N4 in)te4C'c r^i) 's-rlíáe 5411 ne4í).'c4r) ! 
 
 C)4 Tt)tl|t| fc 4T)'C4 f U151JX 4, 5-ce4i)i) cUjfl, 
 
 'S ^oo cujji?e4t> t;ú rior 54c 34i)t) c4jivg ; 
 2t)ui)4 n)-be)'óe4'ó r5lU)i)5 ; 
 
 215 'DU^e T>0 'ÓJOl^'Ó, 
 
 Cujfi^jit 'do bu)t>)i) cutt) rc|t4i)-c4jt) ! 
 
 ^13m 30 Tlojt 45 IÚ3-t;4iI, 
 
 21 5-co)i)i)e 54c 40t) t>4 i)-34b4t) nt4jT> ; 
 
 3lo)i)e n)4 tii54i]t 5 
 
 <t)o T>u)i)e 341) 'Ojol ; 
 S4i) n)-b)lle bei'D f lor 4jji 4t) 4tt)-z}iÁit ! 
 
 2lfX 1tt)teACTj 4 ttlT AT) T>e4tTJ4t) c4)tvc ? 
 í>0 564b41'D 541) T>)Ol, 1)0 36411-^41) ; 
 'S 4T CtlTT)4T) C4 lj-IOIJA'D 
 
 21 jiu)irp)'ó, c4 T>Í3, 
 
 )01)4 'O-TJUl'C^I'Ó ?4 tit) J01)4 14tt)'c4t) ! 
 
 Jt é clu)i)i))ii) 4fi T>ir *£>£ t>' c4ti)-ce4|t'D ? 
 3o twill's 4i) -c)|t le rler4n)'i)4i) 
 Sl)b)ji)t>e 41) <t>|iojc)'o, 
 
 s 5ur n^-n 30 d-t^oI^t), 
 
 2l]t 5lo)t)e i)d ^jt), búji 5-con)-p4r) ! 
 
OF MTJNSTER. 69 
 
 Vile swash do you sell us for porter, 
 
 And you draw the cask shorter and shorter ; 
 
 Your guests, then, disdaining 
 
 To think of complaining, 
 Go tipple in some other quarter. 
 
 Very oft in your scant overfrothing, 
 Tin quarts we found little or nothing ; 
 
 They could very ill follow 
 
 The road, who would swallow 
 Such stuff for their inner man's clothing ! 
 
 You sit gaily enough at the table, 
 But in spite of your mirth you are able 
 To chalk down each tankard, 
 And if a man drank hard 
 On tick — oh ! we'd have such a Babel ! 
 
 You bow to the floor's very level, 
 When customers enter to revel, 
 But if one in shy raiment 
 Takes drink without payment, 
 You score it against the poor devil. 
 
 When quitting your house rather heady, 
 They'll get nought without more of " the ready." 
 
 You leave them to stumble 
 
 And stagger, and tumble 
 Into dykes, as folk will when unsteady. 
 
 Two vintners late went about killing 
 Men's fame by their vile Jack-and-Gilling ; 
 
 Now, Tuomy, I tell you 
 
 I know very well you 
 Would, too, sell us all for a shilling. 
 
70 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Cujrle njo cftofoe t)& re4í)-T>4jri}, 
 
 K) \)-)o\)A\)\) >y Uo)te 'r tt)e4T)5 Sbe43<tji) ! 
 
 ^l)u|tT4irie bujle, 
 
 T34 4|i njjfie T>4i|ijfijb ; 
 'S 4 fyuijTMjb 5it|i Iíoí)'C4'ó T)>eAll-r4T) ! 
 
 2tN CNOJCJN TK2lO)Cl). 
 
 TPorjt) : — 21t) C7)0)C)i) T|tdO]c. 
 
 Spirited, 
 
 but not too 
 
 quick. 
 
 É ggffT -f tff-j^ l 
 
 m.f. p 
 
 f. jo Cres. m.f. 
 
 m 
 
 5 
 
 — t— *- — 
 
 5E5 
 
 =F : =P : 
 
OF MUNSTER. 71 
 
 The Old Bards never vainly shall woo me, 
 But your tricks and your capers, O'Tuomy, 
 
 Have nought in them winning — 
 
 You jest and keep grinning, 
 But your thoughts are all guileful and gloomy ! 
 
 THE LITTLE HEATHY HILL. 
 
 This delightful air is a great favorite in Munster ; and the Cnoicin 
 Fraoich which formed the theme of the bardic muse must be some 
 romantic hill situate in Cork or Kerry. We subjoin the first stanza of 
 the original song, with our own literal translation ; and we would feel 
 obliged to any of our Munster friends for a perfect copy : — 
 
 1 Is ro-bhreagh an tarn e air theacht mi na Bealtaine, 
 
 Aig feachaint a nun air mo Chnoicin Fraoich ; 
 ' S grian-gheul an t-samhraidh aig cur teas is na geamkartha, 
 
 ' S duiUeabhar glas na g-crann a fas le gnaoi ; 
 Bion lac ha ann, bion bardal — bion banamh aig an g-crain ann ) 
 
 Bion searrach aig an lair ann 'í leanbh aig an mnaoi ; 
 Bion bradan geal ag snamh ann, san breac aig eirghidhe 'nairde 
 
 'San te do bheidheach air phone bais ann d eirgheodhach aris /" 
 
 ' What joyful times ! merry May is approaching, 
 
 I will gaze over on my little heathy hill ; 
 The summer sun is warming the fields and the corn, 
 
 And the foliage on the trees looks blooming and green ; 
 There the mallard and the wild duck sport and play together, 
 
 The steed and its rider, the mother and her babe ; 
 The speckled trout and salmon springing in its waters, 
 
 And the sick that is dying, health there will find." 
 
72 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 SIN Bt)e)Dl). 
 
 Vow :— Beit e)|i]Oi)T) ). 
 
 Cres. 
 
 Dim. 
 
 tfft: 
 
 -it-nri 
 
 9 
 
 m./.= 
 
 Dim. 
 
 5=^ 
 
 IPPI 
 
 
 i>- 
 
 Sin) 4}ce coir St)4i5, 'cá'íj it)4t)U'ó, bé4T4c, rijítj, 
 )r 'oeire 'CAjt ti)í)4ift, 'r at 4luii)t), rp6nie4Tíjiiil, 1 ; 
 Sl c4]tT)?ol'c cácUc, b]te45-'oe4r J t?|i6jn)tijoé, bwóe, 
 5 5 3UTi b'in "1° 3Mt> T54n rnt)4jb, 'bé'rj 6i]te 1 ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 73 
 
 THE MAIDEN. 
 
 BY JOHN O TUOMY. 
 
 The subject of this song was a young woman who kept an inn 
 on the banks of the Maig, in the county of Limerick. There is also 
 another song to the same air by Eoghan Ruadh O'Sullivan, of Sliabh 
 Luachradh, in Kerry, beginning— 
 
 ' San Mainistir la a d-tigh tubhairne am aonar bhios, 
 ' S beath-uisge ar clar am lathairfein gan suim ; 
 Do dkearcnsa bah thais, mhanladh, mhaordha, mhin, 
 ' 2Va seasamh go tlath san t-sraid cots taobh an tighe. 
 
 ' In Fermoy, one day, in an ale-house I chanced to be, 
 And before me on the table plenty of -wines were laid ; 
 I beheld a babe, soft, comely, mild and meek, 
 Standing most feeble in the street close by the house." 
 
 A maiden dwells near me by Maig, mild, meek to see, 
 A beauty transcending all speech, all thought, is she ; 
 Her golden hair floweth like waves along the sea, 
 ! she is my love and my light, whoe'er she be 
 
74 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21N 1Pl*e»5B2H>1) 21) K 21N llVBej^l), 
 2lrj 2l)4í)54i]ie SÚ34CI), ccc. 
 Vonn :— " 2ln Btjéjt e^e J." 
 
 Ssujfi ve&ro& 'do'd' pl4r, 1)4 -crUcT; 50 b-é^5 4 itjr, 
 2ifi c-4iT)3i|i cojr 204)5, c6 4lujt), rpejite4ri}4)l, 1 ; 
 Sir ?e4r4ó t*4ji < c4itU) , o 4-d t>4il-rj 41) belt x>o it1t>jnj, 
 2li) b4|i|i-tl0í)í)-'C4)r bUjt X50 5|t4-ó4r 9 'bé'í) Gjite 1 ! 
 
 'C4 4 C4|lt)- , f0l'G c4jXl)4C, Ce4^1t4C, Ctl40b4C, Cflll)I)T), 
 
 21 pe4|trA inle '^4 541) c4)nj, 541) t^ottj, 54T) ^eirijiol ; 
 Nl'l tt)4) # ce4r le ?454)l, ^'i c ^i ^4 n)éjt)t) 4 n)i)40j, 
 N4c ?e4r4c r4i) n)-b4b 'co 5|i4'ó4r, bé'n ejjte 1 ! 
 
 Cé ?4T>4 le y4tj n)e, 'r S^jt *4fiUró 4Ttj jxéjc 541) d]t]c ! 
 5at) ^I'Cior, 54t) 1=454)1, 541) 4?ia'o> 5^1) T5éjn), 5^*) 
 
 5H40) ; 
 'N4 b- < fe4C4'ó T>e if)i)4.7b irjofi tátwó ^054-0 4H) elf, 
 5u|i ce4T)5Ur ?4jim; le n)' 5it4-o, 'bé'i) Gjfte j! 
 
 Cé ?4T>4 le ?4i) rt)e, 'r 5Ujt t^íiU'ó dtt)'cé)ll 4fi b40jr, 
 Le < c4)tí))0ír) t>o'i) rr)-b4ji)-ci)e)r ti)4i)l4'ó,rij40 r vó4, it))T) ; 
 Nj r54niP4'o 50 bjx4t lé) " Bl4t i)4 Telle," jr )> 
 X4 ti)'4)ce cojr 2*)4)5, IT 1 5íi4-ó4r, bé'i) ej|ie j ! 
 
 3lti4)T)3 4 c4jiVDe, le 54]t'04r 5lé4rc4íi pib, 
 Bu4)l)5 41) cl4n, 'r ^^45^15 5° b-é4r3^ ?)01) ; 
 Su4t4)5 41) c4)ivc le 1)-4'Ó4C'C, 'r 5l40-ó4J5 4 itir? 
 T4e tu4)]t)ti) rl4)i)T;e i)4 njt)4, bé'i) Gjne 1 ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 75 
 
 A REPLY TO THE MAIDEN. 
 
 BY THE MANGAIRE SUGACH. 
 
 Air:— " The Maid Eire is She." 
 
 Have done with your praises ! palm not such style on me, 
 Your maiden maybe, if you please, gay, mild, and free — 
 But she whom J love it was ne'er your lot. to see, 
 The beautiful girl of my heart, whoe'er she be ! 
 
 O ! only to gaze on her locks, that reach the knee — 
 Her loveliest figure, that speaks her high degree, 
 Nought brilliant or noble hath e'er been met by me, 
 To match her illustrious worth, whoe'er she be ! 
 
 Long, long has my lot been as that of a blighted tree, 
 For Fortune and I, to my woe, could ne'er agree, 
 But I never till now in my life was made to dree 
 Such pangs as my darling hath caused me, whoe'er 
 she be ! 
 
 Long, long, from one spot to another, in pain I flee — 
 For love of this fair one I rove o'er land and sea, 
 The Flower and Queen of all maids in sooth is she, 
 Who dwells by the meadowy Maig, whoe'er she be ! 
 
 Then strike up the music, my friends — dull churls are we 
 If we drain not the goblet of wine right merrilie ! 
 Red cup after cup will we quaff — and this be our plea, 
 That we drink to the Maid of the Maig, whoe'er 
 she be ! 
 
7« 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 lejK-KUSil^K WHIGGIONA. 
 
 2lt) ^1)41)5411X6 SÚ34CI), CCG. 
 
 Toi)i) :—Pldt)C4it) Peiji^3. 
 
 Lively. | 
 
 p •?? p 1 1 i ( ff r a 
 
 m 
 
 H it .-^ i» m 
 
 m 
 
 frmn \ ^t ^ 
 
 
 B4 cu]X4t;4 4t) 4tt) 54c clui'cce-i)eiiVG • 
 
 N4 < CU15te4|l T>0 ÍT)irí)e4C 50 ?4T)Í), 
 
 'S 4 50iite4C'c T)uir; C4b4irt 'r cuj'oeAÓTW. 
 
 2ir orwó^ 45 cors^tus a i)4ttyd , o, 
 
 le ^uit)T)iort) 54c c]toB4irie cjt)e4'ó-Scoi'G ; 
 S5Mor^4ix4r J*)t)jr 5^c 3*U, 
 'S 4r riT)ii 4 bejt>e4r T;e4í)i) t)4 B-^oT)t)4-Bl)poi5. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 77 
 
 A WHACK AT THE WHIGS. 
 
 BY THE MANGAIRE SUGACH. 
 
 Air : — " Leather the Wig." 
 
 The reader has to thank the Whigs for this soul-stirring air, which 
 was never before printed. From the time of the Revolution, this 
 party seem to have been an object of hatred and contempt to the 
 native Irish. The following chorus must be sung after each stanza : — 
 
 Will you come plankum, plankum, 
 
 Will you come plankum perriwig ; 
 
 Will you come plankum, leather, and plankum, 
 
 Will you come plankum perriwig. 
 
 The words "plankum perriwig" mean to thrash with all your 
 might the Wig, which in Irish is synonymous with Whig. 
 
 The Jacobite poets of Scotland joined their Irish brethren in reviling 
 the Whigs. The following verses are part of a popular song to one of 
 the most ancient Scotch airs in existence : — 
 
 " Awa, Whigs, awa, awa, Whigs, awa, 
 Ye're but a pack o' traitor loons, 
 Ye'll ne'er do good at a'. 
 Our thistles flourished fresh and fair, 
 And bonny bloom'd our roses ; 
 But Whigs came like a frost in June, 
 And withered a' our posies. 
 Our sad decay in kirk and state 
 Surpasses my descriving ; 
 The Whigs came o'er us for a curse, 
 And we hae done wi thriving. 
 A foreign Whiggish loon brought seeds 
 In Scottish yird to cover ; 
 But we'll pu' a' his dibbled leeks, 
 And pack him to Hanover." 
 
 O, heroes of ancient renown ! 
 
 Good tidings we gladly bring to you — 
 Let not your high courage sink down, 
 
 For Eire has friends who'll cling to you. 
 
 Those insolent Sassenach bands, 
 
 Shall hold their white mansions transiently, 
 
 Ours shall again be those lands, 
 
 Long tilled by our fathers anciently ! 
 
78 THE TOETS AND POETRY 
 
 2lr T>e4tibt4 4 'o- # cjie4r4ib ^n 'Djte^nj, 
 oo C4ln)4, C4b4tit4c, C0)t)5ti))'óT;e4C ; 
 
 30 lonr)4íf)4jl, l01)í)4tVÓ4, lOT)T), 
 
 Te4fvó4, ?05Uc> y\i)\)\))ox\)AC. 
 
 Bei*ó e4rb4iivc 50 T4itirW5 le Torm, 
 
 21 n)-B4t)b4, 'r I054 U Tb^A 2t)uijte '5UWT) ; 
 
 Bei-ó w pr^jlni t)4 ni4|ib * 4 T>-T>4rii4ijt, 
 í)4 C4t)ii4'D 'r 34ti beatji) 4]t V^tftfttlft* 
 
 Beit) luirne o <t)l)oiite 50 Ie4rii4iti, 
 
 'S 411 ^uitilotir)-r4 ce4T)Tj, 'r raffle led ; 
 
 KUJT^I'O 34C Tt)Utir41|ie |l4TT14tl, 
 
 'S 171 coin)|]tc t>o I0Í15, rj4 lujtT)tie4c !f 
 
 Sit) 6 cÚ54ib pjljb twlji ríiúlU, 
 
 'S 411 bjle ii4C T)úti r^ti ri-irtiitiior ; 
 00 5-cuitii-o 54c njuitT^Hie ^ji lut, 
 
 TP4 be4Tiii4ib 4 \\i)XTie 45 Lucifer ! 
 
 21 CUH141T1T1 114 5-CUTÍ1411Í1 5UC ?oíiíj, 
 
 Ztffio 'oMti 5-c4b4ijx le TWe-5011 ; 
 
 213 ^|te4r5411t'C 54C te4t1-pOC jl4TT14tl 5 
 
 'S b41T1^lOT11-l14 4 Tlie4b41íl 4t CU1T) 4C4 ! 
 
 *C4 ?uitiiot)ti \)A cu)\iye&\i W 5-cíll, 
 2I5 T>iiiivo}n) le cjúrii4ir t}4 Siotiti4ií)íie ; 
 
 NlUIll TJ10C^4r 4T1 yU)WOX)X) Vú]i 4$&)X)X) 9 
 
 )y 'Deiiinri 50 b-pl4ilc-^4Ti) Whiggiona ! 
 
 BeiT) 41) 3|Ut41T1 T>4 'D-'G4C'G4'Ó lé 7j\)Ú)t 
 
 Beró b4T54, 'sur btiút', '5ur bjxire4'ó 0]t}U ; 
 )T 34Wro 50 5-C4C^41'D T)4 T>-t;tiiur, 
 Mu4i|t 4b4iti^e4r 4]t b-p|iiotir^ cluitce 4ro4! 
 
 * Pitt, the Prime Minister of England. 
 
 f This is an allusion to the first siege of Limerick in 1690, when 
 that town, although in an almost untenable condition, was held by 
 
OF MUNSTER. 79 
 
 We'll muster our clans, and their lords, 
 And with energy great and thunderous, 
 
 With lances, and axes, and swords, 
 We'll trample the Saxon under us ! 
 
 We'll have masses, as always our wont, 
 And sweet hymns chanted melodiously ; 
 
 'Twill go very hard if we don't 
 
 Make the Minister look most odiously ! 
 
 We'll have bonfires from Derry to Lene, 
 And the foe shall in flames lie weltering — 
 
 All Limerick hasn't a green 
 
 Nor a ship that shall give them sheltering. 
 
 See ! Philip comes over the wave ! 
 
 O ! Eire deserves abuse, if her 
 Bold heroes, and patriots brave 
 
 Don't now drive their foes to Lucifer ! 
 
 Up ! arm now, young men, for our isle ! 
 
 We have here at hand the whole crew of 'em, 
 Let us charge them in haste and in style, 
 
 And we'll dash out the brains of a few of 'em ! 
 
 A tribe who can laugh at the jail, 
 
 Have found on the banks of the Shannon aid — 
 O ! how the blue Whigs will grow pale, 
 
 When they hear our Limerick cannonade ! 
 
 O ! pity the vagabonds' case ! 
 
 We'll slaughter, and crush, and batter them — 
 They'll die of affright in the chase, 
 
 When our valorous Prince shall scatter them ! 
 
 10,000 Irishmen against 38,500 of the finest troops in the world — 
 Dutch, Huguenots, Danish, German, and British veterans, under 
 William III — See O' Callagharis Green Book, p. 114, Dub. 1844. 
 
SO THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2Í5 'cair'sjol t)4 n)4|M le voi)t)» 
 
 Xú Cajiolur éíÍ54jt)T) 'r 4 cuj-ceacr^ ; 
 04 Neptune 45 r^jpe^-D i)4 'o-'conn, 
 
 Bej-ó il/ars 4 'o-voyAc 4i) T;)iiljp, 
 'S4t) ^nMin^ ?K>m)30 ruji)t)J0ri)4C ; 
 
 M) c4r?4i-o 3° icr42HW , o 4.T) T>fie4n), 
 'S 4r T>e4jtb 50 b-pUT)í)C4ít) 7ni)Ue 'C4 ! 
 
 Be)x> le454t>, 'sur 5e4tiji4'ó, ^ur bttut', 
 Be)-ó r54)pe4'ó, 'sur ^íjíjju'ó, 'r ujjie4rb4t> ; 
 
 54lUlb T>4 5-C4ltlOTÍ) 541) C4b4)|l, 
 
 Nuajji 5]te4'D^4r At) Tíi4T)T)C4c* -ce^e leó ! 
 
 Ná]t C4)U)0'D-r4 4tt)4|lC tí)0 fill, 
 
 'S t)4ti U^itd trjo lút le fojw^cr; ; 
 5o b-?ejce4'o-r4 4í) 5ji4t4)t)-n 4 b-pot)c, 
 'S 4í) re4i)-poc T>4llt 541) 5)0 IU 4)5e ! 
 
 * The frequent allusions to France and Spain throughout these 
 popular songs were the result of the dreadful treatment experienced 
 by the native Irish during the early part of the eighteenth century. 
 Oppressed by penal enactments which proscribed the religion, property, 
 and education of three-fourths of the inhabitants of the island, the old 
 Irish longed for an appeal to arms, and earnestly desired the co-opera- 
 tion of their expatriated kinsmen, whose military achievements in 
 foreign countries had won the admiration of Europe* 
 
OF MUNSTER. 81 
 
 Coming over the ocean to-day 
 
 Is Charles, that hero dear to us — 
 
 His troops will not loiter or stay, 
 
 Till to Inis Loire they come here to us ! 
 
 Our camp is protected by Mars, 
 
 And the mighty Fionn of the olden time, 
 
 These will prosper our troops in the wars, 
 And bring back to our isle the golden time ! 
 
 Our cowardly foes will drop dead, 
 
 When the French only point their guns on' em — 
 And Famine, and Slaughter, and Dread, 
 
 Will together come down at once on 'em ! 
 
 O, my two eyes might part with their fire, 
 And palsying Age set my chin astir, 
 
 Could I once see those Whigs in the mire, 
 And the blind old goat without Minister ! 
 
 It is now impossible to calculate what might have been the result 
 if some of the Irish military commanders on the Continent had organized 
 a descent on the coast of Munster while the native population were still 
 labouring under the dreadful penal code. 
 
 ■f An sean-phoc dallj the old blind buck-goat, i.e., George III., 
 who became imbecile at the close of his life. 
 
82 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2iN BI)l2iCI>Bl)KUJNNJOU. 
 
 21 X) 21)41)54) |te SÚ54C1), CCG. 
 
 Vot)n :— C4jljt) Í)e4r C|tú)TD73e T)4 nj-Bd. 
 
 2lr í 't) BUt-B]ttiiT)5ioll, bUt-rij)l)r> bé4T4c, 
 
 BÍ)Ut-Ti))0C4i]t ? tié4lc4T)r)4 5 ri)o-ó4ri)ii)l; 
 Le 5|t4-ó-5e4l ^4 bláTJ-cjiuit, 'co cé4y ttje, 
 
 '5 t>'í43 rt)é 54 1) ^riéwe, 54t) ^jieojji ! 
 734 4 bUte-tote 50 bU'u-'cnift 4]t tmoI-tmitj, 
 
 )r bUt-f íjui'ó'Ge 4 })-4ol-c]tob, 341) pijdl, 
 |f bU'6-'cui5re4C yvA)-ÓT>e i)4 bé)te 9 
 
 'S 4r bU-c 4i) u)le 5645 tdj 30 ipedjt ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 83 
 
 THE FLOWER OF ALL MAIDENS. 
 
 BY THE MANGAIRE SUGACH. 
 
 Air: — "Pretty Girl milking the Cows" 
 
 We cannot trace the authorship of this delightful air, but such of our 
 readers as have traversed the " sunny South" of a May morning, and 
 heard it sung by the peasant's ruddy-cheeked daughter, in the 
 inilking bawn, or at the cottager's hearth of a winter's evening, after 
 the toil of the day is over, must acknowledge its beauty and ten- 
 derness of expression. The words are by the witty Andrew Magrath, 
 surnamed the Mangaire Sugach. 
 
 To it we are indebted for the source of our greatest enjoyments. 
 a love of the language and poetry of our race. 
 
 The following stanza which appears as the " CeangaV (" Binding'' 
 or " Summing-up"} to the song — a constant custom with our poets in 
 order to protect their compositions from the ravages of " poetical 
 interpolators " — we forgot putting into the hands of our poet, but now 
 give it a place here : — 
 
 " A Chumainn na g-Cumann, mo Chumann 's mo Rogha tu is feas, 
 Mo Chumann gach Cumann ba Chumann le Togha na m-ban 
 Is Cumann do Chumann, a Chumainn gan cham, gan chleas, 
 Mo Chumann do Chumann a Chumainn, 's gabhaim-si leat. 
 
 " My Love of all Loves, my Love and my Choice you are, 
 My Love surpassing all Loves — the Love and the Choice of maids 
 Your Love is a Love, my Love, without guile or stain, 
 My Love is Thy Love, my Love ; and I take your hand." 
 
 O, flower of all maidens for beauty, 
 
 Fair-bosomed, and rose-lipped, and meek, 
 My heart is your slave and your booty, 
 
 And droops, overpowered and weak. 
 Your clustering raven-black tresses 
 
 Curl richly and glossily round — ■• 
 Blest he who shall win your caresses, 
 
 Sweet filossom all down to the ground ! 
 
8 * THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21 5|U-c -cjl to 3|t4-ó-r4 kú\i béjte, 
 
 'S -co $]l4óf4)f)1) x>4 ti) , ^é)'D)íi, ifj'r njd ; 
 
 4)o 3iiú-ÓAr 'cu 4 3|t4'ó x>jl rt)o cléjb-n, 
 le 5ft4^ "©it 'dot»' ti)éjt)Tj Y 'DOT*' cld : — 
 
 () 51l4*Ó4r T)U 4 31t4T> 'Ójl le 5é4|l-f e4tic, 
 
 í)o 5it4-ó-r^ t)1 f eaywo le rt)' Id ; 
 4)o 5it4-6-r4 'r n)o 5ti4t>-r4 5 rt)4 ]t4ob-c4]t, 
 o4T) 5114-0 ce4tvc 45 40jt) t)e4c 50 -ceo J 
 
 21 flút) T5jU Tt)0 JtÚt) <GU 50 í)'é454'D, 
 
 21)0 jtút)-r4 le ti)' iMe «u» 'r tt)o r'cdji ! 
 'S 3UJ* léJ5Jor ít)o fiúr) le4x; *c4fi 40ji)-be4Tj, 
 2t)o jtút) -cíi 'r rt)o céjle le tí)' 16 : — 
 
 21 |1ÚT) T>jl t)4 JtÚt) 5-Ce4]VG, T)) lé)5^0T>, 
 
 2t)o jiútj, ^cu^, le 40T) be4t) 4T> t>edi5, 
 
 4)o itút)-r4 't ^o Itíit)-T4 tí)4 T5él'ÓT;e4it, 
 
 o4í) fiún ce4jvc 45 4or) Tje4ó 50 x>ed ! 
 
 21 cutt)4)i)r) ti4 5-cutí)4i)t) 5 t)4 'Gjxéjs ti)é, 
 
 'S 50 b-^UltlTt) 4 T)-é45-CtlUJ'C 4T) T)eO)5 ; 
 
 'S 5íi|i curn^rjT) t>o cun)4Hi) í)4 'Cjié^lO'o, 
 
 21 ciut)4jt)i% 50 T)- < c)5e4'D-r^ T^'t) ti-lpd'o ! 
 O tu54T 'ouin ctin)4t)T) 'r 5é)le, 
 
 21)0 CUTl)4T)T)-r^ 4 f é4t)4t>, t)j COJJt, 
 'S 1T)0 CUTt)4í)t) 4 CUttJ47t)í), íl)4 t\lé)5W, 
 
 5aT) ctití)4t)t) 45 40)t)-be4t) 50 T>ed ! 
 
 21 ó4]t|X4'ó t)4 5-C4|i|i4'D le céjle, 
 <t)o c4tirtAT le tÁ0|i-5e4i) 4]t 'o-'cúir ; 
 
 21)0 C4jt]t41'D 4 041^4-0 T>0 tjté^lt), 
 
 'S ^O |t4C41T)í) 4 5-CélT) 164^ TJ4 rj-'oeoté ! 
 N ] C4|X|147'D T>4TT) C4jtjl4'Ó, T)4 Cé)b-^0Í)17, 
 
 21(yo C4]tfi4'ó t)4 bé)te-ri 4.tt) bjieds', 
 
 'S tt}0 C4]i|l4'Ó-r^ '4 C4tltl4.1T>, TT)4 tflé^Jfl, 
 54T) C4jtTl41'D 45 40)t)-be4T) 50 ^060 ! 
 
 21 Aiwrac'c t)4 T)-4T)i)t4C'c t>o céáx it)é, 
 
 te í)-4í)i)r4C'o t>ot>' xsé)\x) 'f 'oo'o' jcld ; 
 B)T)e4C 'do ]to54 '54T> tt)o f4iiiiL)l-ri ti)A|i céjle, 
 No T>urt)rA 541) beayA, 54T) rpojfc ; — 
 
OF MUNSTER. 85 
 
 I have loved you, oh mildest and fairest, 
 
 With love that could scarce be more warm — 
 I have loved you, oh brightest and rarest, 
 
 Not less for your mind than your form. 
 I've adored you since ever I met you, 
 
 O, Rose without briar or stain, 
 And if e'er I forsake or forget you 
 
 Let Love be ne'er trusted again! 
 
 My bright one you are till I perish, 
 
 O, might I but call you my wife ! 
 My Treasure, my Bliss, whom I'll cherish 
 
 With love to the close of my life ! 
 My secrets shall rest in your bosom, 
 
 And yours in my heart shall remain, 
 And if e'er they be told, O sweet Blossom, 
 
 May none be e'er whispered again ! 
 
 Oh ! loveliest ! do not desert me ! 
 
 My earliest love was for you — 
 And if thousands of woes should begirt me, 
 
 To you would I prove myself true ! 
 Through my life you have been my consoler, 
 
 My comforter — never in vain,— 
 Had you failed to extinguish my dolor, 
 
 I should ever have languished in pain ! 
 
 O fond one ! I pine in dejection ; 
 
 My bosom is pierced to the core — 
 Deny me not, love, your affection, 
 
 And mine shall be yours evermore. 
 As I chose you from even the beginning, 
 
 Look not on my love with disdain ; 
 If you slight me as hardly worth winning 
 
 May maid ne'er again have a swain ! 
 
 O, you who have robbed me of Pleasure, 
 Will you, with your mind and your charms, 
 
 Scorn one who has wit without measure, 
 And take a mere dolt to your arms. 
 
86 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21 d1)1flT4Óf5 T)4 túwg&is-t) b4otUc, 
 N4 r'cúnjpaf) t)u iié)5?joc t>o bjtdt) ; 
 
 54 1) 4t)rn*4c , G T)4 Ji4e '34*0 4Tí) T>eoj5 ! 
 
 21 r'CÓJfl T>jl ! TT)0 t'COjl-TA T^fl 40Í) -cu, 
 
 2t)o T'COH ™ 50 T)-é45^A'D T)4|t T)-T)d)T; ; 
 )r T'COfl TT)é 4 T'CO)]t-'D)t, 54T) 'C|lé4'D4, 
 
 'S 3U|i T>d) / c led 511]! jtéjc tt)e 54t) ^0-0 ; 
 Bei-óe4-ó fcojt 45 4tt) rcofutc, xy\ b4054l z>h 
 
 661-064-0 bd-Ucr; 54T) b40-ó4C4t, 'r ?ór> 
 21 r5Ój|X--Ó)l ! T50 r^o|i4c, íí)4 6tiéj5iit, 
 
 3417 r^o|i4c t)4 |X4e '54-0 4H) t>eoi5 ! 
 
 ?2tSCUJ3OT »N 0t)l)2lN32l)Ke S1)U32tJ5. 
 
 Voiw : — " 2ir) Bejijrii) Uwcfwo."* 
 
 2i C4tltt4J-D clÚTT) , Úll'Ó)05tl4ir5 
 
 21 f 40) gUjtj T>e fcoc 114 Ti-'D^iri) ; 
 2l)o be4t4-ó CÚ54-D 'do rsitftynfc 
 
 No 'í) 'ojt 164^ TT)é belt n)4|t 'cáltt) ;- 
 34c 4it)5i|t T)e4r 'T)4ti ctube lionj, 
 
 21 cujrrj-oe4C'G le it}' 4ir> le p4jjvc, 
 Wj 5Í4C4C rí> r^íuoifi ^e ! 
 
 T34Í) C)t> Tt)é 54T) r^OC, 541) VG&\K. 
 
 C14 5e4lUiit)-ri do'i) buj-ójti-n, 
 Sjsjte 43ur 2t)u|i|i4iT)i) bl4jt ; 
 
 S^4i]t x>o r31WD4, 'r Uoj*e 
 t)o ruj5e4C4H n)4]x Ojljoll ?4j5 ! 
 
 Cle4T4-ó lító 50 Ijonj^-ó, 
 'S 54c r))t> eile fij4ti4c nji)4?b ; 
 
 Jr T e ^T 3*^ 'OJÚI'04'Ó IT ^ÍOI T>41tJ, 
 
 'Nu4ifi cj-o n)é 34T) cuj-d, 54T) c4it) ! 
 * This beautiful air will be found at page 128, 
 
OF MUNSTER. 87 
 
 Your beauty, O, damsel, believe me, 
 
 Is not for a clown to adore — 
 O ! if you desert or deceive me, 
 
 May lover ne'er bow to you more ! 
 
 Yours am I, my loveliest, wholly — 
 
 O heed not the Blind and the Base, 
 Who say that because of my folly 
 
 I'll never have wealth, luck, or grace. 
 How much the poor creatures mistake me ! 
 
 I'll yet have green acres and gold ; 
 But, O, if you coldly forsake me, 
 
 I'll soon be laid under the mould ! 
 
 THE MANGAIRE SUGACH'S PASTIME. 
 
 Air : — " Little Bench of Rushes" 
 
 My upright and my noble friend, 
 
 My pure son of the Bardic Race, 
 To you I unveil my life : oh bend 
 
 Your eyes in pity on my case ! 
 Save from the old and ugly now 
 
 I meet, alas ! with no regard ; 
 No gay and fair young maid will vow 
 
 Her heart away to a cashless bard ! 
 
 In vain I seek to win my way 
 
 "With Sighile* and each blooming one — 
 My merry tale, my gladsome lay 
 
 Fall on their ears as rain on stone. 
 Mine eyes are bright ; I am lithe of limb — 
 
 I think myself a dashing blade ; 
 But all still look askance on him 
 
 The bard, without a stock-in-trade ! 
 
 * Sighile, pronounced Sheela. Anglice, Celia, 
 
86 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 'í>ejri Catal t>\i\i nj4C Srjjornojrj, 
 
 2i Sl))5)le! 'nojr t;u75 W c4r ? 
 3-ailS-r) CÚ54T) Tt)4c Tb^i'óljtt), 
 
 'S ri)434)r-o)n *)4 T50)le r45? 
 )r T^iiri 'óúiwe T34T>5 be45- 
 
 N4 r54W-*n 'oe'i) fujl IT Tpe-ann 5 
 34ti mi«, 54T) clu, 341) 0J5tie4C'G, 
 
 2lcr; 4jx Will |ii4ri) 5U|t tloi5 T)4 bria^i 1 © ! 
 
 2lfi 5I4C too 5U1C tdo TS^ojl^jti, 
 le rj-40j!3rje4r 5-ac cotit) T5it454inj ! 
 
 04C be4t) T>0 54b 4TÍ) l)0TJ'G4'Ó, 
 
 í)0 C401l)^t) 50 ^ljUC 4tt) ^JTJ. 
 54C T>4ltC 50 PT14T T)4C T'C^OC^'Ó 
 
 le |t)t)-'D4)tX 4 COTip T>0 CÍ)e4TT)41T), 
 
 'S 4r ^t)4t)54]Tie 41TJ le b40jr ff)e> 
 Cm f Hl^ 5U|t b'olc ttjo c4jl ! 
 
 siitriirinj tdo't) Tíj-bui-ów-rj, 
 
 Cj4 'ojt led rt)o 'óul 't)4 b-p4jrvc 
 
 2l|l C4t4r4t) 5UTI T>iol4r, 
 
 le l)-40)br)e4r, 'r 50 b-^uilittj rUt). 
 5urx b , 4i'Ci)i'o T>4xn) t)4 it)) Ice, 
 3o ct)4oi'ce t)4 l)-]be4c cA)\ízí 9 
 
 'S 41) 2t)4T)54}Tie 41X3 T)4C c]\)ne, 
 Na T54W-ri 50 r)-iott)Ut). 
 
 1t)o btiuiT> ! tt)o T)iii5 ! Ti)o r5Íor-5UifVG ! 
 
 2t)o T5^1")^» njo 50W, tt)o 54^ ! 
 2t)o Ion t>o lo)t5 "IP cl)' 'ímtíi, 
 
 21ji r40ite 'r 4. rljocT; 4jt V-itj ! 
 54t) clot), 54t) 6141*0, 54TJ 0)5ite4CT;, 
 
 34T) ?ei-ójrr)-ce4jvG, 5411 cot|t4tT) fca)^, 
 'S 'Ctijric, 'r 4)ui}ic, 'r <t)40jte, 
 
 3o btL)'ó)or)ri)4|x, 'r Bo-O4c4)t).* 
 
 * Tuirc, \s Duirc, J s Daoithe, 's Bodachain. 
 Turks, Churls, Dunces, and Clowns. 
 By these epithets the poet designates the Williamite settlers who 
 
OF MUNSTER. 89 
 
 And Cathal* Mac-Simon says, — the ass ! 
 
 Come, Sighile,f now ! you have some sense — 
 Mac Phelim is your man, my lass ! 
 
 That pedagogue has no pretence ! 
 Wed some industrious youth, who shows 
 
 He profits by the lore he learns, 
 And scout the bard in finest clothes, 
 
 Whose throat engulphs whate'er he earns ! 
 
 Well ! true : — my brain was oft a- whirl 
 
 From whiskey — or, perhaps, the moon ! 
 And if I met a pleasant girl, 
 
 I didn't like to leave her soon. 
 And if I gave her face a slap 
 
 Whene'er she frown'd, what harm the while ? 
 For Fm a jovial pedlar chap, 
 
 Though some suppose me full of guile ! 
 
 Some good folks, whom I don't much thank, 
 
 Look down on me — but what of that ? 
 I always paid for what I drank — 
 
 And gave, and still give, tit for tat 
 I have known a many a screw, and dust, 
 
 That wouldn't buy one drop of drink ; 
 The Jolly Pedlar surely must 
 
 Be better than such sneaks, I think ! 
 
 But oh ! my wound, my woe, my grief, 
 
 It is not for myself or mine — 
 My pain, my pang without relief, 
 
 Is noting how our nobles pine ! 
 Alas for them, and not for me ! 
 
 They wander without wealth or fame, 
 While clowns and churls of low degree 
 
 Usurp their gold, their lands, their name ! 
 
 obtained the estates and titles of the Irish Jacobites, after the latter 
 sailed for France in 1691. 
 
 * Pronounced Cahal (Charles), f Sighile, pronounced Sheela. 
 
90 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Kern'oSiN Ci)Jll-Ct)2iJNNJC1). 
 
 2io*ó454í) U4 K4t4jlle, ccc. 
 
 2i'C4)*o é)r5 4]t 1)4 rjiújlljb ^ \é)r\)wd 30 lútrijAfi, 
 ZjÁ 'n T;-6cl)pr 541) < f]ílr)'C4it 45 mteAcn ; 
 
 ^4 PI)oebur 45 njúr34jlG 'r At) 75-64x54. 50 cnui)- 
 SUt), 
 2l'r é4i)l4j75 T)4 có)5e 50 ro)t)ttj. 
 
 "C^d T54ot-be4C4'ó 45 75Új]tlji)5, 4ji 56434]^ )r ii]t- 
 
 C4 ?é4Jl 43Ur T>flÚÓ75 4TI 4fl ll)01)54)b ; 
 
 O'r céjle T>o'i) n)-B]tíií)4C * f, Ké4l754i) i)4 2l)íittj4i), 
 'S 540-Ó41 54ti 'oo't) <t))ii)c Cl))ll-Cl)4)i)i))c. 
 
 C4 b)054T) 4r)i) 34c ^4^-143, 'r 5lto)'óe-cí)0)C 50 
 
 'S 4t) T)-5e)TT)|t)'ó 7515 bUf; 4|x 34c b)le ; 
 CjU Cl)4)r ó tÁiil&vé, ) 5-cu)bite4ó 50 5]t4t>tt)4ft, 
 
 te B)5 Cíjjlle l)-2i)jxi)e 4jt 5-Cu|t4T) ; 
 Nfl é45cd)|i t>4 Iíí4'ó '3U)i)i), 754 ?4ot4'ó '56 75jiU4- 
 
 TD4)b. 
 
 O'i) rsé4l í)Ú4'ó r4 Ui4'ó'C4|i le T>]tii)T)3)b ; 
 
 2l]t pé4|ll4 05 Tl)í)4 Íl4)r^ (4 í)l)e *Ójl 754D4)ji bU4'Ó 
 
 2irj ó]t4ob cúbfu )r U4ifle 4 5-C)U C1)4)i)i))c. 
 
 134' 1) K)05-tU)t 1)4 34tfD4)b, 4jl )Tl)b 'r 4)1 4)V04jb, 
 
 'S 1)4 ti))lce t>4 $4jIt;jÚ54'ó le ti)U)it)T)i) ; 
 C4'i) 7540)-oe 50 l)-4'ób4Ti4c, 'r cojll gUr 45 )=4r 1i)i)? 
 
 'S 51)40) 7564073 4fl t>4T)754)b 541) H))Ue4'Ó : — 
 / C4)'D Cll41)754'Ó b4 51)4640 f40) bll41)-T'C0)|tíl) 51t4l)4, 
 
 5o ru4jtt)i)e4c o fjajiUiT) 4i) ri)U)T3it)e4'ó, 
 X34 ci)U4r754ji 4|i t|i4)5 '5U)i)i), i)4ó lu4T54i) 4i) -c-r4)le, 
 Ku4C4)r), 'j B4)]xi)e4c 5 'r 4)jllior3. 
 
 * This song was written in commemoration of the nuptials of Valen- 
 tine Browne, third Viscount Kenmare, who married, in 1720, Honoria, 
 
OF MUNSTER. 91 
 
 THE STAR OF KILKENNY. 
 
 BY EGAN O'RAHILLY. 
 
 The fish in the streamlets are leaping and springing, 
 
 All clouds for a time have rolled over ; 
 The bright sun is shining ; the sweet birds are singing, 
 
 And joy lights the brow of the lover. 
 The gay bees are swarming, so golden and many, 
 
 And with corn are our meadows embrowned, 
 Since she, the fair niece of the Duke of Kilkenny, 
 
 Is wedded to Browne, the renown' d. 
 
 The hills are all green that of late looked so blighted ; 
 
 Men laugh who for long lay in trouble, 
 For Kilcash is, thank Heaven, in friendship united 
 
 With Browne of Killarney, our Noble ! 
 Our poor have grown rich — none are wronged or o'er- 
 laden, 
 
 The serf and the slave least of any, 
 Since she came among us, this noble young maiden, 
 
 The Hose and the Star of Kilkenny ! 
 
 Her Lord, the proud Prince, gives to all his protection, 
 
 But most to the Poor and the Stranger, 
 And all the land round pays him back with affection — 
 
 As now they may do without Danger ! 
 The ocean is calm, and the greenwoods are blooming, 
 
 As bards of antiquity sung us, 
 And not even one sable cloud seems a-looming, 
 
 Since he we so love came among us ! 
 
 daughter of Thomas Butler, of Kilcash, in the county of Tipperaiy, and 
 great grand-niece of James, first Duke of Ormond Vide " Burke's 
 
93 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 o4i? iwjrie CbjU-siir^e 50 rustic 43 01 rUjiyce, 
 
 'S bu4i)-tyot T)4 Ur)4n)4T)t) 4 5-currj4i)t) ; 
 oúj-c pi41)-pojflTS 'r 'oátj'ca t>4 r^-biuUvo 4ft 
 
 34c n^ti-pofXT; 4fi áilWó'c, 'r 4|i fyt)t)e4CT;, 
 Z>á cUoclo-ó 4]t cjui4it>-cejr , G 'r 4t) -5-401) cdjji 45 
 bU4t> , ó4i)T), 
 
 D4 5r)é-T)U4-D 4]t 3iuuvó'íj4)b 54c i)-T>u)i)e, 
 TJ4't) rpéiit Tt)0|t 4fi ?u4itt)etj'c, 'r 4t) |t4e ^dr 5° 
 
 rU4]ri)l)JOC 
 34 1) C40C-Ce<5, 54T) T>U4JVG41), 341) T>4jlle. 
 
 JN3tyON U) 3t)e2lK2iJ1X. 
 
 21ot)454í) U4 B4t4]lle, ccc. 
 Toyx) : — " T3oi)i) fie C4I416." * 
 
 21 pé4]tl4 341) t54TÍ)4l, T>0 Ié)]t-Ctl1]t IT)é 4 3-C4t4jb, 
 
 eir'o l)on) 54T) yews 30 T)-)r)nox) 1130 rsedl ! 
 
 'S 5Utl ?40bfl4C T>0 C4lt)r 340'04'D '3Ur T>4)fG4, 
 
 'Gjté n) 9 cjté4C'G4'ó 't)4 5-ce4t4)B, T)o rijefll TT)é 541) 
 'cjieojjt ! 
 
 341) B|lé45r)4'Ó T>0 ]t4C^41í)T) 'DO't) 651PT5 TÍ4]X C4l4)6, 
 
 'S 50 1)-ej|ie rj) c4r?4)T)i) coj'óce ^ti)' 'óeoji) ; 
 2i|i TJ]té4r)it)uiti ) 4]t raiUrij, 4 i)-5é)bjoi)i), 4 i)-4i^jor, 
 Njojt ié4t) Iiotí) 4 bejt ?4|14t; cojt jt)re, 54T) fcdti ! 
 
 )X C]t40l)4C 'r 4T 04^4, — -f T>tlé)tt)tl)OC 'r 4T 'OUttté, 
 )r t))4ri)fi4c 'r 4r Ie4b4)jl, — 4 T>l40?t)b tl)4ft OJl ! 
 
 )r péAjxUc 4 'oe4tiC4 — Tt)4it \ié^xlvár) 1)4 tiwotje, 
 )r C40l ce4|vc 4 Tt)4U TT)4|t T5W°ti PlW A 5-cldt>; 
 
 * We have no recollection of ever having met this air ; but such of 
 our readers as have, will oblige by giving us some information 
 about it. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 93 
 
 The Lords of Killarney, who know what the wrongful 
 
 Effects of misrule are, quaff healths to the pair — 
 And the minstrels, delighted, breathe out their deep 
 songful 
 
 Emotions each hour in some ever-new air. 
 The sun and the moon day and night keep a-shining ; 
 
 New hopes appear born in the bosoms of men, 
 And the ancient despair and the olden repining 
 
 Are gone, to return to us never again. 
 
 THE GERALDINE'S DAUGHTER.* 
 
 BY EGAN O'RAHILLY. 
 
 Air : — " Sea and Shore. " 
 
 A Beauty all stainless, a pearl of a maiden, 
 
 Has plunged me in trouble, and wounded my heart : 
 With sorrow and gloom are my soul overladen ; 
 
 An anguish is there, that will never depart. 
 I could voyage to Egypt across the deep water, 
 
 Nor care about bidding dear Eire farewell, 
 So I only might gaze on the Geraldine's Daughter, 
 
 And sit by her side in some pleasant green dell. 
 
 Her curling locks wave round her figure of lightness, 
 All dazzling and long, like the purest of gold ; 
 
 Her blue eyes resemble twin stars in their brightness, 
 And her brow is like marble or wax to behold ! 
 
 * Such of our readers as wish to become acquainted with the his- 
 tory of the Geraldines need only consult a work bearing that title, 
 edited by the Rev. C. P. Meehan, for " Duffy's Library of Ireland." 
 
94 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 SSÍjtÍJ-étlttJÉ 4 lC4C41) 40lx>4 TT)411 f ^1^40^4, 
 
 3o l)-40|i4c 45 C4rn)4)|fc 'Cjie loi)i)|i4"ó 4t) jtdf ; 
 ^113 Pljoebur 'i)4 ji4T;4jb, — T^fi bé)tjb ad # g-41íjaiic, 
 'S ^-64*04?) 4fl 14T4-D le X»)051X4)r dotj' cldt) ! 
 
 )T 5^é)5iol 4 n)4Ti)4,— Tti4]t 36)^ cojr C4U)t, 
 21 l)-4olcojtp r»)e4CC4 )r T^ojleAtj'OA H)Ó5 ; 
 
 Mj ?éj*DJft 4 tt}4)t)0r T>0 lél]t-CU)|t 4 b -p 1X4^4) Í)T), 
 
 C4ori)-ljlj ci)e4rT>4, 'r n))i)-r50j'G r)4 i)-05. 
 
 )r CltOl-Óe4|l5 TT)4tl b4lr41T), 4 'oéj'D-'^ll 541) 4)t)r, 
 
 t)o f40]tf4'ó o 34U|i n))lce T^n^f djiT; ; 
 
 S40|t-5U'C 4 T5e4T)541) lé)5)0T)t)'C4'Ó 341) r'C4it , n4'ó, 
 
 Bfyejjx -c]té4í)-pu)c ^jt be4i)i)4)b le rt))lre4C'C43ld]t ! 
 
 PljéjlWCT p'?U)l Sb^T^I^ — 5n6454)3 41) C4l4)t, 
 
 Sé)Ti)-t)ú|i cUi)t)4 2t)jle4'ó t)4 rids ; 
 
 L40CJ14-Ó 341) 'C4)T^> 'Gfl40C'E4'0 le 54ll4)B, 
 
 041) v\iéme 9 3^1) T54l4ii), 341) ]t)05-b|i05, 341) rcdfi ! 
 041) b]té45 Voc 5U|i T5^5^5 4 b-P40jt4)3 'r 4 
 n)-B4itit4)3,* 
 
 'S TJ]té41)-C0)T) Bt)Ul)ft4)'Ce t\l)T)-X4 ?40) T50, 
 
 Mfl raojt-fUi'c 1)4 T>ii434i) do p]té)ri) cUjnrje Cl)4)r)l 5 
 
 341) 340TD41 |l)r 41) 4)l)3)|t li))01)l4-D 341) ft1)dl. 
 
 W) léj]x T54ÍT) 4 r4ít)ii]l 1 t}-6)jxe '1)4 4 S43T41), 
 21 i)-é)^)OCT5 5 4 b-pe4|ir4'ó, 4 rj-)i)'cle4C'c^r 4 5-cld-ó. 
 
 2li) bé)t tX)yoe )t ?e4]t|t4 'cjtéj'óe, 'suf / ce4r'04r> 
 W4 Helen le'jx 04)1^4-6 ttfilKe T4i) i)-5led! 
 
 Nf I 40)l)-t64|t T)4 Be4TJ4'Ó T)'^é4C4C 4|X lt)4)D)T), 
 1^4 1) 64-D41) 341) TT)4)|15, 1)4 rS^J^OC 4 bjtdl), 
 
 2t)o géibjoi)! ti)o t)e4C4)|t! i)) t^TUjn) 4 re4C4)i), 
 ^jté íi)' i)é4U)b 4íi) 4)rl)i)5 o)T)ce, n4 Id ! 
 
 * Paoraig agus Barraig, Powers and Barrys, two ancient and 
 respectable families in the county of Cork. 
 
 The Powers are descended from Robert le Paure, or Poer, Marshal 
 to Henry II., from whom, in 1177, he obtained a grant of Waterford, 
 the city itself and the cantred of the Ostmen alone excepted. So 
 early as the fifteenth century the descendants of Le Poer renounced 
 the English legislature, and embraced the Brehon law and Irish 
 customs. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 95 
 
 The radiance of Heaven illumines her features, 
 
 Where the Snows and the Rose have erected their 
 throne ; 
 
 It would seem that the sun had forgotten all creatures 
 To shine on the Geraldine's Daughter alone ! 
 
 Her bosom is swan-white, her waist smooth and slender, 
 
 Her speech is like music, so sweet and so free ; 
 The feelings that glow in her noble heart lend her 
 
 A mien and a majesty lovely to see. 
 Her lips, red as berries, but riper than any, 
 
 Would kiss away even a sorrow like mine. 
 No wonder such heroes and noblemen many 
 
 Should cross the blue ocean to kneel at her shrine ! 
 
 She is sprung from the Geraldine race — the great 
 Grecians, 
 
 Niece of Mileadh's sons of the Valorous Bands, 
 Those heroes, the sons of the olden Phenicians, 
 
 Though now trodden down, without fame, without 
 lands ! 
 Of her ancestors flourished the Barry s and Powers, 
 
 To the Lords of Bunratty she too is allied ; 
 And not a proud noble near Cashel's high towers 
 
 But is kin to this maiden — the Geraldine's Pride ! 
 
 Of Saxon or Gael there are none to excel in 
 
 Her wisdom, her features, her figure, this fair ; 
 In all she surpasses the far-famous Helen, 
 
 Whose beauty drove thousands to death and despair. 
 Whoe'er could but gaze on her aspect so noble 
 
 Would feel from thenceforward all anguish depart, 
 Yet for me 'tis, alas ! my worst woe and my trouble, 
 
 That her image will always abide in my heart I 
 
 The male race of the Powers, Viscounts Decies and Earls of Tyrone, 
 became extinct by the death of Earl James in 1704. His only 
 daughter, Lady Catherine Poer, married Sir Marcus Beresford, Bart., 
 who was created Lord Viscount Tyrone by George II. 
 
 The Barrys are descended from Robert Barry, who came over in 
 1169 with Fitz-Stephen. 
 
96 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2m se2iN-<mijNe seojKse.* 
 
 Votjn :— 2lt) SeatiTJUwe. 
 
 Lightly,. /Itf 
 
 ■Etmtffff 
 
 5 N4 ^or — 
 
 Má ro-o tt)o f e-Aii-Atiué, ^41X5 annexe, 'oo^'ce ! 
 
 * This beautiful air, of which we give our readers two different set- 
 tings, is a great favourite in Scotland, where it is known under the 
 name of " The Campbells are Coming." It owes its birth to the Man- 
 qaire Sugach (see p. 20). 
 
 * The song which we now present is the only one we have met to 
 this air, if we except the two versions by the Mangaire Sugach^ re- 
 ferred to at p. 20, where we gave the opening stanza of one, but omitted 
 the chorus supplied at foot of next page, which should be sung after 
 each verse of the original. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 
 
 GEORGEY THE DOTARD. 
 
 BY THE REV. WILLIAM ENGLISH. 
 
 97 
 
 Lightly, 
 
 pmmrw^® 
 
 Alas for old Georgey— the tool of a faction ! 
 
 " God ! what shall I do ?" he exclaims in distraction. 
 
 Not one ray of hope from Hanover flashes — 
 
 The lands of my fathers lie spoiled and in ashes ! 
 
 " Oro sheanduine leatsa ni gheabhadsa, 
 Oro sheanduine basgadh 'guB breodh ort ; 
 Oro Bheanduine leagadh 'gus leonadh ort, 
 'S cupla duig ionat chuirfeadh faoi an bh-fod tu I" 
 
 " Oh, my old dotard, with you I'll not tarry, 
 Oh, my old dotard, that the plague may seize you, 
 Oh, my old dotard, that your doom may soon hasten, 
 The tomb lies open ready to receive you I" 
 
i)8 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 TJÁ ^IUTMJI C4T54 50 TJ4P4 4fl bdct)4t>, 
 í)ll4"Ó d|t C|UXt)1)4-Ó, 45Uf 4|l tedl'54'Ó í 
 
 lUjrle Sl)45r4i) 50 t)-e45Uc, drij4t}'04, 
 
 21 5-cu4r)r;4 bejX) cjumc^, 5 r4 nj-b4jh;e bej-ó nó^t^x. 
 
 Nj T))Or) -D4Í1) B]ie4'54t) ? T)4 ?é4|iY0íir)4ib f ó-óU, 
 Nj T>)Ur -o4rt) 2ilb4jí) d se4Ti|X4T 4 T5dltrj4c ;* 
 
 Nj 'OlHr ^4TÍ) í)41)4)|t, — TJj'l C4|ltl41'D 4ttl cdtTJ54]X, 
 
 Vuisj'ó tí)é ni4]xb — 'r cdj'ój'ó ?40j 'tj b-^d'o n)e ! 
 
 2t)0 CJ4C ! Tt)0 l454tl! T)í ^4'D4]t C4 l)-560b4'Ó-Tt}40J'O ! 
 )4|lril4|l Cl)4lbjT), T>0 f e4C4JI) T)4 C01Í14C'G4'Ó, 
 
 2i ni-bli45 , íi4 beró'nj b4r54iT>te, le4C4i5te 5 leowce, 
 ? S clj4fi cljrTje PV)e4'D4)ti 'r 4 Tí)-be4 / c4'ó 50 'DCd 'C4. 
 
 )t TU4111C 4fl tl)41'OJl) 'í)4 5-Ce4ll4 ? 'f 4Í1J T)01)4, 
 
 Sj4t)rij4 pr4ttn ? 'r 4ivmor)T) sióiuw ; 
 
 Bíi)4tti4-ó í)4 rj-4brc4l t>4 5-c4tit)4 30 CedlTT)4]t, 
 
 'S 41) 5lj4T>4Jtie ^41) 4ií)irt)f T4i) Tt)-b4ile 'sur c'fidjijt) 
 
 4in- 
 
 * An allusion to the massacre of the Mac Donalds, at Glencoe, in 
 1691. 
 
 f Gliadhaire gan ainim (literally a Hero without name) allegori- 
 cally, Charles Edward Stuart, of whom it was treason to sing. 
 
 The Jacobite bards felt peculiar satisfaction in reviling the house of 
 Hanover. The following is the iirst stanza of one of the most popular 
 Scotch songs of this period : — . 
 
OF MUNSTER. 99 
 
 " The thunders of Battle boom over the ocean — 
 On all sides are Conflict and stormy Commotion ; 
 Black Brunswick is shaken with terrors and troubles, 
 And the cities are pillaged on Saxony's nobles ! 
 
 " Nor England nor Eire will yield me a shelter ; 
 And Alba remembers the base blow I dealt her, 
 And Denmark is kingless — I've none to befriend me — 
 Come, Death! weave my shroud, and in charity end me! 
 
 u But vain is our sorrow, thrice vain our beseeching ; 
 Alas ! we forsook the True Church and her teaching, 
 And hence the o'erwhelming and bitter conviction 
 Of her triumph now and our hopeless affliction !" 
 
 Yes, George ! and a brilliant career lies before us — 
 The God we have served will uplift and restore us — 
 Again shall our Mass-hymns be chanted in chorus, 
 And Charley, our King, our Beloved, shall reign o'er us. 
 
 " Wha the deil hae we gotten for a king, 
 But' a wee wee German lairdie ? 
 And when we gade to bring him hame, 
 He was delving in his kail-yardie ; 
 Sheughing kail, and laying leeks, 
 Without the hose, and but the breeks ; 
 And up his beggar duds he cleeks, 
 The wee wee German lairdie." 
 
 Hogg's " Jacobite Relics of Scotland ," p. 83. 1st series, 1819, 
 
100 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 OA-Ó5 (oao-daIac) Ua SújlliobAjí), ccc. 
 
 ^oiin : — Sfójle N1 Sb^'óAttA'ó. 
 
 iSÉ 
 
 •> X 
 
 am r*rnti 
 
 •tt- 
 
 ££f 
 
 tó 
 
 Sffl 
 
 r> 
 
 Éte 
 
 1» A A 1» 
 
 9PE 
 
 p 
 
 2l|t H)41'01T) A T)él 1T ^éA|tAC -do Biota, 
 
 5o catjac Art) aoíjati 43 -oéwm njo rmAojTjce ; 
 4)o T>e4|iC4y A3 plejjiioox; 30 Ij-aojiac ait) tjtiicioU, 
 21U-Ó bA f éiitje, bA cUojije, bA cAOjTje ; 
 4)o ptieAbAr, *oo nuir;ior, 'oo T>TUii'oior 'ha coin, 
 Do Tt)eATAT, vo 6ui5ior, rj4ri ihvroe t>ati) font;, 
 21 bUjre 30 ti)ilir 4 iHort)All * beojl, 
 Le •GAi'CTNori), le 3ile, le frotje ha b-di3e, 
 le n)Aire, le 3^me, le bm^eAC'c a sIojvga. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 101 
 
 SIGHILE NI GARA. 
 
 BY TIMOTHY O'SULLIVAN (SURNAMED GAODHLACh). 
 
 The first peculiarity likely to strike the reader is the remarkable 
 sameness pervading those Irish pieces which assume a narrative 
 form. The poet usually wanders forth of a summer evening over 
 moor and mountain, mournfully meditating on the wrongs and suffer- 
 ings of his native land, until at length, sad and weary, he lies down to 
 repose in some flowery vale, or on the slope of some green and lonely 
 hill-side. He sleeps, and in a dream beholds a young female of 
 more than mortal beauty, who approaches and accosts him. She is 
 always represented as appearing in naked loveliness. Her person is 
 described with a minuteness of detail bordering upon tediousness — 
 her hands, for instance, are said to be such as would execute the 
 most complicated and delicate embroidery. The enraptured poet 
 inquires whether she be one of the heroines of ancient story — 
 Semiramis, Helen, or Medea — or one of the illustrious women of his 
 own country — Deirdre, Blathnaid, or Cearnuit, or some Banshee, like 
 Aoibhill, Cliona, or Aine, and the answer he receives is, that she is 
 none of those eminent personages, but Eire, once a queen, and now a 
 slave — of old in the enjoyment of all honor and dignity, but to-day 
 in thrall to the foe and the stranger. Yet wretched as is her condi- 
 tion, she does not despair, and encourages her afflicted child to hope, 
 prophesying that speedy relief will shortly reach him from abroad. 
 The song then concludes, though in some instances the poet appends a 
 few consolatory reflections of his own, by way of finale. 
 
 The present song is one of the class which we have described, and 
 Sighile Ni Ghadharadh (Celia O'Gara), in the language of allegory, 
 means Ireland. The air must be played mournfully, and in moderate 
 time. 
 
 Alone as I wandered in sad meditation, 
 
 And pondered my sorrows and soul's desolation, 
 
 A beautiful vision, a maiden, drew near me, 
 
 An angel she seemed sent from Heaven to cheer me. 
 
 Let none dare to tell me I acted amiss 
 
 Because on her lips I imprinted a kiss — 
 
 O ! that was a moment of exquisite bliss ! 
 
 For sweetness, for grace, and for brightness of feature, 
 
 Earth holds not the match of this loveliest creature ! 
 
102 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Jr 5tlfat)ti)Afc -D|té)ti)iieAc, i)i4ii)tx4c, ?tx4ii)re4c, 
 Bl)j 4 cditti-tol-c cix4ob4C, i)4 fUwod ^ rl^^-d'D ; 
 3o b4C4lUc, pé4jxl4c, 50 Tié4tG4c, 50 rojtlre4C, 
 
 30 C4tt)4tir4C, CJX40b4C, 50 1)14tt)'lX4C 40011)1) ; 
 ^15 ^e4C4-D, Y A5 ^11164-0, 'r ^5 -fíW-Ó 1)4 T)eO)5, 
 
 N4 rí)>be4ifC4)b, i)4 ffWTWÍjD, 'i)4 ir)ujixe4ix 50 fedjx, 
 3o b-4l'C4)b, 50 1)-U)le4'ó, 50 y]i)t)\i 4 5-cdri)4'D, 
 
 30 rl4tt)4Jt4C, CUH)41t4C, Ott)1X4C, 6|XT)4, 
 
 1^4 rri4T;4}b 45 'CtM'CJtT) 50 l)-)0Ttl4ll4C, 0Tt)fl4C. 
 
 4)0 C4ltf)0C 4 b- , fé4'D < f4C 4 jlél5^0C 4 bui-óii)i)e, 
 3o b4r)4Tij4}l, r^ojma, 50 rr)40ti'ó4, 50 n)íoí)út> ; 
 
 30 ^l4t4TÍ)4ll, T>é4fXC4C, 50 ré4-Ori)4fl, 50 ríotíT)4|l, 
 30 |l4b41lXt)e4C, 540X) , l4C, 50 ^64^40, 30 ^OTJT^C ; — 
 
 2l|t T>ii454ib, 4]i t)|ior)54)b, 4|i cdi)5i)4ii) 4]x led54i), 
 
 2lfX l41)l)4)b, 4JX l01)54)b, 4jt )OTT)41tC4'Ó rld)5, 
 2ljX ÍÍ)41tC4lb, 4]X 541T5^? 4JX CUlt4T) T)4 i)-5led, 
 
 4)0 0411^40 54c rjiujnjile cuifiipe, c)xdí)-'oub, 
 
 4)o le45, 'r 'oo tii|t|i4ic 4i) )0it)4]tC4'ó bjxdii) niji) ! 
 
 )r e45i)4ó, é4T5A , ó, t>o léjj'^oc 4i) BjobUx), 
 S , c4|tt4C4 C\)é)T})í)r) 9 'x v\iév&e t)4 t)-'D|i40)te ; 
 
 2i 141*0101) 'r 4 T)-3né?5?r> 4 'O-'Géxi0T)l)U10 TD14T)4C'C4, 
 
 te re4i)'ó4r ^[1641)11)411 1)4 T3ti4e f o)|i 50 l)ori)t4. — 
 3o 54T^4, 50 cliroe, 50 l)-oitecr, 50 ledjx, 
 
 30 rwo4, 50 rmiive, 50 •pwnj'óe, 50 11)0-0411)1111, 
 
 3o b-4lTJ4'ó, 50 l)-uile4'ó, 50 Tjtif;iii 4 s-cditwo, 
 
 'N4 5-Ce4C-041)l)4lb 1^1^-11)41X4, l0í)l)4|VÓ4, 1^0-04- 
 
 n)U)l, 
 
 21 73454)1X1; .4 TUlJIire 4|X U11Xe4rb4T) l)Ú4T>C41fX ! 
 
 ( &Ur C4|I|X415 4 3-céitl vú, 4 i)-é)Fioc^ 'r 4 1)-ÍW- 
 
 'Gle4C'G, 
 
 21 b-pe4ixr4ii)i), 4 íií-bixéitixib, 4 i)5i)éj, 'f 4 í)5i))oiij- 
 
 4ixt4ib ; 
 2litixir ^411) réji) rw 41) ixéltí)10í)i)4)b Ti103'ó4, 
 21 C4jxtx4x> 4i) -cú -fletew, 1)0 4)éitx-ofxe N40in ? 
 
OF MUNSTER. 103 
 
 Her eyes, like twin stars, shone and sparkled with 
 
 lustre ; 
 Her tresses hung waving in many a cluster, 
 And swept the long grass all around and beneath her ; 
 She moved like a being who trod upon ether, 
 And seemed to disdain the dominions of space — 
 Such beauty and majesty, glory and grace, 
 So faultless a form, and so dazzling a face, 
 And ringlets so shining, so many and golden, 
 Were never beheld since the storied years olden. 
 
 Alas, that this damsel, so noble and queenly, 
 
 Who spake, and who looked, and who moved so serenely, 
 
 Should languish in woe, that her throne should have 
 
 crumbled ; 
 Her haughty oppressors abiding unhumbled. 
 O ! woe that she cannot with horsemen and swords, 
 With fleets and with armies, with chieftains and lords, 
 Chase forth from the isle the vile Sassenach hordes. 
 Who too long in their hatred have trodden us under, 
 And wasted green Eire with slaughter and plunder ! 
 
 She hath studied God's Gospels, and Truth's divine 
 
 The tales of the Druids, and lays of old sages ; 
 
 She hath quaffed the pure wave of the fountain Pierian, 
 
 And is versed in the wars of the Trojan and Tyrian ; 
 
 So gentle, so modest, so artless and mild, 
 
 The wisest of women, yet meek as a child ; 
 
 She pours forth her spirit in speech undefiled ; 
 
 But her bosom is pierced, and her soul hath been 
 
 shaken, 
 To see herself left so forlorn and forsaken ! 
 
 <f O, maiden !" so spake I, "thou best and divinest, 
 
 Thou, who as a sun in thy loveliness shinest, 
 
 Who art thou, and whence ? — and what land dost thou 
 
 dwell in ? 
 Say, art thou fair Deirdre, or canst thou be Helen ?" 
 
104 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 4>'1*|lfc45dflt 4i) biiuji)i)joll 4 T)-T)l)5t)b 541) rijdj*o, 
 N4c uitne 'óuj'c njjfe 'i)ori% bujnje i)4 'o-'cjieo/i) ; 
 4)o b4r545, ^ njille^s, t>o cuj]te45, T^it ^eoi|i, 
 le *D4lU, le x>4jUe, le bujle í)4 5-cdb4c, 
 4)o ti)4l4|i'C4i5 ti)ire ler T>ujrje 5411 cdrij?03ur. 
 
 >T 5AIWO 5U|i 4O0TJ4J5 41) Phoenix 4fi )t)riT)T;, 
 
 4)o t4b4|fC4 364^4 1)4 t>éj5 tW 'oo bjt> ^uji) ; 
 
 30 bl4fD4, 50 bé4T4C, 50 1)64*54, 50 T)40jt>e41)'04, 
 
 3ttfi b'4)r))n) -D) Bjjie boc/c ! cé)le r)4 S , cjob4ji'G ; 
 
 215 / c|te4T5A|xn4c, bfiur5Ufxi)4c, 'G)iib4jrDe4c, 'o'fieojl, 
 
 4)4n) 5e4|t]t4'ó, t>4ií) )te4'ó, T)4Ti) cfiejnje, T>4ti) 'óedl,* 
 
 3o '0-5454)5 4TTj co)i)i)e le cuii)4i), ri)o rcójt ! 
 
 4)o le45^4r, x)0 btiirwor, A i)-'oll3*ll> 'r ^5-cdri)4C'C4, 
 
 4)o fe4lb4)t> )oi)4T> it)o clo)t)i)e le ^ditr^! 
 
 ^O^r C4|t41-D 'OUJ'G Sé4]ttUT H)4C Sl)é41t)Ujr> 4 Kl054)T), 
 )r341M"D50 'O-T^JIWÓ ^fl TJlté4T)TT)U]|l 4T5 CO)tt)- 
 
 T>e4C-c ; 
 te 54r4|i4'ó 5lé)ti-C4t4ib 540-Ó4UÓ, x>e)5-5i))0ii)4C, 
 2I5 re4lb4'ó T)0 fléjb'GjD, T>o co)iij'c)b, 'r *oo cojll/Gjb, 
 2I5 < cite4T54]it'c 54t) ciiujrle te < cu)i)ri)e4C'c 1)4 
 
 'S 43 TJ4T54X) 1)4 T>|io)i)5e T>'tít13 rwje T4i) n)-b|idi) ! 
 3o 3-C4)t^o|i, 50 3-ctu)i)^)ori, le ?u)i)i))oii) 1)4 rlo5, 
 21 5-c4'ó|X4C4)b cun)4ir 'cá xmjVce t>o f eo)T>)b, 
 
 4)0 t4b4)|VG 4fl C0)Tl))11C T>0 CUtl)4)l)l) 'X ^ c'jtd)!)- 
 
 í)e4é. 
 
 * Since the arrival of the English, in 1169, the native Irish have 
 suffered much for political and religious offences. They have been 
 massacred (Leland), tortured (Leland), starved to death (Leland), 
 burned (Castlehaven), broiled (Carte), flayed alive (Barrington), 
 sold to slavery (Lynch), compelled to commit suicide (Borlase), 
 and to eat human flesh (Moryson). In one century their properties 
 were four times confiscated (Leland). They were forbidden to re- 
 
OF MUNSTER. 105 
 
 And thus she made answer — " What ! dost thou not see 
 The nurse of the Chieftains of Eire in me — 
 The heroes of Banba, the valiant and free ? 
 I was great in my time, ere the Gall* became stronger 
 Than the Gael, and my sceptre passed o'er to the 
 Wronger ! " 
 
 Thereafter she told me, with bitter lamenting, 
 A story of sorrow beyond all inventing — 
 Her name was Fair Eire, the Mother of true hearts, 
 The daughter of Conn, and the spouse of the Stewarts. 
 She had suffered all woes, had been tortured and flayed, 
 Had been trodden and spoiled, been deceived and be- 
 trayed ; 
 But her Champion, she hoped, would soon come to her 
 
 aid, 
 And the insolent Tyrant who now was her master 
 Would then be o'erwhelmed by defeat and disaster ! 
 
 O, fear not, fair mourner ! — thy lord and thy lover, 
 Prince Charles, with his armies, will cross the seas over. 
 Once more, lo ! the Spirit of Liberty rallies 
 Aloft on thy mountains, and calls from thy valleys. 
 Thy children will rise and will take, one and all, 
 Revenge on the murderous tribes of the Gall, 
 And to thee shall return each renowned castle hall ; 
 And again thou shalt revel in plenty and treasure, 
 And the wealth of the land shall be thine without 
 measure. 
 
 ceive education at home or abroad (Irish Statutes). Their lan- 
 guage, dress, and religion, were proscribed (ibid.), and their murder 
 only punished by fine (ibid.) They were declared incapable of pos- 
 sessing any property, and, finally, compelled to pay large sums to 
 their worst oppressors (ibid.) 
 
 * Gaily the stranger ; Gaels, the native Irish. 
 
106 THE rOKTS AND POETRY 
 
 SU) 1*31)6 PljeSUmjR ) <DI)OJKNJN. 
 Voim) :— Slldb Vé)l|ii). 
 
 Slow. \jl-3:-4-j — L^-h v^^-A-i-x^^ y g T d.J L 
 
 3fgs 
 
 í>éii)n iion)t4. ■Gjtnii, 
 2t)4n t)4n ^5' 'D^n t)-^mi3 5 
 
 C4Jltl4?T> '1)4, Clj4|X, 
 
 'N4 t)e4C 4fi b]t ?401 c)o\) 4 nj-biuiJiijorij ! 
 BeiTDe^t) tt)6 'óu^ 4rn reW'ó, 
 Cl)or4r)'C4.'ó &x)X) 54c slwó 
 
 21 lile n)4fi 5ti]4i) 45 é)it5)^e. 
 
 ^t)l)4|lB^4ir)l) 'ÓUI'G Tl)4|t bj4T>, 
 2ll) 'C0flC-4ll4'Ó '5Uf 4t) VIAt), 
 
 'S T>é4T)?4JT) C4t4J|X t>UJT; T>0 ? 1} tl4Tl-C]t40- 
 ^415 • 
 
OF MUNSTER. 
 
 107 
 
 PETER O'DORNIN'S COURTSHIP. 
 
 Air :— " The Hill of Feilim." 
 
 Sliabh Feilim (the Hill of Feilim, from which this song takes it* 
 name) is the largest of a group of hills situated about two and a-half 
 miles north-west of the parochial chapel of Kilcommon, partly in the 
 parish of Abington, in the barony of Owney and Arra ; and partly in 
 the parish of Dolla, barony of Upper Ormond, in the county of Tip- 
 perary. It rises 1783 feet above the level of the ocean. On the top 
 of it is a curious conical-shaped pile of stones, of the slate kind, about 
 forty feet in height. Its first name was Sliabh Eibhlin, from Eibhle, 
 the son of Breogan, one of the forty chiefs who came to be avenged 
 for the death of Ith, as is recorded in the eighth verse of a poem in 
 the Leabhar Leacan (Book of Leacan, col. L, fol. 288, beginning 
 Seacht mic Breogain, &c. (Seven Sons of Breogan, &c.) 
 
 Within the last twenty years several urns, containing bones, were 
 discovered by a peasant named Tierney, near a Leaba Dhiarmuid 's 
 Ghrainne (the bed of Diarmuid and Grainne), on the townland of 
 Knockeravoola, parish of Upperchurch, about four miles east of this 
 mountain. 
 
 Sliabh Feilim is now called Mathair Sleibhe (z. e., Mother, or 
 Parent mountain), from the fact of its being the largest of the sur- 
 rounding hills, on which also are many Crom Leacs now to be seen. 
 At Ahon Mor, there is a Crom Leac. At Cnocshanbrittas, there 
 are two Crom Leacs, and a Giant's grave. At Logbrack, a Leaba 
 Dhiarmuid 's Ghrainne. At Cnoc na Banshee, a Crom Leac and 
 pillar stone. At Grainiva, a Crom Leac, 
 
 Maid of the golden hair ! 
 Will you with me repair 
 
 To the brow of the Hill of Feilim? 
 Whither we go shall know 
 Neither a friend nor foe, 
 
 Nor mortal being nor fairy — 
 I'll guard and shield you there, 
 I'll banish from you all care, 
 
 O, Lily, that shine so paly 
 I'll slay for you the deer, 
 And for you, my love, 111 rear 
 
 A bower of roses daily ! 
 
JOS THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 434 ■D-céj5lí)-ri le^T; r)4|i, 
 3o tjaUíí) rH tt)-B)tj4r) ; 
 
 jr J4-D rt)o ri^crjaj-o bej-ó'nj -6)4)5 5° tnujita! 
 
 NjOfl 4jbj*Ó T1)0 C)4ll, 
 
 N'joji b-^e4r^c t>4n) )t)4rij, 
 
 Ce4i)t)4C T)4 T>)Ol T>0 -0641)411) ! 
 
 B'olc 4fi rj-sno-o 4)t f l)4b 
 TPe)l)rt), 54t) b)4T>. 
 
 WW) 4 b-^454Tt)40)r 4C-0 ^4-0 ^)0'Ób4 ! 
 Cl)U)|X^)t) 4 ^^404-0 )lJ4ri], 
 
 3o r)-50)lT1^ H)0 tit)4ll, 
 
 Sul 4 5-cdrt)T)it)5)i)i) 4i)T) bl)454)í) -co Uetjb'l 
 
 21 cujrle ! '5iir 4. r^o|t ! 
 N4 cejpjj'ó 50 -ceo, 
 
 Sit) y4)T) n)4)ji?1or tt)0 rt)dri-lé)5)0T) l)orrj, 
 )r 'OC4T ^o cujjtfjrj b|tÓ5, 
 ? S cuUjt T>o't) T;-ritdU, 
 
 'S 4T ^^^411)4-0 4)1 54C V 0)1X5 T40)l tt)e. 
 
 Crju)fi);jr) loi)5 'Dtii'c y40) f edl, 
 
 Nf l e4l4-Ó4T) T>41t) T)4C CO I, 
 
 Be454t) -dj 4)i T>d)t 4 'óé4í)4rr| ; 
 'S i)4 ce)ri))t>-ri 50 T>ed, 
 
 30 TVCUiT^-O 0)l)l4)t)t) bfldt), 
 
 2l)t Ti)ull4)c rlé)b rt)d)t Téil)tt) ! 
 
 O t4)tl4)'D 50 b-)5U)l TJÚ r / CU4U)4)'Ó, 
 21)1 54C e4l4-Ó4t) T>4 5-CU4l4)t 9 
 
 )r é ti)e4r4)íi)-ri 5^)1 cluajt) ^rjujriir^c ! * 
 Cl)U))t < fe4'ó 0)in) t>4 t)-5lu4irw> 
 te4T; -oo'r) t;))i ut yw&Xi 
 
 9X b-^T) O It)' CU4))fD Tf))0r^t. 
 
 A Momonian trick. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 109 
 
 Could you give me your plighted hand, 
 And lead me to Brian's land, 
 
 'Tis my kin that would be wailing ! 
 For knowledge of worldly ways 
 I merit but slender praise — 
 
 I am always falling and failing. 
 Sad, should we fare on the hill 
 With nothing to cook or kill — 
 
 Though I never much fancied railing, 
 I should bitterly curse my fate 
 To stop there early and late 
 
 In trouble for what I was ailing. 
 
 My Cuisle,* my life and soul, 
 Give up your heart's deep dole ! 
 
 For nought shall trouble or ail you — 
 'Tis neatly I'd make full soon 
 For you silk dresses and shoon, 
 
 And build you a ship to sail in. 
 There's not a trade in the land 
 But I thoroughly understand — 
 
 And I see its mystery plainly ; 
 So, never at all suppose 
 That lives like ours would close 
 
 On the brow of the Hill of Feilim ! 
 
 O ! cajoler from the South, 
 
 'Tis you have the girl-winning mouth ! 
 
 Momonia's arts are no fable ! 
 Long, long, I fear, should I rue 
 My journey to Munster with you 
 
 Ere the honeymoon were waning 
 
 * Cuisle, pulse. Cvisle mo chroidhe, Pulse of my heart, 
 
110 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 l\)o tubulin 6 tuajfijTt), 
 2lrj b4jle u-D 4 b-fU4jrifr, 
 
 ( 2i)^icn4r 34 n ^itdc*;, 'r A0)bi)e4r, 
 
 B'^e4|t|t tuut) ?ujrie4c iuijt; 
 21 rj-4jce \)& 5-C|tU4cl), 
 
 'N4 beji; 45 yi\\e4t> drr)' jiu4J5 t>jorrj40jrj ! 
 
 2i cujrle ! '5ur 4 rcójt, 
 )t x>eire ?4 t>o, 
 
 N4 jHfe/e?i le'fi ledt)4'ó 4t) 'GjtéjH-t^fi 1 
 5ti|t b?rjrje Ijort) 50 trjdri, 
 'Nri4jri clti]T)irt) 3116 t>o bedl, 
 
 "No t^it)iie4'ó do tried]! 4fi £é4T>4jb. 
 T3ri]4ll l)orr) 4t)r)-t4 rid'D ? 
 N4 T u ^5 **)& ^ rrj-bridr) ! 
 
 21 Ijle, 'r 3U]t t;u bjieoj'ó 'r bii4]V rrje ! 
 obe4b4)ix iti)i|ic 45iir dl, 
 <t)o 1x054 'oo't) u?le rdjvc, 
 
 2lri ítjtilUic y\é?ó trjdri ^éjljrt) ! 
 
 T34 do 5e4ll4it)r)4'ó rid rijdri, 
 Le T)4 5-cdnr)llor)4'ó 50 Deo, 
 
 21 ji4T>4irie 5 briedit) 45ur bu4|t trje ! 
 JrwjVG 45ur dl, 
 2t)e4'ó4iri 45tir TPoriT;, 
 
 í)o grjOD^jD-ri, 't 'oo ttjdri-lé454t) ! 
 2t)4|i b)t) rrjjre ]tó 05, 
 
 B4 Tr)4lt 164T5 TT)e / G4b4iri'C, 
 
 21 b-*p4T> dít]' íi)dri-540^ó4l'G4j'ó ! 
 Jn]teúcn lean t4rj ridD, 
 2lt) 4jt; r)4c 4]6r)edc4jrj rje4c bed, 
 
 2lri trjulUjc rléjb rrjdri Téjljrrj ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. Ill 
 
 You would take me away from the sight 
 Of the village where day and night 
 
 They banqueted and regaled you. 
 Begone, deceiver, begone ! 
 I'll dwell by the CruacKs alone, 
 
 And not on the Hill of Feilim ! 
 
 My Quisle, my beaming star ! 
 Twice lovelier, sure, you are 
 
 Than Helen, of old so famous. 
 No music ever could reach 
 The melody of your speech, 
 
 So sweet it is and enchaining. 
 O ! hear me not so unmoved ! 
 O ! come with me, Beloved ! 
 
 ' Tis you, indeed, who have pained me ! 
 Your choice of every sort 
 Of banqueting and sport 
 
 You'll have on the Hill of Feilim ! 
 
 Ah ! no more of your promises, cheat ! 
 You tell me of things too sweet, 
 
 I know you want to betray me. 
 By pleasure, and mirth, and joy, 
 Ah ! though you seem but a boy, 
 
 Your learning would soon waylay me ! 
 Because I am innocent and young, 
 You have wheedled me with your tongue 
 
 Afar from those who would claim me, 
 To travel with you the road 
 Where I'd know no soul or abode 
 
 To the summit of the Hill of Feilim ! 
 
112 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2t b|tU)T)r)10ll 5AT) pi)U4J'D, 
 
 N4|t TtieAlU-o le clu4)i), 
 
 21 fieAl'C-edUir nw 5jij4ij 45 6^31^ ! 
 ob^tMir 1 Tl)e4'D-d)lt 4|l T)-T;úir, 
 Séjr 541) cúri)4T), 
 
 le 54'ó4it-co)T) cjujt), béjl-fyi)t). 
 
 B)4)-Ó T) , e4Cíl4)'Ó 4|l lÚ)*, 
 164^4 CUtl) rjúb4jl, 
 
 Cljuti) 564^41-06 54c <t>UTJ4 |l40b4'Ó ; 
 te \)-4)r>)oy 'o&x) cúix, 
 
 Le ^|t4T4)T) C40J1), 'OÍíLjTZ, 
 
 2ifi TutjrDJOfi 50 T>ú)tce Tbéjljn) ! 
 
 21 ciU)t)-Ti)4tiC4i3 réirt), 
 )r T)e4rb-TT)eói)4c, néJ3, 
 
 21 C4tjrj4r t>o céjrt) IjorijT^ ? 
 <t>4 5-cluir)?e4'ó 41) cléjji, 
 3o íí)-bi4'6n)40]r 4 3-céjtj, 
 
 S54ti^4it>e d céjle 4 it40t) r7T)T) i 
 2t)4 < c)5e4'ó T;ur4 4 3-céjrj, 
 le ):e4b4r *do n)6\i-lé)^r) 9 
 
 *5\)e4)ó&)\i cujrij'Deac'G d't) 5-cléjfi i) Aorijrat ; 
 Bi4i*ó it)jre lioitj ?éjr) 
 'S íí)o n)4Cí)4]'ó 5411 Tté^tT), 
 
 2I5 ?jlle4T> ? r ti)é 'tt) 40i)4|x coi'óce ! 
 
 21 cw)x\e |tú)t) njo clé)b, 
 tU ceirWD 50 l)-é45, 
 
 5o &-?}lty:»<s 75Ú te4t; ?éjt) 4t> ?;-40T)4fi ! 
 51)e4b4iti cui'oe4C'G4 ó'i) 5-clé)ii, 
 
 BHlt) T5U 4 5-CUTT)41)l) í)4 T)40TTJ, 
 
 'S i)i l)-e454l 'duj'g céiri) 'dííjvgait) l 
 01)4 ctiei'oioi) 75U Tí)0 T5é4l, 
 )X nd-5e4Ti]t 50 tij-béj'ójn, 
 
 'S 'oo rt)4Cí)4i'ó 4|t |ié)rt) iy\ox\)x&t ; 
 21ji e4C]X4i'ó cjuji) réjri), 
 
 215 btl0fDÚ54'D T>0 CU)T> 54TD4ÍI, 
 
 2t)4|X P«m 4|l f lj4B J^«* 
 
OF MUNSTER. 113 
 
 O ! Damsel, O, purest one ! 
 O ! morning star like the sun ! 
 
 No soul could mean you betrayal ! 
 You will know all pleasures on earth — 
 We'll revel in music and mirth, 
 
 And follow the chase unfailing ! 
 All over the neighbouring ground 
 You will spur your palfreys round, 
 
 The nobles on all sides hailing ! 
 As happy as the Blest you'll be, 
 And pleasantly live with me 
 
 For your visit to the Hill of Feilim ! 
 
 O ! Cavalier, meek and brave ! 
 Of mind so noble and suave ! 
 
 Have you, then, no fear as a layman ? 
 If here we plighted our troth, 
 By the Church we should speedily both 
 
 Be brought to the chancel's railing! 
 Yet, still, if you leave me alone, 
 And depart to another zone, 
 
 "Where your learning will glow so flaming, 
 I cannot but weep and mourn 
 For I never shall see you return 
 
 To the pleasant high Hill of Feilim ! 
 
 O ! Pulse and Life of my soul, 
 Abandon your ceaseless dole, 
 
 You'll never be left a-wailing ; 
 Our priests and the saints of Heaven 
 Will never behold you bereaven, 
 
 So fear not slander or fables. 
 O ! only believe my tale, 
 And you, of the race of the Gael, 
 
 Will again rise proud and famous — 
 You shall gallop on bounding steeds 
 Over hills and dells and meads, 
 
 As the heroines of olden ages. 
 
114 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 N4C nje bejt> nfjllce 30 T>ed, 
 
 <t)o i)e4ri)-ce4'D n)o tí)ó|x-540'ó41t;4'ó ; 
 54t) C4p4ll, 54T) bd, 
 
 34t) cir-oe, 34r) r^on, 
 
 21ct> be454i) be45 'oo Wl) 64*0415 ; 
 
 54t) C4]t41T) 4TÍ) COJJt, 
 < tt)4J'DJOt) T)4 TJOJ1), 
 
 'S r;ur4 bejc 4|t 4t) i)dr cé4T>í)4 ; 
 Nu4i]t 4 c]tuií)í)edó4'ó 41) ceo, 
 T3uj'C):jTt))'o 4 Ttj-bjiot), 
 
 2lji rijulUc ríéjb n)djt Téjljri) ! 
 
 21 con) re4t)5 réjrt), 
 2lt) íl|i-c|io)'óe 11675, 
 
 K115 b4]t|i 4]t 4i) r^054l le ctiior)tj4CC ; 
 
 )X l64T)b4t> 4T) ?0C4l béjl 5 
 9X ce4T)54l^4T) tJT)l) 4 |t40T), 
 
 N4Ó b- < f45^4)'óe 50 l)-é45 4ji r540jle4'ó 
 Nf I 4or) Tie4ó ?40j 'rj T)-5itéw, 
 
 N4C b-^454t) CÍÍ 4T) é4T>4T), 
 
 2t)d|t-cui'o t>4 írjéjrjr) rSNob^ ; 
 2l)t|te4r otic t>4 íi}-béj'óe4'D, 
 
 30 T>-'GJOC?4'Ó 41) C-é43, 
 
 TPU4T541IG ox>' péiT)t) ill b- , |p434'6 ZU ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 115 
 
 But, woe is me ! if I leave 
 My kindred at home to grieve 
 
 'Tis bitterly they will blame me ! 
 O ! what a fate will be mine, 
 Without gold, or gear, or kine, 
 
 Or a single friend to stay me ! 
 And you, too, night and morn, 
 Would meet but Poverty and Scorn. 
 
 When it came on dark and rainy 
 Oh ! where should we find a friend — 
 Our sorrows would never end 
 
 On the brow of the Hill of Feilim ! 
 
 Mild maid of the slender Waist — 
 Chaste girl of Truth and Taste, 
 
 Excelling all other maidens, 
 What a few sweet Words of Life 
 Would make us man and wife, 
 
 With happiness never waning ! 
 I gaze on your lovely brow, 
 And from Eve's bright day till now 
 
 The soul shines out in the features. 
 O ! only take me as yours, 
 And as long as Life endures 
 
 My Love, it is you shall sway me ! 
 
116 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 WOmn NJ Ci)UJUJOtW2lJN. 
 
 TjA T34tt)4l 'oub 'r ceo 'D|i40)'óe4C'G', 
 Í44 c<53ipui5e41t 50 bituitii)' 4rj b^r;' ! 
 
 Sim re4itdí)T) t4wrw3> t#o-óioiiji),i 
 
 O fed)l CKJOS4) 4t) fUijiioiiT) rn)4)l:- 
 
 T^tfl T^4T4)b T1)4tl4 45 < GdfUl)3e4C'G, 
 
 le 3leó-clo)'ó)ri) x>o cu)ti 4|i ?434t) • 
 2lji rj-T)]t454)í) ii)e4jt4, ti)ó|i-biii'óe4r), 
 O 2t)l)d)]X)T) N) CÍ)UiUioi)D4ii) - 
 
 < D'e4T34'ó 4t) pe4C4X), ?4-tiíoji! 
 
 í)o f eo)l r1i)T) ?40j 'ól)5'cjb i)4ri)4T> ; 
 o4i) ?l4t4t 21)11^ 45 pdjx 5^o)'óe4l ; 
 
 541) reOI'D ptl)T)T), 341) CJOÍ), 54I) 4)|VD ! 
 
 'S 54c b4tUc b|i4C4C, bedl-bu)-óe, 
 
 Í>o'T) CO)p C]t)01) T50 tlUlt T34TI r4)l, 
 
 21 3-ce4t)T)4r rl4)t, 'T 4 5-cdjTi)t)5e4r, 
 le ^t)d)ix)t) Ni Cbu)U)oi)i)4)t) ! 
 
 4)0 X)e4|lC4r T)e4C 4]t Óld 't) 40)1, 
 
 4)o ttd-t)i)i) d T)64íi) 4ti) t34)1 ; 
 'S T>'4it|i)r 'OAtrj 50 bedl-bfat), 
 
 54T) lld-TT)0)U 30 'O-'GUJ'GJ'Ó pl4)5 : — 
 2i)|t Amsterdam T)4 redl rl)tt)> 
 
 2ln Sbedt) ST5)4llt 'T *|t Pblllb S4)ll, 
 'S T)4fi b-?4T>4 ce4|fc t)4 Sedjftrj'ce, 
 
 2t)ji 2t)l)diit)T) Nj Cbu)U)or)T)4)rj ! 
 
 * I copied this song from a MS. of 1732, now in the possession cf 
 Sir William Betham. 
 
 f Seon Stiall (John Steele), Pilib Saill (Philip Sail), two ob- 
 noxious characters. 
 
OF MUNSTER. H7 
 
 MOIRIN NI CHUILLIONNAIN. 
 
 A gloomsome cloud of trouble, 
 
 A strange, dark, Druidic mist, 
 Lowers o'er Fail * the noble, 
 
 And will while Earth and Time exist. 
 Across the heaving billows 
 
 Came slaughter in the wake of Man* — 
 Then bent our Chiefs like willows, 
 
 And fled Moirin Ni Chuillionnain ! 
 
 Alas ! our sad transgressions 
 
 First brought us under Saxon sway, 
 The power and the possessions 
 
 Of Eire are the Guelphs' to-day. 
 The churls who crossed the surges 
 
 Six ages back, and overran 
 Our isle, are still the scourges 
 
 Of mild Moirin Ni Chuillionnain ! 
 
 I saw, in sleep, an Angel 
 
 Who came, downward, from the moon, 
 And told me that some strange ill 
 
 Would overtake the Dutchman soon. 
 On Amsterdam's dammed city 
 
 On Steele and Sail their lies a ban ; 
 'Tis God, not George, can pity 
 
 Our poor Moirin Ni Chuillionnain ! 
 
 Innisfail, one of the names of Ireland — the Isle of Destiny. 
 
118 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21JSIJN5 Cl)ONC1)UBí)2iJK UJ KJOR<D?iJR 
 
 Vot)t) : — 2lt) Spe4l4-oajfi. 
 
 Moderately ^ 
 Slow. 
 
 ^ujB l rrffflgggi 
 
 pto^wgag g 
 
 ^Ts 
 
 S 
 
 [j i jiJjJjW-vrtTI 
 
 V^ 
 
 Slit) tin)ciolUiB r^054il ; 
 
 O K4t lOJjtC* Tí]té 54C 4C4J14T), 
 
 30 Uoj-f nujfcf 4 i)-6ir5 ; 
 
 5o < o-c4tiUi < ó 4 T)-540iit4T) 5le4t)t)4 sUm 
 N4 B-);e4'ól)4 116)75 t)4ji cjt4p4)3T;e, 
 B4 tJ|te45t4X) T5é)TT) t>4 t>-?e4C4'ó-r4, 
 <be eojltejB í)4 5-c|i4ob ! 
 
 * Rath Loire, Charleville. 
 
OF MTJNSTER. 119 
 
 CONOR O'RIORDAN'S VISION. 
 
 Air : — "The Mower** 
 
 Conor O'Riordan, author of this song, was a native of West Mus- 
 kerry (Muscraidhe), in the county of Cork, and flourished a. d. 1760. 
 He followed the occupation of parish schoolmaster in his native dis- 
 trict, whence he obtained the appellation of " Conchubhar Maister " 
 (Conor Master), by which he is better known at this day, and from 
 which many of his compositions, current among the peasantry of 
 Cork, take their name. He had a son named Peter, who " lisped 
 in numbers," but not with that inspiration which fired the father's 
 poetic muse. He followed the profession of his father, and went 
 by the name of Peadair Maister (Peter Master), but we cannot tell 
 when, or where, either of the Riordans closed his earthly career. 
 
 The present song is adapted to the air of a pleasing pastoral love 
 ballad of great beauty, very popular in the south, of which the 
 following is the first stanza : — 
 
 " Ata paircin bheag agamsa, 
 
 Do bhan, mhin, reigh ; 
 Gan cladh, gan fal, gan falla lei, 
 
 Achd a h-aghaidh ar an saoghal ; 
 Spealadoir do ghlacfainn-si, 
 Ar task no d'reir an acradh, 
 Be aco sud do b'fearr leis, 
 
 No padh an aghadh an lae." 
 
 " A little field I have got, 
 
 Of smooth meadowy lea ; 
 Without a hedge, a wall, or fence, 
 
 But exposed to the breeze ; 
 A mower I would hire on task, 
 Or by the acre, if it pleased him best, 
 Or if either would suit him not, 
 
 I'd pay him by the day." 
 
 Once I strayed from Charleville, 
 As careless as could be ; 
 
 I wandered over plain and hill, 
 Until I reached the Lee — 
 
 And there I found a flowery dell 
 
 Of a beauty rare to tell, 
 
 With woods around as rich in swell 
 As eye shall ever see. 
 
 f Laoi-Shruith. The river Lee. 
 
120 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 34j|t 4fl 3é434lb C4l)'C4T)T)4'Ó, 
 
 B4 Bjijij, n))oc4)|i, réir ; 
 
 B|te45C4C'c r3^)") 5 *r '04'C4T)ii4'ó, 
 21 ft 54c ít)]oí)-41g xje'n t^4|t ; 
 luce p4ire, péjwe, 'r pe4TjTi4i*oe, 
 3e4ti|tt4-ó cfitUd'c, 'r 34U|1415; 
 
 21 3-C4T 50 T>-'CÍ5e4'D 4|l X5e4|l , Tt)4'0, 
 le l)-40}Blie4r 1)4 T)-é4T). 
 
 í>0 t^jlUl-D T;40n) T>4 'De4r54'D t>4TTJ, 
 
 le'|i f 1ne4r 50 ^40T) ! 
 
 Jr 3^4Tin 5un émsi^ 4iriw3 ^nj, 
 
 le'|t bjo3ur ^4|t éjr, 
 Z>\)ámró Jié^lvút} n)4ll4-]t0)r3, 
 
 B4 c4bl4C, CJ140b4C, 04^04-^011^; 
 'S p4iroe C40C T)4 l)-4]Ce 'CJ, 
 4)0 TT)e4lli:4C 4T) T40341 ! 
 
 Jr 3n4-óri)4it, réjrij, *oo be4T)t)4/'ó ^nj, 
 2lr) ctinji)T)-5ioll4'ó C4oc ! 
 
 'S 4 Urrj 5U]t léi3 4]t 4|iTt)4ib, 
 2lrj ltlt)-co]l5 5é4]t ! 
 
 t)0 ]t4l-0 41) belt 50 C4JfC4T)l)4C, 
 
 Cuji 'De4itt)4'ó f4e T)4 ce4l'54ib ; 
 3fi4ii) n)o cléjb 4 'ó4]t'C4i|ie, 
 
 2l|t T>0 f41364'D4)b, T)4 T>éjt) ? 
 
 21 5tt4t>, 4 1405, 'r 4 C4|ttl41T) CUtt)41l1t), 
 
 <t>)05ii4ir tt\o cléjb ! 
 N4 r^3 rt)é íi-é45n)4ir T3-4ii)jfi)e, 
 
 te b-íwni)^ ^n b-éir '- 
 
 4)4111-0 6ijie 'r B4Tib4, 
 CUfi lojjtc 6ibe4íi 34iitnii'o, 
 Cé 9 vÁirt)xe T>'éjr tj4 b-re4it]t4-coíi, 
 54T) cuinitie4t) ! 54T) céill ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 121 
 
 Wild birds warbled in their bower 
 
 Songs passing soft and sweet ; 
 And brilliant hues adorned each flower 
 
 That bloomed beneath my feet. 
 All sickness, feebleness, and pain, 
 The wounded heart and tortured brain 
 "Would vanish, ne'er to come again, 
 
 In that serene retreat ! 
 
 Lying in my lonely lair, 
 
 In sleep medreamt I saw 
 A damsel wonderfully fair, 
 
 Whose beauty waked my awe. 
 Her eyes were lustrous to behold, 
 Her tresses shone like flowing gold. 
 And nigh her stood that urchin bold — 
 
 Young Love, who gives Earth law ! 
 
 The Boy drew near me, smiled and laughed, 
 
 And from his quiver drew 
 A delicately pointed shaft 
 
 Whose mission I well knew ; 
 But that bright maiden raised her hand, 
 And in a tone of high command 
 Exclaimed, " Forbear ! put up your brand, 
 
 He hath not come to woo !" 
 
 "Damsel of the queenly brow," 
 I spake, " my life, my love, 
 What name, I pray thee, bearest thou 
 
 Here or in Heaven above ?" 
 — "Banba and Eire am I called, 
 And Heber's kingdom, now enthralled, 
 I mourn my heroes fetter-galled, 
 While all alone I rove !" 
 
122 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Jr 5eam* 3U|i ej|i31*> re4i)'Ó4r, 
 4y4ji 3-coir)T5)i)n a fi40ij ; 
 
 213 CaT4Tt) 'CjtéA'D 1)4 jl41)t)4 TWlt, 
 <t>4 IJ-'OÍOJ^ 4T 41) T40341,* 
 
 o^n n\iAtv 4]t T5é4t, 1)4 e4c / Git4T>, 
 
 2lCD Cl4fl4 ?40b4)tl 't TPCaUl^'Ó, 
 B4l)'G4 ]téjT> ^UT 4C4]t4)1)1), 
 
 'S )t)»)r^4C4'ó ^é)]t ! 
 
 C4 '34tt) r3^4l le l)-4)tti)r, 
 
 'S )i)rfHJ 'OUj'G é ; 
 3ufi 3e4]iit 30 ^é)3^e4'ó 4í) 'G-?i'C4iti-2t)b4C, 
 
 í)e 3e)rijle4C4)b Saot^jl ; 
 C4 34]t'D4 Uoc ?4 4|tnj4)b, 
 
 30 T>4l)4 43 T^CT? -C4JI ?4jji5e, 
 Nj 34x> x>jb < cé4jin)4'D 4ji T;4l4ri)4jb, 
 'S 1)4 coji^rijj'ó dúji lé)f? 
 
 Beit> 14 raijt éjr 30 b-4)6]te4c 
 
 213 T>40ji)jb i)4 5-cUoij ! 
 21^40X3, lé)*e4c-c, cit4jpjt>T;e4C'G, 
 
 'S 011)1)1)640^ 4 -cé4C^ ! 
 
 2li) b4r nwi cé)le Ie4pt4'ó 'c4, 
 
 'S 4T 3^1)4 31)6 41) P64C4T) 0|l|t4 ; 
 21 I4t4)|l <t)é 54C 4)1)^64]!^, 
 
 <t>4 i)-3i))on)4ixt4)b le 16434*6 ! 
 C4)Ti) cit4)*óx;e 45 bé4jiU'ó S43T4i)i)4C, 
 
 S41) T3)]l 4]t 34C ^40b ! 
 
 'S TjAvo i)4 340)T>ejl córij 54i)54)'oe4C, 
 
 'S 4 í)-)i)i)T;)i) )r cUoí) ! 
 I4i) x>o t|iéj5'cjb íi)4ll4)5te, 
 
 3^1) # c4b4C'C 4 IJ-'DéjJlC, 1)4 5-C4Jt'G41)1)4CT>, 
 
 'S 3ti4r4 toé 50 i)-x>e4jtii)4)'o, 
 te x>)05|X4)r 'oo't) -c-r^054l ! 
 
 * Here the poet laments the persecutions suffered by his brethren of 
 the bardic profession at this period ; because of the exposure which 
 they made of the delinquencies of state officials and men in authority, 
 
OF MUNSTER. 123 
 
 Together then in that sweet place 
 
 In saddest mood we spoke, 
 Lamenting much the valiant race 
 
 Who wear the exile's yoke, 
 And never hear aught glad or hlithe, 
 Nought but the sound of spade and scythe ; 
 And see nought but the willow withe, 
 
 Or gloomy grove of oak, 
 
 " But hear ! I have a tale to tell," 
 
 She said — " a cheering tale ; 
 The Lord of Heaven, I know full well, 
 
 Will soon set free the Gael. 
 A band of warriors, great and brave, 
 Are coming o'er the ocean-wave ; 
 And you shall hold the lands God gave 
 
 Your sires, both hill and vale. 
 
 "A woeful day, a dismal fate, 
 
 Will overtake your foes, 
 Grey hairs, the curses of deep hate, 
 
 And sickness and all woes ! 
 Death will bestride them in the night — 
 Their every hope shall meet with blight, 
 And God will put to utter flight 
 
 Their long-enjoyed repose ! 
 
 " My curse be on the Saxon tongue, 
 
 And on the Saxon race ! 
 Those foreign churls are proud and strong, 
 
 And venomous and base. 
 Absorbed in greed, and love of self, 
 They scorn the poor : — slaves of the Guelph, 
 They have no soul except for pelf. 
 
 God give them sore disgrace ! " 
 
 they were looked upon as the greatest evil the supreme power had to 
 contend with. 
 
124 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21N c\)\x)VF\))onn. 
 
 forjt) : — 2lt) C\)ú)Uy\))ox)\). 
 
 Moderately * A 
 Slow. 
 
 ^mm 
 
 3» 
 
 =3 
 
 ^-T^ 
 
 ±35 
 
 » 
 
 ^ 
 
 21 b-?4C4TD tju at) d)újl-froijt) 'r 1 45 TJÚb4l 4tl 1}4 
 
 bdjtjie, 
 2t)41T)10l) 364l T>JIÍÍCT;4 'r 34TJ t^ú'C 4JI 4 btio34 ; 
 )X lotqibu. Ó54t)4c rúl-5Ur 45 vx)uv le í pdf4'ó, 
 
 2IC'D TJ) b-^454'0 tK'O tt)0 ltúl)-r4 4]t 4T) 5-CÚr)ZAT 1X 
 
 T>6)t led. 
 
 21 b->?4C4'ó -cú tt)o b4b4tj, 14 bjie45 Y 1 1)4 1)-40T)4fi, 
 21 cul t>u4Uc, 'Ofijr-le4?)4c, 30 rljT)t)e4t) riot léjte ; 
 2D) I 4ji 4i) dj5-be4Tj, 'y fidr bfie45 t)4 l)-é4T>4t), 
 'S 4r 'odjt le 54c rPNor4ii 3Uji le4t)4i) lejr ?éw 1 ! 
 
 21 b->:4C4'ó t;ú n)o rpéjtibe4t) 'r 1 'GAob le^r 4T) t>ojt)ij, 
 TP4ir)T)1'óe djfi 4]t 4 Tt)é4fi4ib Y 1 jtéj'ó'Gjoc 4 cjtjí) ; 
 
 )y é 'OÚb4JTVG 4t) P40J14C bí'Ó 'í}4 ÍT)40fl 4|t 41) lojí)5, 
 
 5o n)'íe4jtit lejr 4?5e féji) ), 't)4 6me 34?) itojí)í) ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 125 
 
 THE CUILFHION. 
 
 The Cooluti, or Cut fionn, literally means The maiden of the fair 
 flowing locks. In Hardiman's " Irish Minstrelsy," vol. i. p. 251, 
 will be found another version of this song in six stanzas, with a 
 translation by Thomas Furlong, the original of which has been attri- 
 buted to Maurice O'Dugan (Muiris Ua Duagain), an Irish bard who 
 lived near Benburb, in the county of Tyrone, about the middle of the 
 seventeenth century, but is probably of much greater antiquity. 
 
 The air of this song is by many esteemed the finest in the whole 
 circle of Irish music, and to it Moore has adapted his beautiful 
 melody " Though the last glimpse of Erin with sorrow I see." 
 
 The three stanzas here given are all that we have been able to 
 procure, after a diligent search in Munster, where our version is in the 
 hands of every peasant who has any pretensions to being a good 
 
 Have you e'er seen the Cuilfhion when daylight's de- 
 clining, 
 
 With sweet fairy features, and shoes brightly shining ? 
 
 Though many's the youth her blue eyes have left 
 pining, 
 
 She slights them, for all their soft sighing and whining. 
 
 Have you e'er on a summer's day, wandering over 
 The hills, O, young man, met my beautiful rover ? 
 Sun-bright is the neck that her golden locks cover — 
 Yet each paltry creature thinks she is his lover ! 
 
 Have you e'er seen my Fair, on the strand, in her 
 
 bower, 
 With gold-ringed hands, culling flower after flower 1 
 O ! nobly he said it, brave Admiral Power, 
 That her hand was worth more than all Eire for dower. 
 
126 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 11)0) KJN N) C1)UJUJQNtNmjR 
 
 Z>on)Ár njejc Coj'Gjji, ccc. 
 
 Cj4 b-1 4i) be4T) ! i)d 4i) e<5l T>]b, 
 í)o r^oUi'óeA'ó 4T)0)r 4tf) Ujrij ? 
 
 Cb^3 CJ4ÍI TJ4 b-fe4|l 4Jfl ti)dti-b40jr, 
 B4 T>0J5 ljt)T) TJ4C < C)OC)541'D flai) I — 
 
 3ldT)-bl4'D '5Ur re4]XC 1)4 l)-05 j, 
 
 'S r'coji-cjxo^e 54c T)-T>uji)e 4t) b4b, 
 
 3^4l-3tl14t) TJ4 tt)-b4t) 41lt Id j, 
 
 2t)djjxíí) N) Cl)U)lliot)Ti4)r) ! 
 
 X4 " Sll^Aflie C4'Ó4 ,, * 4)ti 'oed|i4i'óe4C'c, 
 
 S411 6d|iuip ?4 cort)4]|ic c4jcb : 
 Í>o*í) gti^ti-^uil 2llb4i) n)d|i-|i)05, 
 
 '3ur ror, i)i tt-wi Tuii n r^nn ;— 
 
 S4T) nj-bl^^ii) ]te ?e4r i)4C 'odjt Ifai), 
 Bej'ó't) , qtj4'é-TJ < ce4C'G 45 vówseAcz, 
 
 2im iPftftnifl Ni cbuiUjoi)i)4ii) '. 
 
 BeiTf) 'n KioJ-tUi* 45U)T)i) pdrc>4, 
 
 34T) Ti)dn-nioill 1 i)-)i)i)ir-V4il ; 
 'S cl)4|i 45 , ce4C'G o't) Kdiri) lejr> 
 
 21 5-cdi]t suj-oe em<>i) bejt rUt) : — 
 
 <t>é4t)?4T> 4C-C 4T) Íí)dtl-5TIÍT)T) 5 
 
 2I5 'cditví5e4C'D 4jji éui'o í)4 ít)t)4 ; 
 'S í)í jawF^ 4073 -cití C , |ld)T)T)J'Óe,* . 
 
 le 2t)diit)i) Nj CÍ)Uillioi)i)4ii) ! 
 
 * Tri Coroinnidhe. Three Crowns, i. e., of Ireland, England, 
 and Scotland. 
 
OF MTJNSTER. 127 
 
 MOIRIN NI CHUILLIONNAIN. 
 
 BY THOMAS COTTER. 
 
 But who is she, the maiden, 
 
 Who crossed my path but even now ? 
 She leaves men sorrow-laden, 
 
 With saddest heart and darkest brow. 
 O ! who she is I'll tell you soon — 
 
 The pride of every Irishman — 
 Our heart, our soul, our sun, our moon — 
 
 Is she — Moirin Ni Chuillionnain. 
 
 A great and glorious warrior 
 
 Is now struggling fierce in fight — 
 And yet will burst the barrier 
 
 That severs Ireland from the light ! 
 He will combine each scattered host — 
 
 He will unite each creed and clan— - 
 Ah, yes ! we have a Queen to boast, 
 
 In our Moirin Ni Chuillionnain ! 
 
 Hurrah ! hurrah ! I see him come — 
 
 He comes to rescue Inisfail — 
 x\nd many myriad priests from Rome 
 
 WiJl aid him — for, he cannot fail ! 
 Search hamlets, villages, and towns, 
 
 Tempt all the best or worst you can, 
 But, ere twelve moons go by, Three Crowns 
 
 Will deck Moirin Ni Chuillionnain ! 
 
128 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21M BejNSJN tU2iC!)R?MM). 
 
 l^onn : — Bewri*) liwctwó. 
 
 Moderately 
 Slow. 
 
 ^B 
 
 31 
 
 TZ 
 
 Pip 
 
 iH 
 
 Dim. 
 
 
 B^g 
 
 JJjJt^ 
 
 Cres. 
 m.f.^ 
 
 
 Dim,- 
 m. /. 
 
 P Cres. 
 
 ^miíi±k é 
 
 p- w 0* r 
 
 ^ 
 
 Zh'm. /p 
 
 
 14 t>4 ]i4b4r 50 1)-U4i5i)e4c, 
 
 215 'oul ru4T 30 Cor)trc4e At) Ct)Ui|i ;* 
 2t)o 34X)4i|iit) be45 5° tj-iuib|xe4C 
 
 215 lUt-pUljfC, 'r H)0 5U1) 4tt) Uitt) ; 
 
 Cm C4r?4it>e ojiítj 46s t'5U4i'ó-be4T), 
 M4 5t^i4i3e rwrje, 3jle, bjie454 ; 
 
 'S 4t>b4|i beiT)rit) 4)ce biuwce, 
 <t>e't) lu4C4i|i b4 áUjre 'o'tár- 
 
 * See note, page 130. 
 
OF MUNSTEE. 129 
 
 THE LITTLE BENCH OF RUSHES. 
 
 This song will be found at p. 334, vol. 1, of Hardiman's " Irish 
 Minstrelsy," where it is left untranslated. The meaning of the word 
 " Beinsin' (little Bench) is mistaken by some of our most eminent 
 writers, who suppose it to mean a Bunch. In the days of our boy- 
 hood it was a general custom with the peasantry to go on midsummer's 
 eve to the next bog, and cut a heart luachra (a bundle of rushes), 
 which would be as much as a stout lad could carry home on his back ; 
 and this they strewed on benches of stones made for the purpose 
 outside their cottages, where the youth of the neighbourhood spent the 
 evening in their usual pastimes. The custom generally prevailed in 
 our own day, but probably has now died away. The heroine of this 
 song must have been on an excursion of this kind, in " milk-white 
 Clare," and from the simplicity of the language, it appears to be the 
 composition of an early period. 
 
 Monsieur Boullaye Le Gouz, who travelled through Ireland in the 
 middle of the seventeenth century, tells us that " Les Irlandois ornent 
 leur chambres de iong, dont ils font leur lits en etc, et de paille en 
 hiver, ils mettent un pied de iong autour de leur chambres, et sur 
 leur fenestres, et plusieurs d'entr'eux ornent leur planchers de 
 rameaux. — "Les Voyages et Observations du Sieur Boullaye Le 
 Gouz. 4to. A Paris, 1657. 476. 
 
 One day I journej^ed lonely 
 
 Along the road to milk-white Clare, 
 My dog beside me only, 
 
 My gun in hand, and free from care ; 
 When, lo ! I met a maiden 
 
 Of bright and golden shining hair — 
 With greenest rushes laden, 
 
 To make a bench — this fairest fair ! 
 
136 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21 cajlji) b;5 t)4 lu4C|t4-6, 
 
 21 1) léj3Fe4t> -do be^ifc 4fi t4ri ; 
 
 Mo 4 'o-'C)oc^4Tb Ijonj 4t) U4)5D)or, 
 T40) bjtu4c t)4 cojlle ir 5U1T^ bUt ? 
 
 W4 401) t)e4c x)4. l>ipujl le ^454)1 ; 
 
 30 'D-'C)0C^4'Ó C4)t)T5 T)0 't) cé)]tre4C, 
 
 'S 5^o)'óe)l5e -oo 'i) lorj-'oub bfie454 ! . 
 
 21 C4)l)1) B)5 T)4 lU4Cfl4T>, 
 
 5Uc ru4)ii)i))or 't t^ij 5° l^t) 
 
 Nj c4)l 'DUj'c 4 be)t U4)b]te4c, 
 2li) ii4)5r)64r 't ^fi te4r; ?éjt) ! 
 
 21)4 T54)P rrjé T)0 cu)-o Ui4C]t4'ó, 
 )X ^U4l 50 b-yu)l cu)-d T34]t b-éir? 
 
 64)1)^0-0 bejHTe n)0]t t>u)t;, 
 2l'r U4Uc it)4|t tu)lle lé)r- 
 
 The County of Clare is proverbial for its bad buttermilk ; as may 
 be seen by the following quatrain illustrative of the peculiarities of 
 four southern counties, from which our poet gave it the appellation of 
 "milk-white Clare." 
 
 Conntae an Chlair na blathaisrhe breine 
 Conntae Chiarraidhe ag flafraighe a cheile 
 Conntae Chorcaighe is gortaighe n- Eire 
 'S Conntae Luimne ag pioca na deise. 
 
 The County of Clare, of the stale buttermilk ; 
 
 The County of Kerry, of brotherly love ; 
 
 The County of Cork, the hungriest in the land ; 
 
 And the County of Limerick, gleaners of the corn-fields. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 131 
 
 (i girl of greenest rushes, 
 
 This burden suits you not too well — 
 I fain would spare your blushes, 
 
 But come with me to yonder dell : 
 The priests will never know it, 
 
 Until the songful, soulful thrush 
 Speak Gaelic as a poet, 
 
 The blackbird from the greenwood bush. 
 
 " My darling girl, my own dear, 
 
 Don't pout, but lay your rushes by, 
 You know you are here alone, dear, 
 
 And have no friend to help you nigh. 
 I've tossed your rushes rather, 
 
 But more remain uncut behind — 
 And I'll hie off, and gather 
 
 For you a larger bench, you'll find." 
 
 With respect to Cork — we find the following stanza in reference to 
 the town of Bantry, in Angus O'Daly's Satires. 
 
 Tri h-adhbhair far sheachain me, 
 Duithche Bheanntraighe 'i Bheara ; 
 Croinmhil bhoga gan bhlas, 
 Cuibhrean fada 'gus anglais. 
 
 Three reasons there were why I lately withdrew 
 
 In a hurry from Bantry, 
 
 Its want of a pantry 
 Was one ; and the dirt of its people was two. 
 
 Good Heavens ! how they daub and bespatter 
 Their duds ! I forget the third reason. No matter. 
 
132 
 
 THE TOETS AND POETRY 
 
 C21JCJIJN NJ U21U2iCl)21JN. 
 
 U)lliAit) <t>4ll Ua l)-eAiii)4m, ccc. 
 
 
 Moderate 
 Time. 
 
 0l)e4r Anj40jT>, t)4ó C4lnj itjt), *oo 't) Br^pc r^n Sb4ii)i), 
 Sc'o nje4lld rllSe, cunj C4t4 clo^ri), 'do 73404111« 4 
 
 Bej-ó 54tl4 4 jvjr, ^ le434x> rfcr, Is luc 4ji Urr)4)D, 
 
 2i5YT TT)4C 413 Fl3, 45 C41'GjlÍT) Nj U4ll4C4lT)! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 133 
 
 CAITIL1N NI UALLACHAIN. 
 
 BY WILLIAM HEFFERNAN (THE BLIND). 
 
 Several imperfect versions of this song are already before the public, 
 and were we not anxious to preserve the best copy, we might pass 
 it over in silence. Caitilin Ni Uallachain (Catharine Holahan) is 
 another of those allegorical names by which Ireland is known in Irish 
 song ; and for an account of the author, Uilliam Dall 'Hearnain 
 (William Heffernan, the Blind), we have only to refer our readers to 
 p. 92 of our " Reliques of Irish Jacobite Poetry." With respect 
 to the prefix u Ni," used before surnames in the feminine gender, 
 we may quote the following extract from Conor Mac Sweeny's 
 " Songs of the Irish," No. VI., where he says, " It is proper here to 
 warn Irish ladies that they commit a blunder in writing their names 
 with or Mac, instead of Ni. They should bear in mind that O'Neill, 
 Mac Carthy, O'Loghlen, O'Connell, are not surnames like the English 
 Baggs, Daggs, Scraggs, Hog, Drake, Duck, Moneypenny, &c, but 
 simply mean Son of Niall, Son of Connell, Son of Loughlin, &c, 
 as the Jews say, Son of Judah, Son of Joseph, &c, and that a lady 
 who writes O or Mac to her name calls herself son, instead of 
 daughter. What should we say of a Hebrew lady who should write 
 herself ' Esther Son of Judah?' and yet we do not notice the absurdity 
 in ourselves. I therefore advise every Irish lady to substitute Ni, 
 pronounced Nee, for O or Mac. Julia Ni Connell, Catharine Ni 
 Donnell, Ellen Ni Neill, will at first sound strange, but they are not 
 a whit less euphonious than the others, and use will make them agree- 
 able. In Irish we never use O or Mac with a woman's name, and 
 why must it be done in English ?" 
 
 Fully coinciding in these observations of our esteemed friend Mr. 
 Mac Sweeny, we adopt the prefix " Ni" in preference to the O in 
 surnames of the feminine gender, throughout this book. 
 
 In vain, in vain we turn to Spain— she heeds us not. 
 Yet may we still, by strength of will, amend our lot. 
 O, yes ! our foe shall yet lie low — our swords are 
 
 drawn ! 
 For her, our Queen, our Caitilin Ni Uallachain ! 
 
l.U THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 5e4llU)ff) -C)Y\ 1)4C f4*D4 4 flfo 5U]1 bU4t>4jVG4 41) 
 
 5úi|i, 
 
 21^ 4JU1) ?40b4Jtl, ^4 5-CC4p4'D 1)1)1), 'T F r 4T>4JX 
 
 U»ij4J5 ; 
 
 )X n^\>A CJIUJ1)1) T>0 pjte4bf411)40)r, 'r 4T bll4C4C, 4|VC, 
 
 4)4 m-bejt ti)4C 41) Kj5, 45 04)^)1)1) Nj Il4ll4c4)i) ! 
 
 M4|t rc4l4)ixjT>e, 541) b4lc4iri^er, 'i)4 liwó '1)4)1 I4)ri) ; 
 
 Be)t> b4]tC4 1)01)7/4 4)fl b4|X|X4 ^40)^6, 't ?U4)1T) 4)Jl 
 
 r4)i, 
 
 le ti)4C 4») K)5, cuit) C4)^)lji) Mj tUll4c4)i) ! 
 
 N4 n)e4r4T)40)t, S^T 1 C4)le c)0)t, 4|t rx;r4)|te T^4)r), 
 "N4 C4)U)C)i), 'i)4 5-cit4p4T)40)r ? 4 cti4)ll-be45 ci)4it)4 ; 
 C)4 ^4-04 lu)5e x>j, le ^64fi4)b cd)ri)'ce4c, 541) rti4)ii)- 
 
 l)64r ^^434)1, 
 
 21^4 r4)t 41) B)5, 4 5-C4)t;)1)í) M) U4lUc4)i) ! 
 
 )X faroA, 4 T>l40)'úe ? 04^4 C)0|it4, 'r 4 r5U4b-tolx; 
 b4t), 
 
 'S 4 T>eA\i^<\ |t)l), 45 4li)4itC 540)t>e4l, CO)t CU41)T34 
 
 b|te45 ; 
 
 )T bl4r^4 b)r>r), T50 C4D41) T), 5U]t biui) bjor p4)ivc, 
 J-ojji rt)4c 4i) K)5, 'sur 04)^)1)1) tl) U4lUc4)i) ! 
 
 N4 Tt)e4r4 / D40)r? i)A rPTie-AUjtij'óe, 5 U ^ bw-dt) 4fi 
 b-p4)r, 
 
 's 5^n 5^^nn 4 b)-o, 1)4 5^r^ 4 rs^ojie, 'i)U4)it ir 
 
 C|ir4)5 41) c4r ; 
 5o i)-'oe4iti)4'ó ( t))4, |io)ii) pobul Israel, 'oe'i) njdfi- 
 
 ti)U)ri t;|x4)3, 
 'S 50 b-):ó)|te4'ó 41) K)5 otvc, 4 01)4)^)1)1) M) UaIU- 
 
 c4)i) ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 135 
 
 Yield not to fear ! The time is near — with sword 
 
 in hand 
 We soon shall chase the Saxon race far from our 
 
 land. 
 What glory then to stand as men on field and bawn, 
 And see all sheen our Caitilin Ni Uallachain ! 
 
 How tossed, how lost, with all hopes crossed, we long 
 
 have been ! 
 Our gold is gone ; gear have we none, as all have 
 
 seen. 
 But ships shall brave the Ocean's wave, and morn 
 
 shall dawn 
 On Eire green, on Caitilin Ni Uallachain ! 
 
 Let none believe this lovely Eve outworn or old — 
 Fair is her form ; her blood is warm, her heart is 
 
 bold. 
 Though strangers long have wrought her wrong, she 
 
 will not fawn — 
 Will not prove mean, our Caitilin Ni Uallachain ! 
 
 Her stately air, her flowing hair— her eyes that far 
 Pierce through the gloom of Banba's doom, each like 
 
 a star ; 
 Her songful voice that makes rejoice hearts Grief 
 
 hath gnawn, 
 Prove her our Queen, our Caitilin Ni Uallachain ! 
 
 We will not bear the chains we w r ear, not bear them 
 
 long. 
 We seem bereaven, but mighty Heaven will make us 
 
 strong. 
 The God who led through Ocean Red all Israel on 
 Will aid our Queen, our Caitilin Ni Uallachain ! 
 
136 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2i ( 2l)ljuj|ie -ójlir'. 4 ca]ux-6 CAom-pxiirs, 54c U4)it \)4\i 
 
 b-p4lfVG, 
 2I54I Jor4 ! a\i ron t)4 Tj-o^o^e^l-boic'c, ?r C1XH415 
 
 4t) c4r ! 
 Lttét! At) írbjjvc, x>o cu|i 4fi T)jb)]tTi, 4fi reunite rt)T)4, 
 *S 4 céjle ^j]t-ce4]tT;, 'do 'ce4c , c T^fi x^oj'oe, 541) 
 
 b 114111X3 t)4 ^4)1 ! 
 
 Ce4i)54l. 
 
 ^4 51)6 sUti 4i]t Phoebus, 'r loiwjtd'ó 6ti]T>, 
 
 734 4i) |t4e '5ur t)4 1x641^4 4 5-cujir4 cfiuwn ; 
 
 734 t)4 TPé4]tt4 ?4 r5éjri)-5l4tj, 3^í) rnjííj'G, 5W 
 
 'cejrfyot, 
 Kojrij Kéx ce4|u; t)4 yewve, 'f 4 tfiííp ^fi ^o^t). 
 
 T34 4|t 5-clé)]te 4 5-C4ori)-5uj / c, 4 rú]l le C\C\oyn, 
 'S 4ji r)-é)5ri 50 ]té)TT)e4ó, 'r a 5-cúri)4 'oul 'Ojob : 
 340-Ó4H Boc-n )\)\))x é)l^e, 30 rÚ54c, rjcc^c, 
 Kojri) Sl)é4tt)ur * Tijjc Se4n)ujr, 9 T 4T) <t>jujc x^fi 
 
 * In the first stanza, the poet alludes to the regal honors paid James 
 Francis Stuart, at Madrid, in 1719, when Cardinal Alberoni and the 
 Duke of Ormond planned the expedition to Scotland in his favour. 
 He committed a fatal mistake in not making a descent upon Ireland 
 where the old Irish and northern Presbyterians were most anxious to 
 have " The auld Stuarts back again." 
 
OF MUNSTER. 137 
 
 O, Virgin pure ! our true and sure defence thou art ! 
 Pray thou thy Son to help us on in hand and heart ! 
 Our Prince, our Light, shall banish night — then 
 
 beameth Dawn — 
 Then shall be seen our Caitilin Ni Uallachain ! 
 
 SUMMING-UP.* 
 
 Phcebus shines brightly with his rays so pure, 
 The moon and stars their courses run ; 
 The firmament is not darkened by clouds or mist, 
 As our true king with his troops over the ocean comes. 
 
 Our priests are as one man imploring Christ, 
 Our bards are songful, and their gloom dispelled ; 
 The poor Gael of Inis-Eilge in calm now rest 
 Before James, f the son of James, and the DukeJ 
 who over ocean comes. 
 
 Had he accomplished his design of sending the Duke of Ormond 
 and General Dillon to Ireland, the Irish government could not have 
 sent the troops to the Duke of Argyle, which dispersed the Scotch 
 Jacobites in 1716. Hooke. Stuart Papers. 
 
 * We have given a literal translation of these two stanzas, as Mr. 
 Mangan omitted to versify them. 
 
 f The Chevalier de St. George. 
 
 % James, second Duke of Ormond. 
 
138 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 F2UlCJU51)2i4>I) H)5>) S621BLUS. 
 
 UjIIiah) <t>All, ecc. 
 
 THE HUMOURS OF GLYN. 
 
 Lively. 
 
 prn^mm 
 
 ^ mmnwm 
 
 — ff a A 
 
 
 ÉE£ 
 
 fiSÍ 
 
 Iffi 
 
 ÍEÉ 
 
 r|>« |> 
 
 m 
 
 «Jf f 
 
 21 P1)4-dti415 t)A r)-Á\iMW ! a 5-cluit) 1 r;ú t)A s^W^, 
 2i 3-cluii)iTi ^ ple-paca,* At) r)ortt)A-ó,'r 41)3^0 ? 
 
 2l|l CUAlA)r tt)A|l £4)t))t> 50 CÓJ5C UlUt) At) 54|VD4, 
 
 Thurotf t)4 f Uit)^e le l)-)OTt)A]tCA-ó T501P '• 
 
 * P/e fíaca means a row, such as would occur in a country 
 shebeen house. It is derived from pie, contention, and raca, an 
 
OF MUNSTER. 139 
 
 A WELCOME FOR KING CHARLES. 
 
 BY WILLIAM HEFFERNAN (THE BLIND). 
 
 Air: — "Humours of Glynn." 
 
 This air is very popular in the town and vicinity of Cloninel. The 
 Glynn, from which it takes its name, is a small romantic country vil- 
 lage, situated at either side of the Suir, midway between the towns of 
 Carrick and Clonmel. 
 
 Having, from our infancy, heard this air traditionally ascribed by 
 the peasantry of the district, to a celebrated piper named Power, a 
 native of the locality, we, some time ago, wrote to John R. O'Mahony, 
 Esq., of Mullough, for information on the subject, and the following 
 extract from his letter will probably satisfy our readers. 
 
 " Glynn," says Mr. O'Mahony, " was more than a century ago the 
 residence of a branch of the Powers, to which family it still belongs. 
 One of them, Pierse Power, called Mac an Bharuin (the Barons 
 Son, for his father was the ' Barun,' or Baron, of an annual fair 
 held here), was celebrated as a poet and musician ; and there is a tra- 
 dition among his descendants, that he was the author of the popular 
 air of ' The Humours of Glynn.' " 
 
 O Patrick, my friend, have you heard the commotion, 
 The clangor, the shouting, so lately gone forth ? 
 
 The troops have come over the blue-billowed ocean, 
 And Thurot commands in the camp of the North. 
 
 epithet by which a country public house is known among the 
 natives. 
 
 f Commander Thurot (whose real name was O'Farrell) and Colonel 
 
140 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Pjieab! bjr> 4*0 f e4r4tij ! 3I4C nje4tftT)n4*ó 'r bj054 
 
 3|ijor4J5 T)4 re4b4K-n 4-o r;-4ice curt) rpójrvc, 
 Be)*óe4-ó ptiic'j-óe x>4 réj'oe le cloj-óe4iii 4 it)-be]*óe4-ó 
 ^4ob4|t 4in, 
 'S it4C4rr) 4 T)-é)r)^e4C'c ^401 b|t4T;4ib 4]t leo34jt). 
 
 6iroi5 4 3^0-0411-13010^ '^4 ciiÁróte '36 rr)éifili5, 
 
 3l^C4i5 búr/i T5-'cné4r)-4iitír) 54ir5e 'ri-búri x)-t>6)'o, 
 Bjoc Hurrah 50 rÚ54C ! 4t)0)f o *c4 'r) p|iior)í)i*4 
 7 S 4 54|tT?4i5e 50 'oúb4l'C4'ó 45 ratjituwc 'H-bújt 
 5-cdiix ? 
 Hurroo 541) T>ocrri4'ó! bjoc Teoc 4ji 4t) nj-bdri-o 
 4541b, 
 Sui5í-óe 50 rocnH-o le roilibiot ceoil ? 
 Tj&vi b4iíie 45 4]t íijuwcjii, 'r 4t) 14 'co 4|i 4i) 
 
 1)4^41-06, 
 
 'S 30 b\iÁt beit> 4]t r40ite 45 irrnrvc 'r- 43 <5U 
 
 ^XvÁ 't) Ku'&a* T4 141-ojfi Tt)4r ^70|x 34c 4 \lÁ)T>'CeAl[i 9 
 2lt) citob4iite ce4r)t)-4riT) 'r 4 buirrje 34r) bjtdr) ; 
 
 Seoijtfe 30 I4r)-l45 — 'x Cumberland ctUj'ó'ce, 
 P^í 4í)t) ]*4 Pharliament Cúvoe 41|I 4 'ódir) ! 
 
 Cavenac landed with 700 French troops near Carrickfergus in 1760, 
 according to the old song — 
 
 " The twenty-first of February, as I've heard the people say, 
 Three French ships of war came and anchored in our bay ; 
 They hoisted English colours, and they landed at Kilroot, 
 And inarched their men for Carrick, without further dispute." 
 
 They immediately took possession of the town, and remained in it for 
 live days, after which they sailed away, having obtained the supplies 
 of provisions and water, for which they had landed. 
 
 On the 28th the French vessels were attacked and captured, off the 
 Isle of Man, by three English frigates, commanded by Captain Elliot. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 141 
 
 Up, up, to your post! — one of glory and dan- 
 ger— 
 Our legions must now neither falter nor fail : 
 We'll chase from the island the hosts of the 
 Stranger, 
 Led on by the conquering Prince of the Gael ! 
 
 And you, my poor countrymen, trampled for ages, 
 
 Grasp each of you now his sharp sword in his 
 hand ! 
 The war that Prince Charlie so valiantly wages 
 
 Is one that will shatter the chains of our land. 
 Hurrah for our Leader ! Hurrah for Prince Char- 
 lie ! 
 
 Give praise to his efforts with music and song ; 
 Our nobles will now, in the juice of the barley, 
 
 Carouse to his victories all the day long ! 
 
 llothe marshals his brave-hearted forces to waken 
 The soul of the nation to combat and dare, 
 
 "While Georgy is feeble and Cumberland shaken, 
 And Parliament gnashes its teeth in despair. 
 
 Thurot was killed in the action, after a most heroic but ineffectual de- 
 fence against a vastly superior force. The contemporary ballad tells 
 us that, — 
 
 " Before they got their colours struck, great slaughter was made, 
 And many a gallant Frenchman on Thurot's decks lay dead; 
 They came tumbling down the shrouds, upon his deck they lay, 
 While our brave Irish heroes cut their booms and yards away. 
 And as for Monsieur Thurot, as I've heard people say, 
 He was taken up by Elliot's men, and buried in Kamsey Bay." 
 
 This affair has been greatly misrepresented. Thurot merely landed 
 to procure provisions, as his men were almost starved, having only one 
 ounce of bread daily to live upon. — M'Skimmin. " Life of Thurot" 
 by T. C. Croker. 
 
 * One of the Rothes of Kilkenny, then in the French service. 
 
142 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 N4 Heelans* -oA 'c-n&\i\i4)X)'z y40j pWj-Djb í)4 
 
 -c-T|irivMi)i)A)b 
 
 *S 4 b-p'jbjot)4t> ^t^ ^ TPTISA54 cun) ceo^l, 
 K4)t)i)ce 4|i 54c ti)4ol-cr)oc — le \)-Átux t)4 T5léjpe ; 
 2I5 cu]t v^l'ce jtojnj Sl)é4]xUir 4 b4jle , r)4 c'ttdwij. 
 
 21 r é 'r) ii)5-ti4t> x>4ijt)jte é — 4ri plé-|t4C4, 'r 4ti 
 r;-40ib , r)e4r, 
 2it) r3é4l bjte454 le \)-)\)\)y)\)n wo ir)4irirJ0tii 54c 
 
 16; 
 
 N4 cdb4i5 50 cUoi-o-ce — 5411 fdit'jiir), 54*1 rlot)^, 
 34T) cedk^-o, 5411 r40ite, 54T) b4iíce, 54Í) Idt) ! 
 
 K40b4)5 54c 34ll4-poc,— Ie454i5 'r V-ÚT5415 W°, 
 Cu)]X)s 4r 'gaUtíj búfx T)-4it|te4c 4tj cdip, 
 
 1^4 Seoijtre 'r 4 riling]! 50 b]tdri4c I45 0140116x36, 
 '5 c'rtd^nr) t)4 'o-'Gtvj 1110540-04 131 cArr^S -oeo ! 
 
 2W Bí)2iJN-i;Ke2iB1)2lC1) 'S 21NJtt)1)?iJ31)4)JON.t 
 
 2ir Tt)4i5T)]0i) 'r 4r b4iri-t;jte4b4c t>o |t)rj <Di4 50 ty-03 
 
 T>)Ott), 
 
 Mj bjtji) liorr) 4i) cjtej'ójll-rj 54b4)l -GJTricioll Ttio 
 
 T)lL4'DC4]tl ; 
 
 B4 be4T)-pdr'04. 4]t H)41'D]1) rrjé, o'ri 645l4ir cortj4c- 
 
 ^4C, 
 
 'S 4r b4]T)-'ctie4b4c ti)'4]T)ití) 4|t te4c / c -00' i) tj|i4t;- 
 
 TJ0Í)4. 
 
 * Heelans, the Highlanders. 
 
 f We cannot trace the author, or rather the authoress, of this song. 
 That it was composed during the campaign of King James in Ireland 
 
OF MUNSTER. 143 
 
 The lads with the dirks from the hills of the High- 
 lands 
 Are marching with pibroch and shout to the field, 
 And Charlie, Prince Charlie, the King of the Is- 
 lands, 
 Will force the usurping old German to yield ! 
 
 O, this is the joy, this the revel in earnest, 
 
 The story to tell to the ends of the earth, 
 That our youths have uprisen, resolving, with sternest 
 
 Intention, to fight for the land of their birth. 
 We will drive out the Stranger from green-valleyed 
 Erin — 
 King George and his crew shall be scarce in the land, 
 And the Crown of Three Kingdoms shall he alone wear 
 in 
 The Islands — our Prince — the Man born to com- 
 mand ! 
 
 THE VIRGIN, WIFE, AND WIDOW. 
 
 A virgin... and widow... I mourn lone and lowly, 
 This morn saw me wedded, in God's Temple holy, 
 And noontide beholds me a lorn widow weeping, 
 For my spouse in the dark tomb for ever lies sleep- 
 ing. 
 
 need not be questioned. According to the highest authority on that 
 portion of our history, it cost England nearly eighteen millions sterling 
 to overcome the 1,200,000 Irish who took up arms in 1689. Macarice 
 Excidium, edited for the Irish Archceological Society, by J. C. 
 O' Callaghan. 
 
14-1 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 T<J\ x\\)\\)Ti 4]i Ti)o c]io)*óe-ri i)4 r5^o)l^e4-6 30 b-^45 
 
 x>e, 
 Vea*6 be)*óed-ó ■ofiuóT; 4fi i)4 51641)1)^4-0, i)4 ced 4]t 
 
 T)4 rléjti^e ; 
 04 cdri)íi4*ó -o4 tx))o\\) xmjr; 30 C40)t) T>e4f 'oe'i) c4ol 
 
 )r é njo U bitdjt) 41) cfiej'ójll-'n* ^4 fating 3U|i 
 
 é454ir ! 
 
 )X 'OC4T TíO T5|0C?4'Ó Cl0)-Óe4ti) -011)75 4]t tl)4jlC4)5C4CT? 
 
 4fl C40)l-e4C, 
 NO 45 ré)-Oe 1)4 1)-4-Ó4)flCe 'r VO 54-D4)Jt-b)l)l)e 4JJI 
 
 T40t4jt ; 
 TAfáfé&b 4i) ceo T>e tí)'ji)t;ji)1) 'r 'cú 4|t beji)i)-ii)40)l 
 
 4T) 7>rlé)be, 
 2l5ur 4)itedc4n)40j-o U4ji)i) tjíí 14 bu4)lce Kj5 
 
 Sé4Tt)ur ! 
 
 )X n)dji TT)d|t é Tí)'e45l4-ó 50 b-^ujl 'oo íi)ti)i)T;j|t 4 
 b-TpadfUi) lion), 
 
 "11)411 Tj4rt ini&r 'r y4v> rst^TMr wwiii cot)4jic 4i) 
 
 tU)l U4T4.1 ! 
 í)'té4C TJÚ 75411 41T Ojtít) 4 'ÓJ4t)-5|t4T> le 73111143 t>411), 
 210-0 T> , ]tl)|X15e45 41) ^6411 4]t T1)0 41)1)1^0-0 4T) 1l4)fl 
 
 u-o ! 
 2i)o 11)411407; bé4fx?4)i)i) / D , 40)i)-Be4r) 1)4 tt)-bej'óe4c 
 
 N4 T>é41)f4C 4 -OJ75C)Oll 541) 401) 4C4 |X)4jt4-Ó ; 
 
 2t)4|x )r 4)tle4i) r)|x C4)tce 4fi C4)ll it)é ii)o cj4ll lej]% 
 'S ?e4|x b|te454-'oe4r i)4 3tt4t}4 i)? 3it4)t>re4'D 4-0 
 
 ^)4)5-r) ! 
 
 * Creidhill, death-bell, knell. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 145 
 
 On my heart lies a cloud, and will lie there for ever. 
 Hark ! hark to that death-knell that dooms us to sever. 
 Oh ! well may my eyes pour forth tears as a fountain, 
 While dew gems the valley or mist dims the mountain. 
 
 King James mourns a hero as hrave as e'er breathed — 
 O ! to see him, when mounted, with bright blade un- 
 sheathed, 
 Or high on the hill- side, with bugle and beagles, 
 Where his foot was a deer's and his eye was an eagle's. 
 
 I shrieked and I cried when his blood gushed like 
 water, 
 
 But treachery and baseness had doomed him to slaugh- 
 ter. 
 
 He glanced at me fondly, to comfort and cheer me ; 
 
 Yet his friends love me not, and they never come near 
 me. 
 
 Accurst be the maid who can smile on two lovers ! 
 Around me the shade of my lost husband hovers, 
 And oh ! never more can I think of another, 
 Or feel for a lover save as for a brother ! 
 
 The first stanza of this poem bears a great resemblance to the 
 following, from Gerald Griffin's beautiful verses on " The Bridal of 
 Malahide." 
 
 "Ye saw him at morning, But, oh for the maiden 
 
 How gallant and gay ! Who mourns for that chief, 
 
 In bridal adorning, With heart overladen 
 
 The star of the day : And rending with grief I 
 
 Now weep for the lover — She sinks on the meadow 
 
 His triumph is sped, In one morning's tide, 
 
 His hope it is over ! A wife and a widow, 
 
 The chieftain is dead ! A maid and a bride !" 
 
UG 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Sl2l)Mr,6 Kj3t) S621KL21S. 
 6054*) Hu4x> \U Sunie4b4)i), cc-c., 21.4). 178:3. 
 
 Voi)i) : — Se454i) O'ÍUijbjji ah 5t)ledrjT)4. 
 
 Moderately df fe el 
 
 »i#Epíá 
 
 «^ — __ . — 
 
 iHi 
 
 i 
 
 It F b be 
 
 — I F^ I k P # J., ^-g . P J — h- lH - J h 
 
 1 i ==- 
 
 ^-y-J-4 
 
 IS 
 
 rJ- -a-.-d- 1 1 
 
 2t)o C4r ! n)o C40) ! ttjo ceAXWó I 
 2ii) ?4t *U5 cUoj'óce 4t) e4rb4t> ! 
 
 <£>4jri) 45ur cléjji! 
 
 3^1) T>4)t) T>4 jlJ01t) le \)-41TV0r 9 
 
 341) |i4)'ó'ce 5n1r)i) ^4 3-C4i)i)4'ó ; 
 
 341) r^^-cjtui'c b)i)i) ^4 rpne454T>, 
 
 21 rr r b4i)-b|X034)b ité)-ó ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 147 
 
 A HEALTH TO KING CHARLES. 
 
 BY EOGHAN o'STJLLlVAN (THE RED). 
 Air : — John O'Dwyer of the Glyn. 
 
 This Jacobite relic by Eoghan Ruadh, is adapted to the well-known 
 air of Seaghan O'Duibhir an Ghleanna, of which the original song, 
 with a translation by the late Thomas Furlong, will be found at p. 86, 
 vol. ii. of Hardiman's " Irish Minstrelsy." 
 
 Colonel John O'Dwyer, for whom the song was composed, was a 
 distinguished officer who commanded in Waterford and Tipperary, in 
 1651, but after the capitulations, sailed from the former port with five 
 hundred of his faithful followers for Spain. 
 
 The O'Dwyers were a branch of the Heremonians of Leinster, and 
 possessed the present baronies of Kilnemanach, in Tipperaiy. From 
 an early period they were remarkable for their courage, and after the 
 expatriation of the old Irish nobility, several of the family distin- 
 guished themselves abroad in the Irish Brigade. In the last century 
 General O'Dwyer was governor of Belgrade, and Admiral O'Dwyer 
 displayed great bravery in the Russian service. 
 
 Source of lamentation ! 
 Bitter tribulation, 
 That I see my nation 
 
 Fallen down so low ! 
 See her sages hoary, 
 Once the island's glory, 
 Wandering without story 
 
 Or solace, to and fro. 
 
148 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 o4c ji4jb 'o'vujl ^Dbllit) ce4i)ti^r ? 
 
 laj'ojit, Uoc-04, tdp^ ; 
 
 B4 5t)4t4c it4jnce4c, |i4t4c, 
 
 t4n-ojlr;e 4ijt ^4ob4fi ! 
 5dn -prá'G, 54t) buróeAi),* 54t) ?e4|i4nT) ? 
 
 N4 Se4g4t) 1U «Dujbjfi 4íj 5bte4T)nd, 
 21 beji; y&sb&T> 54T) 6rtfwe / 
 
 Z>\l&)t 4 fUVOJJl 4T1) te4b4'ó, 
 
 2I5 c4r4rf) 'ojtt i)4 re-dB-ac ; 
 TiffÁVWó rsxnn) *5<W T3^1Perdx>, 
 
 Urijdjb Morpheus ! 
 T4of rt) x>4H 50 r)l'ce4c, redr54i]t, 
 
 T34TTJ4C, TIJtTJ, 54Í) T541T^, 
 4)'^45 Tt)e 4)|t T>j6 T1}0 64P4JT) 
 
 'our 'o'4fvo4?5 rr)o neut! 
 
 3dT) fp4t 4 'GJ5e4C'G 'DO T)e4|lC4r 9 
 
 T4ii)5e4C sn/jnn Tiixen)' 4irlW3> 
 So l)-4liiirjt), I054111, 4ib)5, 
 
 Z>Á)T)e le rn' t4ob. 
 '5 5U|i b|te45t4'ó línrj, 54T) bld'Odfi, 
 S34jl 'r d0)5)|i 4 te4C4t) ; 
 r34'r) tt)4t)U'o tt)it)J le'jt C4ille43 
 
 54fi'04 T)4 I3jt4e ! 
 
 Bd c4bldc, Cjojfcd, Cdrod, 
 
 T34C14C, 'Ol40J'Ce4C, 'Od'ÓdC, 
 
 S54]T)i)e4c, 'cit)T)re4c,§ ¥4T>4, 
 
 T4]t)3e4c 50 reun, 
 21 bUt-^olc b'jnne4c, Ie4b4ifi, 
 C4|U)4C, b)re4C, ri)4ir)4C ; 
 
 O 4|fO 4 C]T)t) 1}4 r)-*Dl4tdlb, 
 
 < C4]t-tedb4i|i, léj. 
 
 * Readings in other copies — nj40jfl. f 643. 
 X Helen. § Tndjnijredc. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 149 
 
 Mileadh's* offspring knightly, 
 Powerful, active, sprightly, 
 They who wielded lightly 
 
 Weighty arms of steel, 
 Left with no hopes higher, 
 With griefs ever nigher, 
 Worse woes than O'Dwyer 
 
 Of the Glens could feel ! 
 
 Last night, sad and pining, 
 
 As I lay reclining, 
 
 Sleep at length came twining 
 
 Bands around my soul ; 
 Then a maiden slender, 
 Azure-eyed, and tender, 
 Came, me dreamt, to render 
 
 Lighter my deep dole. 
 Fair she was 3 and smiling, 
 Bright and woe-beguiling ; 
 Vision meet for wiling 
 
 Grief, and bringing joy. 
 None might e'er compare her 
 With a maiden fairer — 
 O ! her charms were rarer 
 
 Than the Maid's of Troy. 
 
 Like that damsel's olden 
 Flowed her tresses golden, 
 In rich braids enfolden, 
 
 To the very ground ; 
 Thickly did they cluster 
 In a dazzling muster, 
 And in matchless lustre, 
 
 Curled around and round. 
 
 * Mileadh, pronounced Meeli, Milesius. 
 
150 THE I'OETS AND POETRY 
 
 Bl) J T54jl V* 5-C4011' 41 it Ur<x, 
 T3]te b4)i)e 4t) \)t 't)4 le4C4)i) ; 
 21)4i)'D4C'g, ti))t)e, 'y n)4ire4'ó, 
 T34ir;e 'i)4 rséjri) ! 
 
 *s 4 r^")-nor5 nlr^ le'n ce4i5, 
 
 Tj&wze Uo)c 541) 'C4p4'ó ! 
 
 S4fC4 't 101)41)1) Tt)4l4 
 
 ÍÍTvo-fijuj'óTje, c4ol. 
 
 21 b|t454 Tt)4Jt 51)40) 1)4 l)-4l41)l), 
 2ll) Ti]iÁt T>0 111)5641) 4)fl 4b41l)l) J 
 Nd T1)4TT) 1)4 ^40)^6 tl)4Jt4, 
 
 2l)|t b4i)-toi)i)4ib -cfié4i), 
 21 b4í)-c|toB 40Í-D4, Ie4b4)it, 
 )r T^ii) 'oo Tiíri)e4C 4)|i bti4T;4ib ; 
 C454, Ti))0 1^4-0, re4i)i)4)5, 
 
 KdiT)T;e '5ur é)T5- 
 C4jti)4t> 'r co)ii)e4r54iii re4b4C, 
 34i|i 1)4 5-clo)'óe4n) t>4 i)-5fie4'D4> 
 Bl4t i)4 3-c|X4ob 'r e4l/G4, 
 
 21 rt)-b4tiTi-clu'G4ifi 5645, 
 ? S sun t4jri)e l)i)i) 54c 4)roe, 
 'S T>4ii) 541) Tpui5e4ll t>4 5-C4i)i)4'6 ; 
 21 ti4)'ó'cib 5ti)i)i) le bU)re 
 
 N4 t4n)-c]tni73 Orpheus ! 
 
 134111), 4jl rlj ler tC4t4'D, 
 
 TP45 > C4'D 4)|i t^ ii)0 c4jtft4'o ; 
 
 ÍP401 -04111 45 'O1t10'D4|t <t)41)4m 
 
 4) , 4ti'0415 n)o leui) ! 
 3411 c4)i), 541) cjxic, 541) ce4i)i)4r, 
 
 341) 4tlUT 1^5 Tl)A|l cle4C'C4r, 
 341) ^4)1), 541) bni'óe4i), 541) 1=641141)1)5, 
 2lfvo4C'C,* 1)4 tté)ii) ! 
 
 * 2ijvo-ii)e4r. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 151 
 
 The red berry's brightness, 
 And the lily's whiteness, 
 Comeliness and lightness, 
 
 Marked her face and shape. 
 She had eye-brows narrow, 
 Eyes that thrilled the marrow, 
 And from whose sharp arrow 
 
 None could e'er escape. 
 
 Her white breasts were swelling, 
 Like the swan's while dwelling 
 "Where the waves are welling 
 
 O'er the stormy sea ; 
 And her fingers, pat in 
 Broidering upon satin 
 Birds at early matin 
 
 Warbling on the tree, 
 Fishes, beasts, and flowers, 
 Fields, and camps, and towers, 
 Gardens, lakes, and bowers, 
 
 Were so fine and white ! 
 Wandering through the mazes 
 Of her lyric phrases, 
 I could chant her praises 
 
 All the day and night ! 
 
 " O ! thou land of bravery !" 
 Cried she, " sunk in slavery, 
 Through the tyrant knavery 
 
 Of the stranger foe — 
 Tribeless, landless, nameless, 
 Wealthless, hostless, fameless 
 Wander now thine aimless 
 
 Children to and fro. 
 
152 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 ?tnj cfUw bod's ctiaoj'ce, c4iT;e 
 2I5 t;41 50 vu)5e4C o'n) b4lUib, 
 2lj|t 4t>4l 54c T>4ojrse 'D , 4icnje, 
 
 S1)4t;4T), 3jt3' cUot) ! 
 'S 50 b)\Át \y\ cujbe tAxyo UBAjjfc, 
 P4l|iT; cuti) 5ji)T)t) t>o t4b4)jt'C ; 
 le nf4iTt10?t) T>'vui5'te4c 4ijtii), 
 
 O^ll'OA 4.5UT TT)40Jl. 
 
 4)4jt P4fi4rj, t>iB T50 ri)e4r4r, 
 3ujt pUr 54C r))t> 'co UB4i]t ; 
 2l)4]t t^l ó't) T)-5T))ori) 'n^T 1 be4]t^4r ? 
 P4i|vce4c Beit lé) ; 
 
 34T) rP^T 'DO't) 11)0$ 5íl]t 4JC64T, 
 
 T4T; 4 T;Í5e4C'5 T)4n) 4jce, 
 
 21 |l4r 5 4. Cft40jb, 't 4 l)-4]r)JTT), 
 T4|t|14t) 4 bé4r» 
 
 í>'éir 14t)-t;oc / c C40j 3U]t 4jtjtir 
 
 2l|t]l T)4 r4°]£e* f T)4TT)415 ; 
 
 2lr) 4iT5]te4b cfijce CT)4rnl,f 
 C1)415, cun)4ir5 9 léi. 
 
 'S -C4|t r4}l 30 T3ÍO|l'Djp4'Ó 41Ctl)e, 
 
 <t>l)4T)4, T>ÍOT1)T4C, 4)bi3, 
 
 21 C|l4'Ó 'T4 'DjOt-CU]t Í>4rj4]t, 
 
 í)4i)4, 4T A ftéjfi). 
 
 * The total extirpation of the Irish natives was strongly advocated 
 in the English political pamphlets of the seventeenth century. One of 
 them, printed at London, in 1647, contains a tirade against the Irish 
 too brutal for quotation, and concludes by invoking an imprecation on 
 all who would not make their swords " starke drunk with Irish blood." 
 Two years afterwards, Oliver Cromwell observed this advice so reli- 
 giously, that his name among the Irish peasantry is still synonymous 
 with murder, ruin, and desolation. 
 
 | In 1647, Cash el was sacked by the Earl of Inchiquin's troops» 
 
OF MUNSTER. 153 
 
 Like a barren mother 
 
 Nursing for another 
 
 Cubs she fain would smother, 
 
 So feel I to-day. 
 Sadness breathes around me, 
 Sorrow's chains have bound me, 
 They who should have crowned me 
 
 Perish far away !" 
 
 Could I, think you, waver ? 
 No ! — these words I gave her — 
 " O, thou fair enslaver, 
 
 Thou hast won my heart. 
 Speak on, I entreat thee, 
 I may never meet thee, 
 Never more may greet thee, 
 
 Speak, before we part !" 
 So she then related 
 How our land was hated, 
 Cashel devastated, 
 
 And its chieftains slain. 
 " But," she said, " we are striving, 
 Hosts are now arriving 
 Who will soon be driving 
 
 Tyrants o'er the main !" 
 
 who broiled the Rev. Richard Barry alive, and butchered three 
 thousand persons. 
 
 Forty of the Earl's soldiers, concerned in this massacre, afterwards 
 solemnly attested that several of the murdered Irish had tails " near a 
 quarter of a yard long." A tradition still exists among the people 
 that " tails " are peculiar only to persons of Danish descent, among 
 whom are the families of the Hassetts, the Brodars, &c. — Ludlow. D. 
 O'Dalaei Pers. Hseret. 1652. Dr. Nash. Mac Geoghegan. Bruodini 
 Propugnac, p. 715. 
 
THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2inj p4ffrc-tf 5iu-óedc 54c re4b4C, 
 
 2te4 5411 CjljOC le T^^U'D ; 
 
 IP40J t4)u 1)4 T)40)|xre 45 re4T4rij, 
 
 S4]in-'co)le <£>é ! 
 34C n\iA)t cuii) CKJOSi) ?U4)n pe4t)i)4)*o, 
 
 P4ir 'r ío'óbAiiwj íe4jib ! 
 C]t4-ó le tfoc 'r 5e4iiit4T) 
 Ci)4ii), 45ur 5645 ! 
 
 21^4 t>o f jofi Tp 4 r54ti)4l ; 
 
 541) TP4r 4 t)5e4CT5 4 T)-5fl4'C4Tt), 
 
 2l)T;]te4B 1)4 i)-54o-ó4l, 
 
 'S 41) ^Tllt-TIP^O'C C0)rt)te4C, 11)6417)14)11, 
 
 21^4 1)4 ru)5e 'rj4|x irj-b4)l'Ge, 
 le c4rti)4 cld)'óe4ii) x>o t54)pe4'ó, 
 2ir cUjtjx Ie4t4i) Weill. 
 
 00 l)-4)'C]te4b Cl)U)r)i) t>4 t>-'C454c, 
 Sp4)i)t))5f 5tio)-óe le ce4i)i)4r ; 
 'S 54]t-o4 l40)fe4C teAfuvo, 
 
 734)1) -do Xncn y4oti4Ti. 
 M) B-^u)l rit4)T> x&x) 11)5640^ 't)4 C4t4)r/i ; 
 N4jt B^tiT) 4 'D-'ce)T)'ce 4)ji l4T4t>, 
 l4i)-cii)'D ?)oi) t>4 T54)pe4'ó, 
 
 'S 54)ro4C4r plé4|i, 
 í)4)i) 45 bu)'óe4i) 1)4 le4t>4|i, 
 
 K4)r 'r " pMiwce ?4t>4 ;" 
 Ci4)itre4c c40)i) t>4 tp^^^s^j 
 34nnt4 '5ur rstérp i 
 
 215 ^4)l'C)Ú54'Ó 41) K)5 T^fl C4l4)t, 
 'S t)j tfUC'Gfdjl 1)1)1) 4)T/l 4)1))1T), 
 
 'S 4 c4)tvoe 'D)Ú54)5 ^e4f04, 
 Sl4)i)T;e ttjo Rex ! 
 
 * ^4» faghnach Righ gan ainim. The exiled or wandering King 
 without a name — Prince Charles Edward Stuart. 
 
 f " Les Irlandois" (says Boullaye Le Gouz) " aj^ment les Espagnols 
 
155 
 
 OF MUNSTER. 
 
 ! Thou who inspirest 
 Eire's bards, and firest 
 Heroes' breasts in direst 
 
 Woe through bitter years, 
 Unto Thee each morning, 
 Who didst dree such scorning, 
 Scoffing, scourging, thorning, 
 
 I cry out with tears ! 
 Send him back, and quickly, 
 Who now, sad and sickly, 
 Roams where sorrows thickly 
 
 Press and crush him down ! 
 And disperse and scatter 
 All who in these latter 
 Times have striven to shatter 
 
 Eire's rightful Crown ! 
 
 O ! the French and Spanish 
 Soon our foes will banish ; 
 Then at once will vanish 
 
 All our grief and dread, 
 City, town, and village 
 Shall no more know pillage, 
 Music, feasting, tillage, 
 
 Shall abound instead ; 
 Poetry, romances, 
 Races, and "long dances," 
 Shouts, and songs, and glances 
 
 From eyes bright with smiles ! 
 Our King's feasts shall Fame hymn, 
 Though I may not name him, 
 Victory will proclaim him 
 
 Monarch of the Isles. 
 
 comme leur freres, les Francois coinme leurs amis, les Italiens comme 
 leurs alliez, les Allemands comme leur parens, les Anglois and Ecossois 
 sont leur ennemis irreconcilables." — Voyages et Observatians, 477. 
 
.')(> THK POETS AND POETRY 
 
 jNotyON 2w r\) < &o)'c o'n N-steam* 
 
 Sjiibajl 4 cuiT) ! bj-o 45 sUutjreac'G, 
 3^ tl T51^> 54 H Two» 5411 TU4Jt4t> ; 
 o4'r) o)-óce ^jiit) f^riijw/ó, 
 
 'S bJ0*Ó4TTJ 4 1140ÍJ 4fl rjúb4l ? 
 
 3be4b4ifi 40)bi)e4r b4}lce n)dfi4, 
 
 'S Itd'OAJtC le tt)' T540)b 4]X ClL4T)'C4'Ó ; 
 
 5 4 Cljtijorc r)4jt ]td-bite45 4tj U4ji) j, 
 
 2ifl 4T) b-^40)'Ce4C ^4T)4 Ó't) TJ-3le4í)í) ! 
 
 134 n)é I4r) tdo i)4jtie 
 
 T3|ié 54c be4jtr; t>4 ii-'oe4jtr)4'ó ; 
 
 2t)4]t 1T bu4C4)U n)é bjT> T)4t)4 ; 
 
 'S 'o'jnycjs H41TI) 1T)0 5|ie4i)r) ! 
 Nj beó trjé njj 'r)4 ]iá)tce, 
 2t)4ji 4 b-^^t) rr)é pó*5 'r ?4)lce, 
 'S ce4'o tlíje rjor le? 'o' b4irj-ct)ejr? 
 
 21 )rj5JOT) 4t) Tb^oiT; ó 't) t)-3le4r)t) ! 
 
 )r lOít)^ C4jVJT) b4]t|l4rí)4ll 5 ^611^411)4)1, 
 <t)0 5lU41TV e ATb l)OTt) í)4 l)-4or)4it ; 
 2t)oll4jtt) yé)X) 4 -cnéiste, 
 
 21 s-coilice bé4l 4t-ú)jt,t 
 <t>4 íT)-be)'óTr))r 454 céjle, 
 'S 45 dl 4 i)-í)u]tUr TW^vt 
 2t)o t4n) f40j ce4nt) n)o cé4'D-re4Ttc, 
 
 <t>0 CU)Jt?)r)t) ) ctin) ru4it) ! 
 
 * Gleann (Glyn), a small village situated on the banks of the 
 Suir, midway between the towns of Carrick and Clonmel. An annual 
 fair is held here on the twenty-eighth of May. The Suir runs direct 
 through the village, dividing it into two — hence, the following pro- 
 verb among the natives : — 
 
 " Bioch a leath air an d-taobh air nos aonach an Ghleanna." 
 
 " Let it be fairly divided, like the fair of Glyn." 
 
OF MUNSTER. 15/ 
 
 WHITE'S DAUGHTER OF THE DELL. 
 
 Come, let us trip away, love, 
 We must no longer stay, love, 
 Night soon will yield to Day, love ; 
 
 We'll bid these haunts farewell. 
 We'll quit the fields, and rather 
 New life in cities gather ; 
 And I'll outwit your father, 
 
 The tall White of the Dell ! 
 
 I am filled with melancholy 
 For all my bygone folly ; 
 A "wild blade and a jolly 
 
 I was, as most can tell ; 
 But woes now throng me thickly, 
 I droop, all faint and sickly, 
 I'll die, or win her quickly, 
 
 White's Daughter of the Dell ! 
 
 There's many a Kate and Sally 
 Who'd gladly stray and dally 
 Along with me in valley, 
 
 Or glade, or mossy cell— 
 O ! were we in Thurles together, 
 And each had quaffed a mether,§ 
 We'd sleep as on soft heather, 
 
 My Sweet One of the Dell ! 
 
 f A large tract of land east or south-east of Carrick, lying near 
 an opening in the hills immediately over the Suir, and not far from 
 the demesne of Tinahalla. 
 
 J Thurles, in the county of Tipperary. 
 
 § Mether, in Irish Meadar, a drinking-vessel used by the ancient 
 Irish, — but now it means a churn. 
 
15S THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21 cajlji) bAttrurij4)l, rpé)tie4íi)4)l, 
 'N^ 'c-'cus ít)é re4ftc tt)o cléjb 'diu'C; 
 )r é 'n sM' *oo tu5 tt)é 'juiojjt tui^, 
 
 Cbmit 4i) r^054-o-r4 -cfie nj' con) ! 
 N) bed 4ji tt)U)|t í)4 4fi ^e^tt ti)e, 
 'S T?4or34)rn ?ujl tr)o clé)be 'ttj4c; 
 Jrérijo bfidi) 5^) n)6 1T njo cé4T>-re4Tic, 
 
 ^40} X)Ullle4b4]X 5Ur 1)4 5-C]t411í) ! 
 
 í>4 ti)-bei*ó)t)n-ri 14 b|te45 3Tiéji)e, 
 2irt) f uyóe 4fi be)r)r) 4T) T;-rléjbe ; 
 2lí) lorj-*Diib* 'r &x) cé)fire4C, 
 
 2I5 rejT)i)jnj dr rrjo ce4i)rj ; 
 B4 t^r 'oo rstvjb-pjrir) tié4fir4, 
 'S b'íonsi^-ó led n)4|t léi5^t), 
 21 r)-51t4t) bejt fitTce Tkiob le4-c, 
 
 21 Jí?5Íor) 4i) ^1)401^ d't) r)-5le4i)r) ! 
 
 * Lon-dubh. The Blackbird. This bird was a great favorite with 
 our Gaelic Poets. There is a poem attributed to Oisin on the Black- 
 bird of Doire an Chairn (Deny Cam), in the County of Meath. 
 The following are the two first stanzas : — 
 
 Binn sin, a loin Dhoire an Chairnn ! 
 Ni chualas an ard san m-bith, 
 Ceol ba bhinne na do cheol 
 Agus tu fa bhun do nid. 
 
 Aen clieol is binne fa'n m-bith, 
 Mairg nach eisdir ris go foil ! 
 A mhic Alphruinn na g-clog m-binn, 
 'S go m-beartha aris air do noin. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 159 
 
 You bright, you blooming Fair, you ! 
 'Tis next my heart I wear you ! 
 The wondrous love I bear you 
 
 Has bound me like a spell ! 
 Oh ! both by land and ocean 
 My soul is all commotion, 
 Yours is my deep devotion, 
 
 Dear Damsel of the Dell ! 
 
 Oh ! were I seated near her, 
 
 Where summer woods might cheer her, 
 
 While clearer still, and clearer, 
 
 The blackbird's notes would swell, 
 I'd sing her praise and glory, 
 And tell some fairy story 
 Of olden ages hoary, 
 
 To White's Rose of the Dell ! 
 
 Melodious are thy lays, O, Blackbird of Derrycarn ! 
 I have never heard in any quarter of the globe 
 Music sweeter than thine 
 While perched beneath thy nest. 
 
 Music more melodious is not in the world , 
 Alas ! had you but listened to it a while, 
 O son of Alphruin of the deep-toned bells, 
 You could again your prayers resume. 
 
 See Oisin's poems, where he contends with St. Patrick about the 
 " croaking" voice of his psalm-singers, with which he contrasts the 
 tuneful warbling of the Derrycarn blackbird. 
 
160 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 *o»)i)Nmi n<n 5Ke)M6. 
 
 Tow : — <t>ori)t)4ll T)4 ofiéjtie. 
 
 Lively. 
 
 \ =^r--f- 
 
 — sp-^ I ■* — f- 
 
 r # # p »je 
 
 LLurvprgi^ g 
 
 gf^MW^ 
 
 ll^Ttt^m ii 
 
 P 
 
 éíéíé 
 
 P 
 
 J^ 
 
 Con)4oit) 'r Frolic— cum WVK&fi «oe Bl)4tlir 
 2l]t í)l)0Tt)Ti4U r)4 5néiT)e ! 
 01)4 cu4Ux) TJ* a tjiéftte ! 
 
 50 3-C4lt^e4C té re4C'Dtt}4]t) — 45 dl4 'O-'Glá 1641)1)4*0, 
 'S 1)4 'CU)'C1pe4C 1)é4l 4)|l, 
 
 B'4i)4Ti) T>)t cé)Ue 41|V ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 161 
 
 DOMHNALL NA GREINE. 
 
 Of Donall na Greine, the hero of this song, little is known. We find 
 the following allusion to him in a Jacobite ballad by the Rev. Patrick 
 O'Brian, which appears at page 258 of this volume^ 
 
 " Beidh hata maith beabhair, 
 Air Dhomhnall na Greine, 
 Da chathadh is na speartha le mor-chroidhe." 
 
 Domhnall na Greine 
 Shall have a fine beaver, 
 Which he will toss to the skies with delight. 
 
 Our own opinion is, that Domhnall was a fellow who loitered his 
 time idly basking in the sun, as his cognomen na Greine (of the sun) 
 would indicate, and consequently became a fitting subject for the poets 
 to display their wit upon. 
 
 On this air the Scotch have founded their "Bucky Highlander," 
 which was by some wag burlesqued in an Anglo-Irish rhyme begin- 
 ning thus : — 
 
 Potaties and butter would make a good supper 
 For Bucky Highlander, 
 For Bucky Highlander. 
 
 Of Arthur Wallace we know little ; but we have seen some records 
 of a family of that name living in Cork about a century ago — 
 patrons of poets and poetry — and it is probable that "Arthur "was 
 a distinguished member of this family. 
 
 We forgot placing the following stanza in the hands of our poetical 
 translator : — 
 
 Bion Domhnall air meisge 's a bhean ag ol uisge, 
 
 'S a phaisdighe a beice — 's a phaisdighe a beice 
 
 Olfach se a d-tuillean se, 's da m-beidheach a thuille 'ge, 
 Domhnall na Greine — Domhnall na Greine. 
 
 Domhnall is drunk, and his wife drinking water, 
 
 And his children are screaming — his children are screaming. 
 
 He drinks what he earns, and more if he gets it, 
 
 Domhnall na Greine 1 Domhnall na Greine ! 
 
 Wild Domhnall na Greine !- — his frolics would please ye, 
 Yet Wallace, confound him, 
 Came trickishly round him ! 
 
 He'd sit, without winking, in alehouses drinking 
 For days without number, 
 Nor care about slumber ! 
 
 M 
 
162 THE POET8 AND POETRY 
 
 4)o |ij4fV|p4ó fé ce4T3ítA]x— t)) T)édr)V4C ré C4r40)T, 
 
 B'4t)4tij 34T) sle^r é, 
 
 4)oiijii4U 1)4 ofiéjne ! 
 o|to-D4i|te, Buc4r|ie — td4 b-fujl y&\) b-^moi) é, 
 
 2lí) Sp4lp4j]te TJ]ié)teúc I 
 
 4)oléj5Jfe4C yé C4llle4C — 4|X tt}UC4'Ó 'r 41|X 064^40-0, 
 
 Sir? CU1-D T>Á bé4p4, 
 5o tj-'d64T34'ó ré riéj'ó'ce4c ! 
 4)4 tt)-b054'ó 'r ^4 tr)e4ll4 — d oj'óce 50 rtwojoí). 
 ie bl4-04it 'r b|té454, 
 640^1X4 't T5é4l'C4 ! 
 
 B'4ivo 4 té]rt)-it4T;4 — 'r b4 cfuwj'ó 4 bti)Ue 04*54, 
 2I5 -ce4CT) 4in)riji t^4'ón)4, 
 
 $)0 'CjtOJ'0^e4C f é Cé4'CC4. 
 B4 T4tÍJ4]l 1t)0 5e4Tltl4'6 — le ÍÚ54]'Ó 14lij- , f4'04, 
 
 le ^luycjton) 640^40, 
 1NÍ0 Hercules ojté454C 
 
 T^í n\iéir)e é 4ft '&AUrij — 5 t)4 4ji ^uitjt) ít)4|t4, 
 
 4)o f \)Ár\)túc 417 6}jt?)e 
 
 2li) ycojiin) t]o 'r) péj'oe. 
 T^H 40T) 1)64C T>4 Tt)4)lt]0r) — i)4|i f4ji4]'ó 4 5-cle4r4*o, 
 
 B'vtilj^T^o -oé4r)4Ti), 
 
 Bin ré jtd t\ié)teúc. 
 
 W)l Ce4|VD T)4 64U'Ó4Í)— í)4jt f4lX41T) 54T) ^000411, 
 'S T)JO]t cuiti64-ó b]té45, 
 2ljt 4)l)dn)T)4U r)4 3^t)e. 
 
 Bji 64)ljújti> b4 5ob4 é — b'^4|i 5lé4T'04 po'G4j , óe é, 
 
 'S T>'j:)5}:e4C té é4T54C, 
 CotjÚT) 't Cambrick ! 
 
 * Spalpeen (rectius, spailpin), a person following the spade — a 
 ^pade-officer. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 163 
 
 ! jovial and funny — a spender of money — * 
 A prince at his Table, 
 "Was Domhnall the Able ! 
 
 The Soul of Good-breeding, in fashions his leading- 
 Was copied and stuck to 
 By tradesman and buck too ! 
 
 Old crones, of diseases, of coughings, and sneezes, 
 
 He'd cure without catsup, 
 
 And quarrels he'd patch up. 
 With ilattery and coaxing, with humbug and hoaxing, 
 
 And song-singing daily, 
 
 He'd pass the time gaily. 
 
 O ! he was the spalpeen* to flourish an alpeen ! f 
 
 He'd whack half a hundred, 
 
 And nobody wondered ! 
 He'd have taught a right new way to Long-handed 
 Lughaidh, 
 
 Or Great iUexander, 
 
 That famous Commander. 
 
 On water and land he was equally handy, 
 
 He'd swim without fear in 
 
 A storm o'er Lough Eirin ! 
 Not a man born of woman could beat him at coman 3 % 
 
 Or at leaping could peer him, 
 
 Or even come near him ! 
 
 Every artisan's tool he would handle so coolly — 
 From the plough to the thimble, 
 Bright Domhnall the Nimble ! 
 
 A blacksmith and tailor, a tinker and nailer, 
 And weaver of cambrick, 
 Was also the same brick ! 
 
 f Alpeen (rectius. ailpin), a wattle. Used at country fairs in fac- 
 tion fights. 
 X Hurling. 
 
1(34 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 oluMr^iTbe \\6 ityoltto'e — Piijí)t;éi|t bjie454 Ie4b4]a é, 
 
 Í>l)é4r)f4C y& cé4C'D4, — 
 
 to'^ujtireac T)4 b]ié4i)|t4'6* — 
 oleir^ju ^n Í^MtMT — ^ t>4onte bj 4 5-Co]tC4j'ó 6, 
 4)ori)t)4ll T)4 5íiéjí)e 
 
 <t>0 feir)Tje4C 4]fl té4'D4)b ! 
 
 te l)-4ol 'r le cloc4 — T)0 T>é4r)^4c ré 0b4Jtl 
 Í)no)ce4-o 4]t 4i) 6i]ti)e, 
 
 Nd / c4tlTH4 4|l 4t) 'D-'C|té4T)-TÍ)U1|í ! 
 BÁT> 45Ur Co^e — í)0 T>é4T)?4C 50 «C4P4, 
 / Cl)|ie4b'C4C 41) TJ1té4t)rnU)fl 5 
 
 21 T)út) cutí) t)4 3í^é)5e ! 
 
 Groom 45UT Tt)4flC4C é — Í)4C yil41|t |tJ4U) 4 le454'6, 
 
 Sl)eit)tie4C ré 4ji pjob, 
 
 'S 4|i 54c róivs ri4t)r4. 
 
 Bd]VO 43HT le4b4)T> — T>0 T>é4t)^4C 50 / C4p41'6, 
 
 'S x>é4T)4ó yé bfiiroe, 
 
 <t>0 CjlO)Ce41) T)4 C40]t4C. 
 
 <D'dl?4C TDeOC lC4T)l)4 — 't é ?éj1) T>4 C64í)t)4C 
 'S 4T bl4T^4 1)4 b]t14t|l4, 
 C1)4T)1)4C 50 C)4Íírj4fl. 
 
 4t)l)é4í)ip4C T& Pitcher — t>o t^OT^c T^rj 5-C1T^W> 
 Cbo^srried^c Geneva, 
 í)'dl^4C T)4 Ladies ! 
 
 le ?e4b4r 4 cu]T)e4CT;4 — ri)e4ll^4c ré cuj-o 4C4, 
 C4iliT)i'ó 054 ! 
 S)T)5)l 'r Pdt'D4 ! 
 
 í)l)é4niP4C té 1)4X54 — 'D , 0)|l):e4C T>0 't) 64fb05 
 
 'S Peifi)bj5 T>o'r) j4jiUt> ! 
 
 Sjl14l) 45UT 43)4114]^. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 165 
 
 He made stout shoes for winter — he shone as a printer, 
 
 He'd shape a wheelbarrow, 
 
 A plough and a harrow ! 
 His genius for glazing was really amazing, 
 
 And how in Cork city 
 
 He'd harp to each ditty ! 
 
 in a week's time, or shorter, with stones and with mortar, 
 He'd rear a high stronghold, 
 And bridge that would long hold. 
 
 With wood from the valley he'd build a gay galley, 
 To cleave the deep waters 
 To Greece of the Slaughters ! 
 
 He reigned a musician without competition, 
 And coursed like a jockey, 
 O'er ground the most rocky. 
 
 'Twas he that was able to make bed and table — - 
 And breeches to match you, 
 Of sheepskin he'd patch you. 
 
 No churl and no grumbler, he'd toss oif his tumbler, 
 And chat with a croney, 
 In speech sweet as honey. 
 
 For the Fair and the Richer he'd shape a neat pitcher 
 For gin or for sherry, 
 To make the heart merry. 
 
 With married and single he'd oftentimes mingle, 
 
 And many's the maiden 
 
 He left sorrow-laden. 
 A wig for a noble he'd make without trouble, 
 
 Hat, saddle, and bridle- — 
 
 He couldn't be idle ! 
 
166 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Nil teal Tvíji rpiie454'6-'4 reoniru-o, \)o 4 b-4lM, 
 
 N4C b-)=Ujl 41Jt 4 ÍÍ)é41t4, 
 'S CUTt)):4C ré bé4]tr4. 
 
 It Uonjt4 4 te4r)54 — 4 Ti)-Bé4iit4 rjó 4 Ldj-ojotw, 
 S5|til3te4c ré 540)-óeH5e 
 Dutch 45ur 5néi5ir ! 
 
 Njl 4or) be4i) 4 5-Co|tC4-ó — t)4c ?45)=4t5 4 1)--doc4íi ! 
 
 54Tj ojtfu 4ÓT) rrnéj-oe ! 
 
 <t)o 'éjocipaj'ojr ^4015 tejr ! 
 le n)é4-D 4 njjrwó— <Do f 4fi4i-ó ré 4tj x>orij4?j ? 
 
 S)t) 45111b 4 t]ié)te, 
 
 í)ori)rj4U ii4 5|ié?r)e ! 
 
 r^orjr) : — Be4í) 4T) TPVj^rt Ku4T>, 
 
OF MUNSTER, 167 
 
 All airs, pure or garbled, that ever were warbled 
 
 By harpers or singers, 
 
 He had on his fingers ! 
 Greek, Erse, English, Latin, all these he was pat in, 
 
 And what you might term an 
 
 O'erwhelmer in German ! 
 
 Long, long, they'll regret him, and never forget him, 
 The girls of Cork city, 
 And more is the pity ! 
 
 What more ? By his courage he topped all in our age- 
 To him, then, be glory ! 
 And so ends my story. 
 
 THE KED-HAIRED MAN'S WIFE. 
 
 The following is the first stanza of Bean an Fhir Rvadh (The Red- 
 Haired Man's Wife), which is quite common among the Munster 
 
 peasantry : — 
 
 Do thugas naoi mi a b-priosun ceangailte cruaidh, 
 Bulla air mo chom 's mile glas as sud suas ; 
 Do thugasa sigh mar do thabharfach aladh cois cuain 
 D'fhonn a bheith sinte sios le Bean an Fhir Ruadh, 
 
 I spent nine months in prison fettered and bound, 
 
 My body chained and secured with locks, 
 
 Bounded as the swan on the wave 
 
 In hopes to sit down beside the Red-haired man's wife. 
 
1 68 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Se454n U4 Cuir)í)e454ií), ccv 
 To\)\) : — Se454T) Bu]*óe. 
 
 
 s^ i m^j i- 
 
 S£ 
 
 S 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 P 
 
 ft,, ^-^-^ — 1^^. i rm ] A \ — i 1 — •- — - i v. 
 
 is 
 
 oj^j i j i ^^i r 
 
 T4H4}t> 50 \)-é)XTi)on) 4 ce<xt<n]i 4fi 04054-0, 
 'S 5e4ll47íi} 50 ]t^5r^^ ^r) <c-2ifvo KI05 ! 
 
 2ln cedr)54lr4 4)|i 5^o)-óeHlb, 45 <t)4H4tt4jb cUo^-ó, 
 21 13-^e4íi4i)t)4ib 6)be4|t rj4 Un-rsníob :— 
 
 l4rf4-Ó í)4 rpé4|tt4'6, 
 
 le l)-4r)r));4'6 4íi éjjtlj5, 
 4)o -6e4|tc):4jt o Bl)é4|i4 50 ^Íl4)5 l/j6, 
 
 'S 50 C4l46-pojt'c ei|tt)e, 
 
 ^5 54^4-6 Sl)é4|xlíi)r ; 
 21 'Cjte4r54)it'c 4T) ^1x64-04 rjij Sbe454ir) Bbuj-óe ! 
 
 * In Bunting's Irish music will be found a beautiful air called 
 11 Geadhna Fiadhaine" (Wild Geese), with words by Dr. Drennan, 
 the United Irishman. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 169 
 
 THE RETURN OF THE WILD GEESE. 
 
 BY JOHN o' CUNNINGHAM. 
 
 Air : — " Seaghan Buidhe" 
 
 The epithet Seaghan Buidhe (Yellow Jack) was applied to the fol- 
 lowers of William III. We have no less than ten different songs to 
 this air in our collection; but the true Seaghan Buidhe is one in 
 which the accomplishments of an individual with this cognomen are 
 humorously described, and which we give on the next page. 
 
 Of the author, Seaghan 0' Cuinneagain, nothing is known. We 
 possessed some of his MSS., written in 1737, among which we found 
 the following toast, composed for him by a contemporary poet : — 
 
 Ag so slainte Sheaghain Ui Chuinneagain, 
 
 Fear gan chaim na chroidhe, 
 
 Fear geal aluinn, ba chlisde laimh, 
 
 Fear le raidhte grinn — 
 
 Fear nar batliag an iomarbhaidh 
 
 Fear a d-tabhairne dighe, 
 
 Fear nar fhag a bhille Ian, 
 
 Fear le radh, 'gus saoi. 
 
 Here's a health to John O'Cunningham, 
 
 A man without guile in his heart, 
 
 A man fair and comely, with a clever hand, 
 
 A man of jovial speech, 
 
 A man well versed in his country's lore, 
 
 A man he was in the tavern, 
 
 Who never left scores unpaid, 
 
 A man right sage was he. 
 
 } wait till you reach but the year Fifty-four, 
 
 And I promise the High God shall free you ! 
 He shall shiver your Sassenagh chains evermore, 
 And victor the nations shall see you ! 
 
 The thunder and lightning 
 
 Of battle shall rage — 
 'Twixt Tralee and Berehaven it shall be — 
 
 And down by Lough Eirin 
 
 Our Leader shall wage 
 Fierce war to the death against Seaghan Buidhe /.* 
 
 * Pronounced Shawn Bui. 
 
1 70 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 CúXfAft 1)4 l)-é4f)Ulé d4 t)-54ijtn)te4|t "5é4n4,"* 
 
 21 1) 4]nt) 50 5ié<dro4 5<w xv^x p^wm 
 
 4>4]t rc4ra)n) o T) , é454*D4it cr)4rij4 Tbiil^ '• 
 C]ie4C^4i*o 'x Cé4TF4)'D, 
 'S T5<HP^^ t)4 b|té4r)-'coj|tc, 
 
 1643^41*0 'V |t40b):41*D 4 l)-34lVD4J5e, 
 
 Le45^4ti t)4 penfoe, 
 
 ZJÁ Ce4l'54C, C]t40r4C, 
 
 o4t) ?4jce, 54i) e4-D4C, 34r) Se454r) Bujt>e ! 
 
 SEAGHAN BUIDHE. 
 
 Air maidin de domhnadh ag gabhail sios an botbar, 
 Go hatuirseach, bronacb, gan or puinn ; 
 Casag orm oigbhean bbi suighte go corach, 
 'S i faire air an roguire Seaghan Buidhe ! 
 
 Ba thailiuir, ba ghobha e, ba phrinteir brcagha leabhar e, 
 'S geallaim gan amhras gur breagha sgriobhacb, 
 Dbeanfach se fionta de bharraoidh na g-craoibheacha, 
 'S do shnambfacb an taoide go toin sios ! 
 
 B'fhearr e ar an maide, 'gus b-f hearr e ar an m-bearrnadh, 
 
 B'f hearr e la chasda na suistighe, 
 
 B'fhearr e la an earraig ag grafa na m-banta, 
 
 'Gus b-f hearr e ar binse na giuistis, 
 
 Cuirfeadsa an roguire feasta dha f hoguirt, 
 
 A g-Corcaidh, a n-Eochuill, 's a d- Tralee, 
 
 Ni leomhthadh aon oig-bhean gabhail thoruinn an botliar 
 
 Le he-agia an roguire Seaghan Buidhe ! 
 
 * The departure of the Irish Jacobites, in 1691, still spoken of by 
 the people as " The Flight of the Wild Geese," marks one of the 
 most mournful epochs in our sad history. It was indeed a memo- 
 rable and mournful spectacle ; women and children severed from their 
 husbands, and the ties of nature rent asunder. The parting sails were 
 pursued by moans and lamentations, that excited even the sympathies 
 of the English and foreign troops, and still find a mournful echo in the 
 
OF MTJNSTER. 171 
 
 The "Wild Geese" shall return, and we'll welcome 
 them home — 
 So active, so armed, and so flighty 
 A flock was ne'er known to this island to come 
 Since the years of Prince Fionn the mighty — 
 They will waste and destroy, 
 Overturn and o'erthrow — 
 They'll accomplish whate'er may in man be ; 
 Just heaven ! they will bring 
 Desolation and woe 
 On the hosts of the tyrannous Seaghan Buidhe ! 
 
 SHANE BWEE. 
 
 One Sunday morning as I rambled on the road, 
 
 Sorrowful, gloomy, and penniless, 
 I happened to meet a comely young maiden, 
 
 A watching the thief known as Seaghan Buidhe. 
 
 He is a smith and a tailor — a fine printer of books, 
 
 And I have no doubt he can write well ; 
 He can make wines from the blossom of trees, 
 
 And can swim and dive in the ocean. 
 
 He is the best at the cudgel — the first in the gap, 
 
 The first to thresh his corn : — 
 The first in spring to till his land, 
 
 And more skilled in the law than a judge ! 
 
 Henceforth I'll proclaim this wandering rogue, 
 
 In Cork, and in Youghal, and in Tralee, 
 For none of our maidens dare travel the road, 
 
 For fear of the sly rogue called Seaghan Buidhe ! 
 
 breasts of the Irish people. It is said that the weather was unusually 
 gloomy, as if the sun itself had been unwilling to behold so sad a 
 spectacle of fathers torn from their children — husbands from their 
 wives, and, more touching still, of brave men torn from the bosom of 
 their native land, to fill the world with the fame of then- valour, and 
 
 the glory of that nation which they were never to revisit " Military 
 
 Memoirs of the Irish Nation," by M. O'Conor. Dub. 1845, p. 192. 
 
1 <*- THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Le feúfífSAÍb a\) 401)- 2l)ljejc — *o?ul4ii)5 pe4n*)4j , o 
 
 T4JI f40|l4T>, 
 
 5o -c-t;454j*ó tt)o b|t)4T;ti4 le 3fi4-ó, 4 3-Cji)c ; 
 
 2l|l l)-e45Ulir 1)40ri}t4— 50 3-C4T4)'D4 11-6)1)^640^, 
 
 21 5-ce4lU r)4 r^oji-rsoU-ó r4)it-b)r)r) ! 
 4)4 Tt)4)it)rjt) t>4 é)r TW 
 
 21CT; r^4CTJTt)4)í) T>e Uetjb, 
 
 'S 541) Ub4)]tT; 4)|i cl40í)-T)l)5te S1^e454)t) Btyuj'oe ! 
 
 Le l)-4'C4l b4 40fl4C, 
 
 2l)e4]t, 4Cf U)l)r)64C, é4'O'qi0rt), 
 
 4)o 5l4t)f4jt)t) 'oo lé)ti) T;4|t 4í) tt)-b4t) 140) ! 
 
 seBem n) Bi)K)2i)M.* 
 
 2lo-ó Bu)-óe 2t)4C Cujfvcjrj, ccg. 
 
 21 3b^lT 54|it;4 5téj3)ot — 4 bé)t ri)4)re4C bé4r4c, 
 
 21 cti40b-ct)e4T'O4 cé)tr)-le4r 'oo ii)4'C4)b r jol ^4)1 ;f 
 21 40t)-Ur4i]t r5é)ti)e t)4 t)-4ol-b4r) le cé)le, 
 
 21 bé4l-'C4T)l)4 4TJ T)é)'D-5)l T)4 I4b4flt4 T4ri). 
 
 )t n\iéAr) 'ce4c / G t>o t\ié)te le ¥éró)rt)-n)A)t i)4 ?é)le, 
 'S TJ-401-cfiob le t>40T)»)4C'g )f 'C4b4|i'C4C ^rs, 
 
 4)0 'í) 'C4)T / C10ll4C -CjXélt-Us — T>0 'í) 4)rí))'D 54Í) 6)^)0075, 
 
 4)0 't) l434ti le b-40t'C4CT; )r 'cu 4 3-C4b4)ji 'r 4 T54t. 
 
 * We have no means of ascertaining who this fair one, Isabel Ni 
 Brian was. She must have been of the house of Thomond from the fact 
 of Hugh Buidhe (the Yellow) Mac Curtin — a Clare poet who nourished 
 early in the last century — having made her the theme of his muse. 
 
 f Tail. Cas, the son of Conall Eachluaith, on whom, after the 
 
OF MUNSTER. 173 
 
 And oh ! may the God who hath kept evermore 
 
 This isle in His holy protection — 
 Bring back to His temples His priests as before, 
 And restore them to Eire's affection ! 
 
 To end ! may I sooner 
 
 Be slaughtered in war, 
 Or lie sunk in the waves of the Grand Lee, 
 
 Than with spirit for Freedom, 
 
 E'er cease to abhor 
 The detestable statutes of Seaghan Buidhe ! 
 
 ISABEL NI BRIAN. 
 
 BY HUGH BUIDHE (THE YELLOW) MAC CURTIN. 
 
 O, Swan of bright plumage ! O, maiden who bearest 
 The stamp on thy brow of Dalcassia's high race, 
 
 With mouth of rich pearl-teeth, and features the fairest, 
 And speech of a sweetness for music to trace ! 
 
 O ! how shall I praise thee, thou lovely, thou noble ! 
 
 Thou prop of the feeble, thou light of the blind ! 
 Thou solace and succour of wretches in trouble, 
 
 As beauteous in body as bounteous in mind ! 
 
 death of Core, Criomhthan, monarch of Ireland, conferred the sove- 
 reignty of Munster, was surnamed Dolabhra Mac Tail, from his 
 foster-father, who was a smith, is the original founder of the Dalcas- 
 sians, whose posterity is called Clann Tail.— See " O'Flaherty's 
 Ogyg." Part III. p. 310. 
 
17 i THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 ( 2l)4ji bajijt 4|i 540 \éA\)-\QT, -do nje4|t4t> tt}o 
 'S t , v*43 T>e4lb 54t) céjll njé 4tt) ri)e4'C4c n)4U 
 3un c4itl)or4'6 l40cji4T> b4 C4b4)]t T)4n) é)5]0t), 
 
 Fe4]ni'óo)t) 6407340 Cl)4)r7l 'r CIjUitl* 
 
 <t)o ce4r)5l4r le T)Ú4t>c4jt,?l4'éce4rjr)r4 x>o'i) cfunrjtje, 
 
 O 2Xr>T)-c;rttL7rn t)4 rj-5U4ir-be4|t^ 'r o 2ilb4]i) 4n-o ; 
 
 4)o 'í) cUjot) T?i) Cl)oll4 Xl4ir tW? inuiit 73e4rij4Jit Y 
 
 21 TJ-r^TJ X)X) Y 4 T)-T)U4l54r TJ4 ÍJ-4) / Ófie4C Ó 'jl ^T- 
 
 C|ie4'D 'D4rin fc 4. t)4 llUVÓ^JIJl) 4T) l41)1}-rijATlC4C U4f4l, 
 21t) "Clt4r)T)-C4'D41T ,, t CÍ)tl4T4C 54Í) C&X&t 4]t 4 147TT) ; 
 
 34T) ^4í)r)-13e4|t'c, 54T) n\iuúille4cv, acts ce4r)i)r4C'c 
 
 te 01141140^, 
 21?) pl4r)T)-D4 'DO f U4t4'0 T^fie C4ire T)'tUjl D4jl. 
 
 * Charles O'Brian, Lord Clare, who fell at the battle of Ramilies, 
 in 1706, where he commanded a regiment of infantry, 
 f Crann caithis, a May-pole. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 175 
 
 Alas ! these are woes from which nought can defend me, 
 My bosom is loaded with sorrow and care, 
 
 Since I lost the great men who were prompt to befriend 
 me, 
 The heroes, the princes of Cashel and Clare ! 
 
 But, glory and honour to thee ! — thou hast wedded 
 A chieftain from Antrim, of chivalrous worth, 
 
 Of the great Colla-TJais the Swift — they who headed 
 So proudly the conquering tribes of the North ! 
 
 To that bold cavalier hast thou plighted thy duty, 
 And he is a hero whom none can surpass — 
 
 His valour alone was the meed of thy beauty, 
 Thou Rose of the Garden of golden Dal Cas ! 
 
176 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2iN p2l)S<t>jtt r)otm 
 Sé4tt)iir tí))c Cot)X4.)z>)r) 9 ccc. 
 
 Voijij :— 2U) P4)r^1^) Vjotjij. 
 
 Moderately 
 
 P 
 
 i-Q. 
 
 « 
 
 M.J*. 
 
 P 
 
 1 
 
 a~~y 
 
 -xje-S 
 
 #— # 
 
 <£?;4 T3&H be^5 43411) le l)-4ijiioti) 'Ojb, 
 
 am ti64ic4D mneAc -co cta^s ^° cnoroe, 
 
 ie l)-éi3ioíi BAl*t)1ift 'T 5H* 6 ^ ^ 40 , 1 ' 
 21 t)-56)»|ODD 5AU1T1 5**n M5 "1 e l 
 )r pé^itUc, bACAlUc, <g4 3^c x>Uoi, 
 't\U citAob-tote citAt-dc, 50 ^4iD51oc XWX, 
 
 'Ma 1)-6a'oat) 5eAT)Ari)4il, r)4?ite4c! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 177 
 
 THE FAIR-HAIRED CHILD. 
 
 BY JAMES CONSIDINE. 
 
 James Considine, of Ath na g-Caorach (Sheepford) in the county 
 of Clare, author of this beautiful song, nourished about the close of the 
 last centuiy. 
 
 A lady from the south (a Tipperary girl) kindly gave us the 
 following fragment of a much older version, which is generally 
 sung by the peasantry about Cahir, Clogheen, and Clonmel, and 
 of which we give a literal translation at the close of this song: — 
 
 A g-Cluain geal Meala ta 'n Paisdin Fionn, 
 A bh-fuil a croidhe 's a h-aigne ag gaire Horn ; 
 A dha pluc dhearg mar bhlath na g-crarm, 
 Is truagh gan i 'dir mo dha lamha 'gam. 
 
 Is tusa mo mhaon-sa, mo mhaon-sa, mo mhaon sa, 
 
 Is tusa mo mhaon-sa, 's mo ghradh geal, 
 
 Is tusa mo mhaon, 's carra mo chroidhe, 
 
 Is truagh gan tu 'dir mo dha lamha 'gam. 
 
 Da m-beidhin-si seachtmhuin an ait a m-beidheadh greann, 
 No dir dha bharraille Ian de leann ; 
 Gan aon am aice acht mo Phaisdin Fionn, 
 Go deimhin duit d'olfain a slainte. 
 Is tusa, &c. . 
 
 Da m-beith sud agamsa airgiod 's or, 
 Ba boga geala 's caoire ar moin, 
 An charraig ud Chaisil na piosaidhe oir, 
 Do mhalairt ni iarfuin mar cheile. 
 Is tusa, &c. 
 
 The air must be played with spirit, and the chorus sung after each 
 stanza. 
 
 A maiden there is whose charmful art 
 Has fettered and bound my love-sick heart ; 
 From thence her image will never depart, 
 
 But haunts it daily and nightly. 
 How glitters and curls each lock of her hair, 
 All golden over her bosom fair ! 
 As the swan on the wave, so it on the air 
 
 Floats hither and thitherward brightly. 
 
ITS THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 It C40l 4 ti)4U 4fi bUj'c-'óeuítc ]tjr), 
 Cl)ii)ii 1^054-0 50 -owsiox) 4rn I4ji 50 T^rnr) ; 
 N4 caoju 4 rb4j|it)i) te T54)l 4i) 40)1, 
 
 3o K}\éúX) T)4 le4C4)i) sUin rr^nUt). 
 21 be4l ir ^41)1)4 'r 4r 4jlne 5i)40j, 
 21 ^éj-D-Tijjon C4jlce 541) c4)tt) 4 n)i)40j, 
 Jr lew 5Uji bjnne 1)4 cUiirpoc C40jn, 
 
 04C bé4|ir4 C41)41) 41) 154jl)-Cl)e)f. 
 
 Venus, b4i)4l / 5jt4 bl4j£, 1)4 51)407, 
 'S Helen 5]te4i)'54 £115 4]t t)4 'Ofuoj ; 
 «DéjfVDite* ii)4jre4c |te 'fi ?45b4T> N40)T' 
 
 50 ^401) 4 l)-e4Ti)4)l)Dj 'r 4 b|t4)t;t i e I 
 21 r5éjri), 'T a b-pe4|tr4)i)i), T)j -54jjie "ójob, 
 2lij béjt-n C4T)4)nj «6tt5 b4it|i o njt)40j, 
 
 'S 4T b40t 41) 'De4tltt)4'D BUltlH-O 5fl)l)T) 
 
 T3bu5 645 ^° Cl)U]t4)5 ri))c <t>4)jie ! 
 
 C4 5lé)]te 41) -C-Tl) 640*54 54C / 5]t4)5 '1)4 pjb, 
 
 'S 5i)é 1)4 íi)4ii)4-'6e4r bl4trr)4|i 5 cjiu)T)íj ; 
 Sséiri) 4 re4i)54-cujjtp 4i u ^^ c40)t, 
 
 'S 41) '5-401 4 , C4)'5t)]Óri) 1)4 b4l)-C flOjb. 
 
 Nj 'l é)t5 le l)-4rij4fic 50 b|i46 4|i I) 1)5, 
 t<14 é4T)l4)f; r^^T^it) 4ti b4]t]t 1)4 5-cfi40)b, 
 Nj 'l 51)6 1)4 f4rijujta le ?454)l 4)ix cjjt, 
 
 M4C lé)Jl T>] t4tl]iU)l)5 4fl b4l)-b[l4)'C. 
 
 <1>0 16)5^)1) T^4T)C4r Cl4j]t 1)4 i)-340)-óe4l ? 
 '$ rtéirr) i)4 B]te4'54i) t>o Cfi4-Ó4]5 n)o cno)t>e ! 
 Lé)5)Ti) 1)4 PT4ln) b4 51)4t; 50 bjnn, 
 
 215 Cléjfie 45 C41)'5Ujl) 4 'D-'G]lÁ'bú. 
 
 2l|t '6é4T)4 rpjte454)i)i) 50 54)b'5e4C Reel, 
 í>o le^r^i)!) 54l4|i4]b fl4)t)ce citO]T>e, 
 2lji t4ob i)4 ^tce njoji él4£ ti)o 5i))oii), 
 215 T>é41)4lí) 4)r^e 1)4 TJfiác^inj ! 
 
 * Deirdre. For the fate of Deirdre, Naoise, and his brethren, at 
 Earahain (Emania), see Transactions of the Gaelic Society, Dub. 1808. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 179 
 
 From her piercing eye, so blue and bright, 
 Shoot arrows on arrows of Love's own light. 
 And the red rose vies with the lily's white 
 
 In her brilliant queenly features ; 
 No pearls can rival her dazzling teeth, 
 Her lips are like coral above and beneath ; 
 And never was harp on a wild wood heath, 
 
 Like the voice of this fairest of creatures ! 
 
 Not she, that dame who was Eire's pride, 
 Not Helen of Troy, famed far and wide, 
 Not Deirdre, who when King Naoisi died, 
 
 No more in Emania would tarry, 
 Could vie in features, figure, or air, 
 With this young damsel of beauty rare, 
 Not even the maiden, Blanaid fair, 
 
 Who slew brave Curigh Mac Daire.* 
 
 Her heaving bosom and beauteous neck 
 
 Are white as the snow, and as pure from speck, 
 
 Her arms are meet for gems to deck, 
 
 And her waist is fine and slender ; 
 And there never was seen, by sea or land, 
 Beast, bird, or fish, but her delicate hand . 
 Could broider it forth on silk so grand, 
 
 And glowing, yet soft and tender ! 
 
 I have pondered, with tears, the rueful tale 
 Of the Saxon's conquest over the Gael ; 
 I have heard the chant, the melodious wail 
 
 Of the priest in his matin duty ; 
 I have played my land's harp o'er and o'er, 
 And was pierced with grief to my bosom's core, 
 But nothing could touch or move me more 
 
 Than the charms of this young beauty ! 
 
 * Curaigh Mac Daire's tragic fate is related in Keating's Ireland, 
 Haliday's edition, p. 405, Dub, 1811. 
 
180 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 rV-4or4 4 C4ju\t> CJ4 b've4|iit T>u)n rjnn, 
 3dlJ rPl^ 5^1) veAjuirj nj4ii T;uin), 54t)buj*ojrj, 
 Ná cjiéjce re4]tb bej-óe4C I4i) x>o pujrrjp, 
 
 4)o bé4ji?4c 4jtjr 'r c4m TniiT;! 
 4)i |tér|ri rjt) T34it]t4)n5 4111 r>4jl, 5^i) T3i* 5 
 'S ^éjt) it)o C4b4)fi ó 'i) Tt)-b4r TO 4irj cUoj-oe, 
 'S 4t) t;6 t>o ce4i)n^15 le 5lt4r4 ni)i) 5 
 
 Bé4ji)=4'ó C4jtiorr) 'f ?454jl T)íiiT)T). 
 
 In gay Clonmel dwells the fair-haired child, 
 
 Whose heart and soul at me have smiled ; 
 
 Her two rosy cheeks like the red apple shine, 
 
 My grief, she is not in my arms ! 
 
 You are my fond one — my fond one — my fond one, 
 You are my fond one and gradh croidhe I 
 You are my fond one — my heart's only treasure, 
 My grief you are not in my arms ! 
 
 Seojjire Kob4]PG,* ccv. 
 
 ) r ^4-04 Tt)é 45 sliujreac'c 4ji tuú)]i)X5 ff)o 31x4-0, 
 
 2l|l ?U4JT> COjU'Ce T>Úti4 l!415T)e4C 4ÍÍ) |Xtl454'0 le ?4n ; 
 
 21 r<urjiijl t)1 D-^u4it4r — Sl'ó' cti4fX'Diij5e4r 4 I4rj, 
 O 3bÚ)T^ *J4 TjUAtA 50 b|xti4C 5C4l r)4 2t)4)5- 
 
 4)0 T^0t4'D 11)6 'í) H4J5í)jOT CÍ)0)C tl4)rle TT)T)4 rfée, 
 
 4)0 C4t4'ó ojtir) yzu^wie t)4 rsiub-yolr; T)4 raj^e ; 
 
 B4 C4T, T)l40)te4C, ^114140, 4 CU4C4 16 tJOT% 
 
 2lfi 54c T54ob t>4 5U4)Ue t>4 Iu4t54'ó 45 4Tj rj-540jt. 
 
 * We cannot trace the history of George Roberts, to whom the 
 authorship of this beautiful fairy song is attributed. 
 
 Not belonging to that peculiar race of beings — the "good people," 
 we cannot, dare not, say anything about their movements, for such 
 
OF MUNSTER. 181 
 
 ! come then unto me, darling dove ! 
 
 1 am sure I can make you a better love, 
 
 Than a pompous, purse-proud fellow would prove, 
 Though I neither have lands nor treasure. 
 
 O ! come to my arms, my Fond, my True ! 
 
 ? Tis a step, I vow, you never will rue, 
 
 For He who died for both me and you 
 
 Will give to us bliss without measure. 
 
 Were I for a week where mirth prevails, 
 Or 'twixt two barrels of foaming ale, 
 No one beside me but my paisdin fair ! 
 Her health I would quaff in a bumper. 
 You are my fond one, &c. 
 
 If I had plenty of silver and gold, 
 Herds, and cattle, and lands to boot, 
 That huge Rock of Cashel in bits of gold, 
 No other I'd take but you, love ! 
 You are my fond one, &c. 
 
 THE DARK FAIRY RATH. 
 
 BY GEORGE ROBERTS. 
 
 Long, long have I wandered in search of my love, 
 O'er moorland and mountain, through greenwood and 
 
 grove. 
 From the banks of the Maig unto Finglas's flood 
 I have ne'er seen the peer of this Child of the Wood. 
 
 One bright Summer evening alone on my path, 
 My steps led me on to the Dark Fairy Rath ; 
 And, seated anear it, my Fair One I found, 
 With her long golden locks trailing down on the 
 ground. 
 
 as meddle in their affairs are said to seldom escape unscathed. Any 
 of our readers, anxious about their " doings," may consult Crofton 
 Croker, historian to the Munster fairies, and only illustrator of Irish 
 fairy mythology before the public. 
 
182 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 í)o (Mr^-ó ii)o 5)iát> ojtrt), 'r b4 x]Á]\ Ijott) 541) rujse, 
 
 4)o cuitie4T tijo Utij 4 ft 4 bft454)T> 'r 4 ft 4 cjc ; 
 
 )r 6 ''duImjjvg rl liotrj, " ^45 tt)e ? tjj rj-4t>b4ft Tmj-c 
 
 ( il)v\jl ir bC4r) 'OUD4C T>0'V) 4)T3 ttJC T)0 'CajlUl'D T4rj 
 
 nj-Bjinjaji)!" 
 C4 T;u4it, rjo c4 l)-ojle4r) 'ouj'c, t)d 't)4 5-Cl4|t tujfic 
 
 T>0 bjt>)fl ? 
 
 No n)4'r bu4)jvc t>uj'g ruit» 14] ri) liott), 'r T;4b4)it rl4i) 
 
 ^40j 54c bujT>jt) ? 
 2irj xni 't) rmuufie 5C4l JSlÁtwo £115 411 T4)5e4'o-r4 
 
 Tjfte'tt) c]to)T>e 
 No'ri CU4C it))l)r, ti)4r)l4'ó, — £115 Paris T>o't) 'Cruoj ! 
 
 66 N j lj-40)t) t)e4c T>o't) T>|téiTt) rir) tqeyew" 4 T>úb4)jtT; r> 
 
 2ÍCG C4)ljt) C40]t) 540t) , l4C O 't) 7540D t&ll T>0 't) TJ)]t ; 
 N4]t fíl) rlOT 4 T340b T>e4T le 40)t) te4fl T4T) T5-T40)- 
 5C4l, 
 
 B05 T>)ott) -do 56454-6, ?< c4)tt) T>é4t)4c 6 't) rt)-Brut)5jt) ?' ? 
 
 )r 'DUtkiC 'T 4T lé41) l|Ott) TJÚ 4 Óé4'D-te4ílC 1t)0 
 
 c|to)'óe, 
 <t)o sfum-o t)4 tt)4ix C40|i4, t>4 lé4T4 43 41) fit) ; 
 
 Jr 14T> rltUtJS'Ce Cl}110)C-3péjT)e T>0 tA]llú)T> 4T> l)Ot), 
 
 <t)o |tti4)5 ^ú oV 540-641/54 50 |té)5-ct)oc rt)t)4 ríáe' 
 
 <t)o cujfi^jt) le tt)' cfiofoe rr;e4c rt)o Ó40ji) ^jtljorj 
 
 tt)t)4, 
 2l)o 'óá I4)tt) 't)4 Tí)ti)c)oU'r ^o b'40)b)t)i) l)ott) ) t^54)l; 
 B4 b|ie454 T)e4t ^ bfwojs'ée -oúb4, C4oU, 54t) c4)tt), 
 
 2t)4ft pUtWG 1)4 J)-0J-6ce, 'r 5^1) T)'40)T 4)CJ 4C-C 14. 
 
 <t)o cu)fie4r trjo 56454-6 4fi 4 C4ol-cott) tt)4it rwájtt1> 
 2lr T4t) t>4 )té)|t r)t) 50 tt)é4)t4)b 4 v\ior5e ; 
 S'jrj'ce le t)4 T54ob -oe4t b4 trjé)t)t) l)0tt)r4 Uijse 
 210-5 ti4)tt)re 5U|t lé)tt) rl td^T 1 #41) ^ft ^rj 3Cft40jb J 
 
OF MUNSTER. 183 
 
 When I met her, though bashfulness held me in 
 
 check, 
 I put my arm gently around her white neck ; 
 But she said, <£ Touch me not, and approach me not 
 
 near; 
 I belong to this Rath, and the Fairy Host here." 
 
 st Ah !" I spake, "you are burdened with sorrow and 
 care ; 
 
 But whence do you come ? From Clár Luirc or else- 
 where ? 
 
 Are you Blanaid the blooming, the queenly, yet coy, 
 
 Or the dame brought by Paris aforetime to Troy?" 
 
 " I am neither," she said, " but a meek Irish maid, 
 Who years ago dwelt in yon green-hillocked glade, 
 And shone all alone, like a lamp in a dome. 
 Come ! take off your arms ! I'll be late for my 
 home !" 
 
 4i O, Pearl of my soul, I feel sad and forlorn 
 
 To see your bright cheeks fairy-stricken and worn. 
 
 From your kindred and friends far away were you 
 
 borne 
 To the Hill of Cnoc-Greine,* to languish and mourn !" 
 
 And I said to myself, as I thought on her charms, 
 st O, how fondly I'd lock this young lass in my arms ! 
 How I'd love her deep eyes, full of radiance and 
 
 mirth, 
 Like new-risen stars that shine down upon earth !" 
 
 Then I twined round her waist my two arms as a 
 
 zone, 
 And 1 fondly embraced her to make her mine own ; 
 But, when I glanced up, behold ! nought could I see. 
 She had fled from my sight as the bird from the tree! 
 
 * Anglicised Knockgreny, i. e., The Hill of the Suil 
 
1S4 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 BeHN 4H1B1) 2iN 3i)l62WN2l. 
 ]Foi)tj : — Be4i) <t)ub 411 3ble4i)ti4. 
 
 Moderately 
 Slow. 
 
 ^fepSÉip 
 
 ^^^ateg 
 
 -fr-F? 
 
 ÍÉ 
 
 ? — t 
 
 #— # 
 
 2k-;4. bd '54111 4fi 411 rl^b, 
 'S t^ini le re4l W ^M13> 
 
 O C4ille4r rrjo cj4ll le íiÚ4T>c4|t ! 
 
 4)4 reóu roiit 'r rw, 
 
 2lí)ti 54c 4it; t>4 ti-54b4'ó 4í) 5iti4Tj, 
 
 50 ^-^101111X3^*064111) 4 1H4JX 4111 t]iÁt^ÓX)<X ! 
 
 Mii4iit té4C4ini ^éjrj 41111 r^^ 5 
 2liii) 54c 4it; 4 ni-b^' irjo ]túii 
 
 Kuite4ii onf f rjl ntvfc 'cedfM ! 
 21 K15 T))l 114 5-cdrii4C7; ! 
 3o b-^difiift 4|i 1110 cúir> 
 
 W4JI ir Be4ii <t)ub 011 ii-3le4r)ii T)0 bjteoT>4i3 
 nie 1 
 
OF MUNSTER. 185 
 
 THE DARK MAIDEN OF THE VALLEY. 
 
 We cannot ascertain the authorship of this air, but the words which 
 accompany it are attributed to Emonn an Chnoic (Ned of the 
 Hills), who flourished about the year 1739, and of whom we shall 
 have occasion to speak hereafter. 
 
 The allusion to " Georgey" in the third stanza, meaning the second 
 monarch of that name, shows it to have been composed early in the 
 eighteenth century. 
 
 There is much simplicity in the style and composition of this song ; 
 perhaps more than in any other in our volume ; from which we may 
 infer that it is the production of a peasant of the humbler class of 
 society. 
 
 The air must be played in slow time, and rather mournfully. 
 
 On the hill I have a cow, 
 And have herded it till now, 
 
 Since a fair maiden stole my reason. 
 I lead her to and fro, 
 Wheresoever the winds blow, 
 
 Till the sun shines at noontide in season. 
 I glance above afar, 
 Where my true-love shines a star — 
 
 My spirit sinks, hardly to rally. 
 O, mighty King and Lord, 
 Thy help to me accord, 
 
 To win the Dark Maiden of the valley ! 
 
186 T H E PO l : T B A ND P 1 : T II Y 
 
 Lxmi) 4>uti 4i) 51)^41)1)4! 
 
 2h) Bljeui) totib -oo b'feajiixa! 
 
 Be4t) £>ub b4 T>ene 54?ite 
 N4 b-pjl 4 5|iii4'ó n)4jt 4i) 4U-6, 
 
 *s 4 pjb n)4|i 4i) m&acT^ ! 
 
 'S 4 con) re4i)5, ^i)5)l, 4l^i)t), 
 N) 'I 054i)4c C4)lce, 
 O Bl)4)le 21 14 Cl)4t 50 54)ll)rij ; 
 
 M4 4r r^ 50 T3ii4it)4 U) <it)l)e4ji4 ! 
 
 N4C b-?Y)l 45 ^11)411 'r ^5 C4fl1XK$tJ3, 
 2l]X 64C4)b T)OT)l)4 'OC4T4 
 
 2I5 Tjn^t le)T at) ri)-Be4i) <t)ub 4b)i)i) ! 
 5b^Ab4)i)T)-re be4T) \& 2t)úíi)4)i), 
 
 ^JllUft b4T) 4 l4)564T)T), 
 
 2l5r^ be4T) o ]t)5 5e4l Seoijtre, 
 Be4i) 1)4 lub4'6 bYfibe 
 $yyÁn51oc TT)é le 1)4 qio)-óe, 
 
 Be4i) 45ur t>4 Ti))le bó lé, 
 
 )T)5101) 05 41) )41tU'Ó 
 
 21-U4 50 736)1)1) T)llb4C T>]4qt4C, 
 
 2I5 )4|i|t4)'ó Tt))re 'D , t454)l le pdT4'ó ! 
 'S t>4 b-^454)T)T)re yé}\) n)0 1x054 ! 
 <t)e ii)i)4 T)e4T4 4i) T50ri)4)r) 
 
 % 1 41) B1)64T) t)tlb 'T) T)-5le41)l) T)0 
 b'i:e4tl]t l)01T). 
 
 2h) Tie c)T));e4c tt)o te4c, 
 
 'S 541) *DO T5J0T) 4)|X 4CT> T^TS, 
 
 M4 f rjge 'tt^c coir ^40)b 41) bOT^jft ! 
 Wu4)it é)|i5)X)e4i)T) 4T) be4c, 
 2l5rr -óé)T)5)oi) 4 t^td, 
 
 le 5jt)4T) 9 x le 73e4t 4T) < c-r4ti)|i4)'ó ! 
 1 N ír4)|x é)|i5)'óe4T)i) ru4t 4i) 'c-rUi'G 
 Wj tAi)4T) ujfi/ce 401) irje4r> 
 
 2lc-D 45 r^Yyc; le)r 4i) ri)-bfi4jT)T)re )f <5j5e, 
 
 2t)0 C4)l)l) plÚ|T4C, T)e4T, 
 
 4>'é4Uró ti4)iT) le rPTre:4r, 
 
 2t)o ÓT75 cé4x> rl4T) 50 x>ed lé ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 187 
 
 Dark maiden, first and best, 
 Who hast robbed me of my rest, 
 
 O, maiden, most beautiful and tender ; 
 With swan-like neck so bright, 
 With bosom snowy-white, 
 
 With waist so delicate and slender, — 
 Not a youth from Dublin town 
 Unto Galway of renown, 
 
 Or thence to Toomevara, but is laden 
 On steeds bounding free, 
 With love-gifts to thee, 
 
 My loveliest, my Dark own Maiden ! 
 
 In Momonia* I could find 
 Many damsels to my mind, 
 
 And in Leinster — nay, England, a many, 
 One from Georgey, without art, 
 Who would clasp me to her heart, 
 
 And a beauty is the lass among many. 
 The daughter of the Earl, 
 Who walks in silk and pearl, 
 
 Would fain have me netted in her thrall yet, 
 But could I have my choice, 
 How much would I rejoice 
 
 To wed thee, my Dark Maiden, of all yet ! 
 
 My hut may stand unseen, 
 
 But 'tis thatched with rushes green, 
 
 And around it the bee is a hummer ; 
 And it shines day by day, 
 In the glory and the ray 
 
 Of the Eire-loving sunlight of Summer. 
 But when maidens grow old, 
 They are viewed with glances cold, 
 
 And we chuse, then, the gay and youthful- 
 hearted. 
 Thou hast left me, blooming flower, 
 In a dark and evil hour, 
 
 But I mourn thee as one who has departed, 
 
 * Minister. 
 
188 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 JNotyON UJ 5t}62lK2l1tX. 
 
 t>ori)i)4ll r)4 Bti]le, ccc.* 
 
 21t;4 l)le54i) X54tt)<\\ 'o'inijl 3be4]t4)k;i)4 y 4)11-^6411, 
 
 )r roinne4r)'04 4 TjearoAr 45 ^j'ójb juji, 
 
 Nj ^jcjri) 4 f4tt)Ull 45 vúix^ol r)4 rfi4j'oe, 
 21 i)-ji)i)jolic4C'G pe4fvr4T) —4 5-c4il 'f 45-cld'ó, 
 
 3JX4-Ó r)4 |XUT) 1 4T) T1)UJ|tl)JT) H)4T54l4C, 
 
 ftl&t 1)4 T)-Ub4ll ) 4 'D-'CÚjf 41) TJ-r4tt)|X4'Ó 
 lújbjl) l4C41)T34 — 4l4'D 41) CUJfip b4}l), 
 
 2li) v)i)ne-be4i) fciT^-cfiojb 4luji)i) 05! 
 
 )r Tl)05Ull4C, TÍ)ll)]te4|l4C, U)ll641)l)4C, OÍ1)b]t4C, 
 
 Coc4lUc, clut4)|t, 45 yÁy 50 ^6d]t ; 
 
 21 C4|Xl)-?0l'C C]t4)pil)l)64C, ^01)1)4-5641, ?4)1)1)64C, 
 
 Cí)0t;4C 43 'cui'cjri) 50 b4]tfi 4 bjtds : — 
 
 30 73|t)1)T€r4C, T;4cl4C, TJUlTJ-TIjltb, T;4ltl))0n)4C, 
 
 Cíojvc4, c4|in4c, c4bUc, C4ti)4fvr4c, 
 
 Bjf64C, b4ftfl4-b05, b4C4ll4C, bl4lTJ, 
 
 <t>l40)t64C, T)]X0ll4C, 'f 4 TS^l Tl)4]t Ó|t. 
 
 Bjon Cupid 1)4 1)-4'C4'D 50 5e4i)4ri)U)l, 3|t4'ón)4|i, 
 
 Jt TPITtjaer^VT) 41) le4i)b T> ,1 j;u)5 Paris 'odjb ; 
 )T follur 1)4 le4C4)i) 45 C4)rn)1Tt'c 50 -o4i)4, 
 
 Loi)1)Jt4T> 41) ^-7*1)640^4 le TS^ll 41) |ld)t. 
 
 K)i)-1tot5 Itéi-ó-JUr, pé4jiWc, 564ri)4)i4C, 
 
 6)140)66 C40l4T) 4))l é4T>41) l641)4b4C, 
 C|tU)l)l)-C)C C0fl4 IT 5641)411)1)4)56 51)4)6, 
 
 'S 5)l6 41) CU)tl)-C4)lC6 ) 1)4jl Utí)lU564'Ó ^dr. 
 
 Jr b)i)i)6 5116 564ttfi-5U)b, b4lr4ti)-bu)5, ri)4i)Ux>, 
 
 21i) l6rnb-^ C4i)4i)i) 16 r4ri)-5U'c C6dl; 
 2I5 re)i)i))ni-c)it'c 34tl-pojvc ó64p4)'D)r T>4)uj6,^ 
 
 2ll) ?U)ft641)l) T>0 t64541T5 41) cU)|tr64C T>0)b ; 
 
 * OiDomhnall na Buile, (i. e. Domhnall the mad or crazy) the reputed 
 author of this ballad, we have nothing to say, except that his claim to 
 the authorship is disputed, some asserting it to be the joint production 
 
 
OF MUNSTER. 189 
 
 THE GERALDINE'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 BY DOMHNALL KA BUÍLE. 
 
 There's a beauteous lily, a blooming flower, 
 
 A damsel of the Geraldine's race — 
 I know not her peer in city or bower, 
 For comely figure or lovely face ; 
 The love of my soul, my life and my light she is ! 
 Sweet as the apple-tree blossom, and bright she is, 
 A dazzling, a white-breasted, white-plumaged swan, 
 Is she, this wonder of radiance and grace ! 
 
 Her tresses fall down in many a cluster, 
 
 Braided, yet free, on the emerald ground, 
 Shining with glorious and golden lustre, 
 And bright green ribbons flowing all round, 
 They beam on the sight serenely and shiningly — 
 O! I have gazed on them fondly and piningly ! 
 Gracefully plaited and braided they are, 
 Yet in luxuriance flowing unbound ! 
 
 Love glows and sparkles from all her features, 
 
 And all the graces that Love bestows — 
 You see in the face of this first of creatures 
 
 The brightness of snow, the bloom of the rose ; 
 Her blue eyes shine ever tender and tenderer, 
 And her fair eye-brows ever seem slenderer, 
 And pure is the bosom, and pure is the heart 
 Of this fairest flower of any that blows. 
 
 The songs of her fallen land she singeth 
 Sweetly and softly, with tone and fire — 
 
 Each glorious air and melody ringeth 
 Forth all silvery from her lyre. 
 
 of Seaghan Clarach Mhic Domhnaill, and Uilliam Dall O'Hear- 
 nain, celebrated poets, who, it is said, composed each half stanza 
 alternately. 
 
1 DO THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 TP40jle4t)i) ii)ao|t*6a, bé4T4C, b4i)4rijii)l, 
 
 N40)T6e4n'D4, t|tél5te4C, T>é4|lC4C, 3tie4T)t)4tT)41t, 
 ( 2l))l)V-lu'41) ll[lll4t1)4C, li))OC4)jt, 541) C4)tt), 
 
 'S -o , te4]i'C47l) 4 cun)4)i)i) t;4 -g4)í) 541) TJiteo)]t ! 
 
 jr n)ur , o4ri -oo'i) 4)i)5w 4 b-^^m 50 ?4)t-5ijc, 
 
 4)0)i)e4i)'D4, 'Dti454i)'C4, 4 Ti)-be4Tilti)4)i) 5le<5, 
 
 'S 4r ctijlle x>4 rt)4T;4r ce4i)54l le Se454i) 564l, 
 
 Cuji4T> r)4]t b'4ji)T>ir 4 T>-'c4b4)]ti)e 41) d)l : — 
 
 2i 11J464)JX Ú)|X-cé)b, C)U)l)-C40ti), C4]tT;41)l)4C J 
 
 'obus S)itit)4Tt) C0r)i)-c4e, 'r T)ú\ir)4e Uj-djodt^ ; 
 
 Cl)Ú54jrjl), 't lt)4|lC]X4 C4llt)4, C4J5, 
 
 Cl)tm) re4T4ii) 4 5-cori)]t4C, 'r 4 1)-54|V04 rló*5. 
 
 4)4 'D-'C454C yC4|l < f0|ltltir'O4, ?0T)1)b4jX, ^4)t-5l)C, 
 
 CuiT)4r4c, i)e4|tT;ri)4it, ^40) I4i) 41) 'c-reojl ; 
 TPjonn-^Uit f oi)ii)r 'oo 5t4C4C le 5it4'ó ), 
 
 21 i)-T>!J5e rj4 l)-e45U)lT| 41) 154)t)-ci)e)r, ri)ot>4ri)Ujl: — 
 Lucy 5lé)5)ol f éjrij W) 5l)e4tiuil'C j,* 
 
 4)o cjtú i)4 i)-5ixé454é T)-'c|ie4T) J re4'ó T)'e4T5^?lt TÍ, 
 Se4i)5-be4i) ri)4)re4c, 1)4 UbAffca r^iii), 
 
 Tuaiti clú 'sur be4i)i)4C'c ó 'i) i)-'o4)ri) 50 T>eo. 
 
 * At page 26 there is a slight allusion to the heroine of this ballad 
 — a lady named Fitzgerald, a native of Ballykenely, in the county of 
 Cork, -which was a portion of the family estate at the time, and 
 is still held by their descendants. So captivating were her per- 
 sonal charms that she became the theme of the Munster poets, by 
 whom she was celebrated in more than a thousand and one ballads, 
 two of which we have given in our present volume. She had a 
 brother named Pierse, a celebrated poet, of whom many anecdotes are 
 related by the peasantry of his native district, one of which is as 
 follows: — 
 
 One day passing a nook, close by his land, where the tide flowed 
 
OF MUNSTER. 191 
 
 A maiden she is of rich hospitality, 
 Noble, and gifted with every high quality, 
 Innocent, good, but so lovely withal, 
 
 That her beauty has wrought desolation most 
 dire ! 
 
 She hath a pride in the fame of her father — 
 
 A hero fierce on the battle-plain — 
 And her lover, who never was slow to gather 
 Bright wreaths amid the festival train, 
 And her mother, the bold, the learned, the meek- 
 minded, 
 Shield and support of the feeble and weak-minded ; 
 One, who if battle threatened the land, 
 
 Would stand unmoved 'mid its reddest rain. 
 
 May there soon come a hero to seek her — 
 
 Some stalwart lord of a kingly race — 
 None could he find higher-minded, yet meeker, 
 None of more beautiful figure and face. 
 From the grand Geraldines, foes of iniquity, 
 Sprang she, this maiden of Grecian antiquity ; 
 Blessings are on her from poet and sage, 
 And her glory all Time can never efface ! 
 
 in:; from the main ocean at high water, and meeting a brother bard 
 he^ accosted him thus : — 
 
 Ceisd agam ort a shair-f hir, 
 
 Os tu is deanaighe d'fhag an cuan ; 
 
 Ca mheid galun saile 
 
 San g-Crainpan sa Chill Moluadh ? 
 
 To which he received the following sarcastic reply : — 
 
 Ni feidir a thomhas le cairtibh, 
 
 Ata se laidir luath ; 
 
 San mheid na faghadh slighe san Ath dhe, 
 
 Geabhadh se an fanadh o thuaig. 
 
 It would be impossible to convey the extraordinary wit of this 
 answer in an English version. 
 
192 
 
 Till; POET6 AM) POETRY 
 
 LEATHER AWAY WITH THE WATTLE, 0! 
 oon)4r "Jjc CojT^fi, ecu 
 
 Spirited. 
 
 I L f r?i f f ci i 
 
 *=? 
 
 •L3 **c & ** 
 
 Í=T 
 
 $ 
 
 21 it^oijt *r ^6 5° 'oé-ATjAc, 
 
 éli|t tAob cí)0)c jte íj-4]r 4t) co?^ ; * 
 <t)o ttii5 roe red.1 ^5 éjroe^C'C, 
 
 te suit t)4. ij-&u) 45 C4T)THijr) ceójl ; 
 te ny* t40jb 51111 T>e4tiC4r rpé)|tbe4i), 
 
 B4 f 40-DTí)4|t, rí)U1'Ó'Ce, r W^> 4 T^05 : 
 'S A 'OUOJ-^OI'C C114t4C pé4|ll4C 
 
 2ijjt ¥<XT> 45 TJé4CT; 50 V)-4ÍT3 T)4 ^60)5. 
 
 B4 3C4l 4 5r)é rr|4|i f*je4C/C4 rlé)b, 
 B4 T>e4r 4 r5éirh, 4 Cjte4?;, 'r 4 cld-6, 
 
 'S 4t PMT w TVV-Z&5 4]t té4-c4)b, 
 " Leather away with the Wattle, O!" 
 * Cove of Cork, now Queenstown. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 193 
 
 LEATHER AWAY WITH THE WATTLE, 0! 
 
 BY THOMAS COTTER. 
 
 This spirited air escaped the notice of our most eminent collector, 
 Bunting, and probably would have never been in print had it not 
 fallen into our hands. 
 
 The words are the production of a violent Jacobite. By leathering 
 away with the wattle, he implies his determination to decide all political 
 differences by an appeal to " physical force." 
 
 The wattle was a stout cudgel, or Ailpin, in frequent requisition at 
 country fairs and faction fights early in the present century. 
 
 Cearnaid, or Cearnuit, referred to in the third stanza, was a beauti- 
 ful female bondmaid of Cormac, King of Ireland in the third century. 
 She was obliged to grind a certain quantity of corn every day with a 
 quern, or haudmill, until the king, observing her beauty, sent across 
 the sea for a millwright, who constructed a mill on the stream of Nith, 
 which flows from the fountain of Neamhnach, to the north-east 
 of Tara ; and all ancient authorities and traditions agree that this was 
 the first mill erected in Ireland. — See Petriés " Essay on Tara Hill" 
 4to. Dublin : 1839. Keating 's Ireland, vol. i., p. 418. Dublin : 
 1809. 
 
 Last night, when stars did glisten, 
 
 By a hill- side near the Cove, 
 I sat awhile to listen, 
 
 The sweet birds' pleasant lays of love. 
 A damsel tall of stature, 
 
 With golden tresses long and low, 
 Which — loveliest sight in nature ! — 
 
 Down to the bright green grass did flow ; 
 And breast as fair, — as snow in air, 
 
 Without compare for beauteous show, 
 Stood near, and sang me sweetly, 
 
 " Come, Leather away with the Wattle, O !" 
 
19 * Till: POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21 biuiojte ce4|vc4, C4oU, 
 
 ( zi))i 4 i)-é4-D4í) Tj^ir, 541) riw% 341) rnjdi, 
 
 B4 iijn 4 TU>r5 Ti)4.ri bunion 5Ur, 
 2I5 ))le o 'n 4e-D4p. 4|t b4|t|i 41) tedjfi : 
 
 SfleAC'ca 5C4l 541) 4olujr)5, 
 
 3o 564)1 4 5-C4T; le 'D4)'c 41) \i6)X 
 
 'S T))orv b'4)tt))T) T50 'i) é)5re, 
 Cj4 'co yc40t) 1)4 le4C4ji) ó)5 ; 
 
 21)" Cl)e4r'04 C40IÍ) — 'D , 4)'C|l)r T5é4l, 
 
 5o irj-bejt 4t) Bésr 45 'ce4C'c 4 3-cojidji) ? 
 te 'it b-?oi)t) 4 be]t re4l 45 eirvGAcv, 
 te "Leather away with the Wattle, O !" 
 
 Í)'):)4f|t475e4r ?é)i) 'oo't) rpé)|tbe4í), 
 21 í) yé)-D)|t 5U|t -cu 41) b]tigi)5)oll 05 ; 
 
 21 TT)4C41|te 1)4 Uoc tl)e4|l ? 
 
 21 5-04^ i)4 T3R216 le'fi n)jlle4'ó 'Cfteojn, 
 Nd't) 4)i)51T l tfJflJT toéjivofie, 
 
 O 6JK6 jtus cl4i)i) U)ri)e4C n)d)i, 
 Mo'i) be4i) T)4 T)-50)]tT;e4|i Ce4]ti)U)*c, 
 
 2ljji C4)te 56411 cu)|t itjuitjoi) TDdjb, 
 Melpomene, — Cassandra féjiij, 
 
 2t)u)it)ni), 2t)e)t>b, i)d'i) 4)i)5)n 05 
 r S 5U|i b)i)i)e l)oit) t>o bfi)4f;|i4, 
 
 N4 "Leather away with the Wattle, O !" 
 
 ( t)^]te454)|t T)4it) 41) rpé)tibe4i), 
 21 ri)-bit)4tit4 bini)e, bUrru, beo)l ; 
 
 21 TD-'ce4i)54)i) Tí)ll)T 540)'óe)l5e 
 
 <t>o cujfi 50 C40ti) 4i) ce4Tt / c 4 3-cd)jx : 
 
 C)4 ?jle t;u le l)-é)^e4cr; 
 
 21 í)-3leiite 301I i)4 íi)-b]tu)i)5)oll 05, 
 
 2t)'4)t))tt)-ri ill léi]i -ou^ ; 
 
 21)1 ^64*0 41) 1T)éjT> T>0 041)4))* ^Of. 
 
 2t)jre 41) ri)é)ivoite4c— Ji)t)jr 6)l3e, 
 le ^4^4 4 b-péjrjn ?4 3Ur4.)b bfidji) ! 
 
 2I5 TiX)U)t 50 5-clo)r^i) 5^o^c ?e4ro4, 
 2l)jt "Leather away with the Wattle, O !" 
 
OF MUNSTER. 195 
 
 Her eyebrows dark and slender, 
 
 Were each bended like a bow ; 
 Her eyes beamed love as tender 
 
 As only poets feel and know ; 
 Her face where rose and lily 
 
 Were both pourtrayed in brightest glow ; 
 Her mien, so mild and stilly, 
 
 All made my full heart overflow. 
 A tale she told, — of that Prince bold 
 
 Whose crown of gold the Gael doth hold. 
 I hearkened all delighted 
 
 To " Leather away with the Wattle, O !" 
 
 I asked this lovely creature 
 
 Was she Helen famed of yore : 
 (So like she seemed in feature) 
 
 Whose name will live for evermore — 
 Or Deirdre, meekest, fairest, 
 
 Whom Uisneach's sons wrought direful woe — 
 Or Cearnuit, richest, rarest, 
 
 Who first made mills on water go — 
 Or Meadhbh the young, — of ringlets long, 
 
 So sweet her song along did flow, 
 Her song so rich and charming, 
 
 Of " Leather away with the Wattle, O !" 
 
 And thus in tones unbroken, 
 
 While sweet music filled her eye, 
 In accents blandly spoken, 
 
 The damsel warbled this reply — 
 Albeit I know and blame not 
 
 Your marvellous poetic lore, 
 You know my ancient name not, 
 
 Though once renowned from shore to shore ; 
 I am Inis famed, — of Heroes named, 
 
 Forsaken, lost in pain and woe, 
 But waiting for a chorus, 
 
 To " Leather away with the Wattle, O !" 
 
196 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Cja v\ie4y5ú\i&'ó 50 ?40T) I43, 
 
 N4 064-0734 T)'^ii>te4í)r) 21j]vg 'r 6054711 ; 
 <Do b4lb4)-6 4ji n-éj5re 
 
 'S t>o cuified-ó 4]t 5-cléjfi 4jt e4rb4T> ld)n ; 
 2ljfi TJAir'ciol 'oo'r) b-^Uit éACTJAC, 
 
 00 1)-6j]te / G4b4fi'C4J5 ^e4fc»A cojtójr), 
 
 'S 11ll4C^4)'Ó ptl)C 4T) bé4|lt4 
 
 Le ce4t4 plé4|t T;4fi C4Uit ^óf, 
 
 9 S 4f lpeA|X4TT)U)l, < fé4r'04C ? — rojlb, r40JfÓ4„ 
 
 CUr)r)4 5^o-ó4l 541) C64T45 ol 
 
 7 S 50 040)1) T>4 rprte454-Ó 4J1 té4X>4, 
 
 " Leather away with the Wattle, O I" 
 
 csiojwe ct))ite cajs.* 
 
 Clte4'D T>é41)1p4Tt)40J'0 ^e4rT>4 54T) 4t)TÍ)4'D 9 
 
 2lc4 T>e)fie t)4 s-cojllce 4ft I4|i ? 
 N')'l vpÁázi 4jt CljjU Cl)4ir T)4 4 < ce45t4c, 
 
 *S Hi b4ir)^e4it 4 cl1r)5t 50 bfi4t ! 
 2li) 4)-c ii-D 't)4 5-cori)r)U)5e4c 4t) <t))4-be4T) 9 
 
 TUAIJl ZWT" 1 ) Y «jeiT>7ll *34]l 1711)4, 
 Bl)í'6e4C )4|ll4)'Deí 45 T;4jl|lU)l)5 TJ4]t 'CO)!)!) 41)1), 
 
 '5 4t) 'G-4?Fjtior)T) b)t)í) *o4 jU'ó. 
 
 * Kilcash, a small countiy village situated about six miles east of 
 the town of Clonmel, at the foot of SHabh na m-han mountain, and 
 formerly the seat of a branch of the Butler family, and a place of note 
 in its time. The only vestiges now remaining to attract the tra- 
 veller's attention are the walls of the castle. 
 
 " This venerable mansion, for many centuries the residence of [a 
 branch of] the Butler family, and attractive theme of travellers and 
 tourists, was finally prostrated in the year 1800, and the materials 
 sold for a trifling consideration to a Mr. James Power, a merchant of 
 Carrick-on-Suir, by (the then) Lord Ormonde, father to the present 
 representative of that noble family." — See Lynch's edition of Castle- 
 havens Memoirs, p. 23, note *. Dublin : 1815. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 197 
 
 They died in war for ages, 
 
 The brave sons of Art and Eoghan ; 
 Mute are our bards and sages, 
 
 And oh ! our priests are sad and lone. 
 But Charles, despising danger, 
 
 Will soon ascend green Eire's throne, 
 And drive the Saxon stranger 
 
 Afar from hence to seek his own. 
 Then, full of soul, — and freed from dole, 
 
 Without control the wine shall flow ; 
 And we shall sing in chorus, 
 
 " Come, Leather away with the Wattle, O !" 
 
 A LAMENT FOR KILCASEL 
 
 Oh, sorrow the saddest and sorest! 
 
 Kilcash's attractions are fled — 
 Felled lie the high trees of its forest, 
 
 And its bells hang silent and dead. 
 There dwelt the fair Lady, the Vaunted, 
 
 Who spread through the island her fame, 
 There the Mass and the Vespers were chaunted, 
 
 And thither the proud Earls came ! 
 
 The song is probably the composition of a student named Lane, 
 whom Lady Iveagh educated at her own expense for the priesthood, 
 and from whose pen another song will be found in Hardiman's 
 "Irish Minstrelsy," vol. ii., p. 267. 
 
 t Cling, death-bell, or knell. 
 
 J Jarlaidhe, Earls. To escape " the machinations of Shaftesbury 
 and the party who wished to excite another persecution against the 
 Catholics of England, by the fabrication of Popish plots, pretended 
 conspiracies, and meditated assassinations, Lord Castlehaven came to 
 Ireland, and died at his sister's house in Kilcash, county of Tipperary, 
 Oct 11, 1684" — Lynch's Castlehaven Memoirs, p. 26. 
 
198 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 )r 6 njo c|ie4c- , j54'D4 ! 9 y xx\o I64i)-50itvc ! 
 
 4)o 3C4'C4i'óe b]te454 1)64t;4 4ji I4fi ! 
 2ln Avenue 5^41)^4 ?40j f^ot4it, 
 
 'S 541) ^Ors' 4|t 401) <G40b 'DO 'l) ?T«/A/ 
 
 2lrj CTjuijit; b|ie454 4 rjte4c 4tj bjt40i) t>j, 
 
 'S 4T) 54rtt4'Ó fen») 50 73l4t, 
 'S 41) Ie4b4fl t)4 lt)4tlb T50 1045^411 
 
 21 1) -c-64rb05 * 'r Lady ' Fea^A / f 
 
 Nj clU)l)l))tt) ^U41t1) l4C4 T)4 56) 41)1), 
 
 N4 J10l4)fl 45 T)é4T)4T) 4CÓ1II CO)r CU4JÍ) ; 
 
 N4 ^iú t)4 n)-be4C4 cíirt) x&ot&w, 
 
 dj^UMfifac rr)7l 4511? cé)]t t>o't) r;-rlti^15 ! 
 
 Nj'l Ceol bít)t) TT)llir 1)4 1)-641) 41)1), 
 te t)-4tt)4]tC 41) Ue 'Dill 114)1)1), 
 
 W4 'tj cu4)C)t) 4 rt)-b4riri 174 11-5645 4i)i), 
 
 O't 1 CU^eAC 41) T40541 CUT1) rU4Jl). 
 
 Nu4)|i '6)5e4'ó t)4 pujc y&o) t)4 rleibTO, 
 'S 4i) 5Ut)4 le rj4 TJ-Tktob, 'r 4t) Vjot) ; 
 
 VéúCÚX) tMT) 4 l)tl4r le 1641) 4)|l 5 
 
 2li) rn-b4)le ^u-airi £way 41)1) 54c tí]\i ; — 
 2ti) fcij'Gce b|ie454 40)bn)i) 1)4 |Uobt4C4, 
 
 'S 54T) yoT5 4]t 40T) <c4ob d'l) -c-r)i), 
 P4ljxc 41) Phaddock 'i)4 Dairy > 
 
 2Í)4|t 4 nj-bi'óe4c 41) ejljc 45 'o64i)4'ó 4 rsjt ! 
 
 21 Tí4 CeÓ 45 'GUJ'Gjnj 4|l C|t40b4-Ó 41)1), 
 
 N4 5Ut)4i) Tie 5111AI), i)4 14 ; 
 ^4 'pijúj'o 45 'cui'cjti) o 'i) rpé)|i 4i)i), 
 'S 4 cu)T) U)t5e 50 I6)|t 45 t;|i454 ; — 
 
 * Bishop Butler of West- Court, Callan, a man eminent for his 
 virtues, unaffected piety, and the sanctity of his life. 
 
 f Lady Iveagh, " Margaret Bourke, eldest daughter of William, 
 Earl of Clanricarde, first married to Brian Magennis, Viscount 
 Iveagh ; and secondly to the Hon. Col. Thomas Butler, of Kilcash, 
 county Tipperary, where she died 19th of July, 1744. She was a 
 lady of great personal charms, and a bright example of every female 
 
OF MUNSTER. 199 
 
 I am worn by an anguish unspoken 
 
 As I gaze on its glories defaced, 
 Its beautiful gates lying broken, 
 
 Its gardens all desert and waste. 
 Its courts, that in lightning and thunder 
 
 Stood firm, are, alas ! all decayed ; 
 And the Lady Iveagh sleepeth under 
 
 The sod, in the greenwood shade. 
 
 No more on a Summer-day sunny 
 
 Shall I hear the thrush sing from his lair, 
 No more see the bee bearing honey 
 
 At noon through the odorous air. 
 Hushed now in the thicket so shady, 
 
 The dove hath forgotten her call, 
 And mute in the grave lies the Lady 
 
 Whose voice was the sweetest of all ! 
 
 As the deer from the brow of the mountain, 
 
 When chased by the hunter and hound, 
 Looks down upon forest and fountain, 
 
 And all the green scenery round ; 
 So I on thy drear desolation 
 
 Gaze, O, my Kilcash, upon thee ! 
 On thy ruin and black devastation, 
 
 So doleful and woful to see ! 
 
 There is mist on thy woods and thy meadows ; 
 
 The sun appears shorn of his beams ; 
 Thy gardens are shrouded in shadows, 
 
 And the beauty is gone from thy streams» 
 
 virtue. Her piety, charity, and universal benevolence, are eloquently 
 described in the funeral sermon preached after her death, by the Rev. 
 Richard Hogan, and printed in Kilkenny." — Hardiman's " Irish Min- 
 strelsy," vol. ii., p. 417; 
 
 The family of Magennis, with whom the subject of this song was 
 connected, are thus described by O^ Dubhagain (O'Dugan), an Irish 
 topographer of the fourteenth century : — 
 
200 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 N) 'I COll, 1)1 'I C\\)\)0\), ))) 'l C40Jl' 41)T) ! 
 
 2ic-c clodd 'jut tt)4ol cloc4jr), 
 
 PúljlC 41) ^0|1540)T* 54H Cfl40b 4t)T). 
 
 ? S -o'lrrj-cja 4rj Game curt) ?454j r) ! 
 
 2iriorr tt)4ii b4|itt 4)|t 54C nfi-5ite4r)i), 
 
 Cl)ti4i*ó pii)or)r)r4 í)4 í)-540i'óe4lt zap r4)l ; 
 21 i)uij jte b-4in5m i)4 njlrje, 
 
 Tu4i|i 54i|xn) r^ d-Vtuotc 'r r^n Sp4itin— 
 
 2lr)Oir 4t;4 4 ciwlUc'G t>4 C40jT)e, 
 
 3be)tifMC 4i]t5)0'D bu)T>e '5tir b4t), 
 2lr 1 t)4 'cds^c r^1^ t)4 r)-T>40jTje 
 
 2l(yD C4lttl41-D T)4 b-yjofi b0C'D4T) ! 
 
 2ii7;ciitj 4|t ^ljuirie 'r ^n JOS21 
 
 5o T>-'C4541'Ó rl 'WT cÚ54iT)r) rt4i) ? 
 3o t^-beit " |t4it)C)'óe ?4-o4" ^5 54b4it TJÍtrjcioll, 
 
 Cedl béi'óliT)t) 'y 'ceitj'ce ct)4ri) : — 
 3o T5-r;d5^4]i 4t) b4ile-ri 4|t ritWTJOT 1 » 
 
 CiU Cl)4ir b|ie454 'tvjr 50 l)-4ivo, 
 'S 30 b\tÁt i)d 50 Ti-n-joc^AT) 41) 'ojljorjij, 
 
 Nj t41c?e4jt 1 '|i1r 4|i U|t ! 
 
 "■ Chief over the noble clan Aodh 
 Is the exalted and agreeable Magennis ; 
 They settled on the fertile hill ; 
 They took possession of all Ulidia." 
 
 They were descended from the famous warrior Conall Cearnach, and 
 were the head of the Clanna Rudhraidhe of Ulster. Their posses- 
 sions were the baronies of Iveagh and Lecale, and part of Mourne, in 
 the county of Down. 
 
OF MUNSTEB. 201 
 
 The hare has forsaken his cover ; 
 
 The wild fowl is lost to the lake ; 
 Desolation hath shadowed thee over, 
 
 And left thee — all briar and brake ! 
 
 And I weep while I pen the sad story — 
 
 Our Prince has gone over the main, 
 With a damsel, the pride and the glory 
 
 Not more of Green Eire than Spain. 
 The Poor and the Helpless bewail her ; 
 
 The Cripple, the Blind, and the Old ; 
 She never stood forth as their jailer, 
 
 But gave them her silver and gold. 
 
 O, God! I beseech thee to send her 
 
 Home here to the land of her birth ! 
 We shall then have rejoicing and splendour, 
 
 And revel in plenty and mirth. 
 And our land shall be highly exalted ; 
 
 And till the dread dawn of that day 
 When the race of Old Time shall have halted, 
 
 It shall flourish in glory alway ! 
 
 In 1689, Lord Iveagh, husband of the lady commemorated in 
 this song, furnished King James with two regiments of infantry and 
 dragoons. After the war, he entered the Austrian service with a 
 choice battalion of five hundred men Green Book. 
 
 * Forghaois, a rabbit burrow. 
 
 f Prionnsa na n- Gaoidheal, Prince of the Gael. The poet here 
 alludes to the exiled Duke of Ormond. 
 
202 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 13JNN LJSJN 210K2iCt) 21N BJ)R05l)2l. 
 
 Bjl)4t) IU Tl^TC-ATlTJa, ccg. 
 
 )-onn : — Bjrjrj Ijrjt) 2lojuc 4T) Bl)|io54. 
 
 Mode* aie 
 
 Time. — g 
 
 atj W^ a 
 
 14 Ti)e4'ójt4c x>4 jt4b4r-T4 lion) ^éji), 
 
 2l|t D)T)T) lirit) 40fl4C 41) BV)Í1054'Ó ; 
 
 2I5 ei-poiocx; le b)t)t)-5U's t)4 T)-é4t), 
 2I5 cwu&wx) a\i 56454/6 corr 4b4i) : — 
 
 2ií) "Bjte4C T^-obnoc" T-AT) 1)1)5 tVo ?40) itéjTt), 
 2I5 |X4)i)ce T4 i)-540jtt4 le yoni), 
 
 2t)4r ne)X)X) l)b-t) ix4'ó4Tic fill 1)4. béjl, 
 734 le)564r lu4t di) 645 x>)b x>ul 4tji) ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 203 
 
 THE FAIRY RATH OF BRUFF. 
 
 BY BRIAN O'FLAHERTY. 
 
 This song and air take their name from a celebrated fairy fort situated 
 at the town of Bruff, in the county of Limerick, and like many others 
 in this collection, would have probably been lost, or left in the " world 
 of spirits," had it not fallen into our hands. 
 
 Brian O'Flaherty, the author, was an humble peasant, a ma- 
 son by trade, and, for aught we know, he may have been 
 "master-builder" to his friends — the fairies and "good people" of 
 Bruff. 
 
 He was a native of BruiF, or its vicinity, but we cannot discover 
 when he lived. It appears he was not numbered among the literary 
 portion of the bards of his day, but was considered rather presumptive 
 in assuming the name, and for such conduct he was cited, prose- 
 cuted, and expelled, at one of the Bardic Sessions then held in Mini- 
 ster. However, Brian was not so easily got rid of, and in order to 
 gain favour, he mustered up all the natural talent he was possessed of, 
 and composed the present song. 
 
 Bruif is situated on the banks of the river Camog (Anglicised 
 " The Morning Star"), and lies about fifteen miles from Limerick. 
 Tradition informs us that the banks of this river up to the town 
 were formerly laid out with beautiful gardens, where all species 
 of plants and trees peculiar to this country grew, and was much ad- 
 mired for being the resort of birds of all kinds, from the melody of 
 whose notes it gained the appellation of Binn (melodious). At the 
 west side of the town there is a little eminence called Lios (Fort), 
 and there is also a castle, or Brogha, which is supposed to have been 
 built by the De Lacy family shortly after the English invasion. 
 
 The birds carolled songs of delight, 
 
 And the flowers bloomed bright on my path, 
 As I stood all alone on the height 
 
 Where rises Bruff' s old Fairy Rath. 
 Before me, unstirred by the wind, 
 
 That beautiful lake lay outspread, 
 Whose waters give sight to the Blind, 
 
 And would almost awaken the Dead ! 
 
204 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Njon clan -o\\)])\) coir ^i4n c-ritiiiU ^ ré4*o, 
 
 'Naji fi)|4t) le ?j|i CjiMOt)t) 'out 4t)T) ; 
 21r) -cft^ tji^ll cU54)r)t) 4T) 5ltj4r)-rij7ljr B6)TJ, 
 
 5o 'D)4t) f y ) , r)-é45-c|tiu / c 50 loir) ! 
 21 c^b-^olc b]xe454, T)J4rí)ri4C, 30 ?é4|t, 
 
 2I5 y4r lél-n V-owye'r t)4 -D6415 ; 
 44 21 Bl)|tj4)r) t>il\ c|te4'D é 'rj ^411-501 ro srfl'bjft, 
 
 í)o cj4p nje 50 ])-465)b or n)o ciorjt) ! " 
 
 Ní r540il?e4'o-r4 prtjor^-itúr) n)o rséll, 
 
 30 JHTWrJT 1 c ^ 'CAOb T5]OTt) 4J1 54b41T ? 
 
 2ln T3Ú 2lo)15)ll-be45, C40jr)-cle4r4c, cUot), ' 
 2t)4|i l]or)4ir 30 léjjt n)e t>o t>' 5]te4r)r) ! 
 
 No'r) 'G-rí'G-'beAij £115 btii'ójn-'Gruiip r)ATj\iúe, 
 5un l1or)d'D4ri 5né45U)5 't)4 -ce4b4)5 ; 
 
 Nd't) Bl)]t)5'De4C le'jt cUojt>e45 165411 fié)tT), 
 CUrjr) Ujrwc t)4 'criéjrj-^ri, 5411 C4b4j|i ! 
 
 " W) T>)Ob TT)e, CJ4 'D)T5 llOTT) TDO T364I, 
 
 21ct; rÍ5e-be4r) d 't) 'o-'criedtj-ljor U'o -C4U ; 
 <t)o iiori-50iT) z>o riori-5ol 4 5-céjrj, 
 
 'S 4T X5emT) llOTT) TJÚ 'GT140C'C4 45 í)e4|VG 54lU 
 
 5Ucjpc]i]! "p4)5 cloj'óedíTj 'r)4 nj-bej'ó fdob4rt, 
 2I5 |t4]tii)ce 4i]t C40)l-e4c 50 re4t)5 ; 
 
 547b 'GllTJCIOll 54c CrijOC 't)4 b-^45471t SAOJ'Óejl, 
 5o thtjíjtjT 1 t>o T5é4l T>djb 541) C4Ti) ?" 
 
 í)'é)r'0C4r le bíwáwn 4 be] I, 
 
 'S T>'éi|i5ior 'oo lé)n) 4fi it)o bot)t) ; 
 <t)')t)r)rior5uit'c;e7r)r) cujr n)o rs^l, 
 
 le 11t)5-50)1 r)4C léj5]Oí)rj txaitj Ub-ditit; ! 
 Bíot>54T) trjo crioi'óe r^15 le lé4tj, 
 
 2l5ur nliu) fUfl TJ|té4t) 4T tt)0 ce4t)r) ; 
 2t)o c40)r)-|xo)t5 ^4 le454t> 'T)4ti) Tr)4ji C40ji, 
 
 2I5 ríoji-f?le T)é4|t4 50 'qtott) ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 205 
 
 As I gazed on the silvery stream, 
 
 So loved by the heroes of old, 
 There neared me, as though in a dream, 
 
 A maiden with tresses of gold. 
 I wept, but she smilingly said — 
 
 "Whence, Brian, my dearest, those tears?" 
 And the words of the gentle-souled maid 
 
 Seemed to pierce through my bosom like spears. 
 
 " O, rather,' 5 I cried, " lovely One, 
 
 Tell me who you are, and from whom ! 
 Are you Aoibhill, and come here alone 
 
 To sadden my spirit with gloom ? 
 Or she who brought legions to Troy, 
 
 "When the Grecians crossed over the wave ? 
 Or the dame that was doomed to destroy 
 
 The children of Uisnigh the brave?" 
 
 <f I am none of all three," she replied, 
 
 <c But a fairy from yonder green mound — 
 Who heard how you sorrowed and sighed 
 
 As you strayed o'er this elf-haunted ground. 
 x\nd now gird around you your sword, 
 
 And spring on your swift-footed steed — 
 And call on the Gael, serf and lord, 
 
 And Eire's green land shall be freed!" 
 
 So spake she in musical tones, 
 
 And I started as wakened from sleep, 
 I told her the cause of my groans, 
 
 And the anguish that forced me to weep — - 
 Why my eyes were thus blinded by tears, 
 
 And my bosom tormented with pains, 
 Why my heart had been breaking for years, 
 
 And the blood growing cold in my veins. 
 
206 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2I5 4i) \\))\)-n-x]ui)t i)tid?|ilVjrn-rj lioti) féjt), 
 
 2l|i bjt)r) Ijrjt) 40]t4C 4t) Bljitos^T) ; 
 2I5 rnj40jr)e4iij 4ji 5if)0ii]4|iT;4)b 417 -c-r^o^l, 
 
 2in iorb4)jvcn w 3b40)t>H 45 i^fi^ 54II, 
 
 T>Á Fleet t)4 T5-r;|i) niste 50 K\ié<\y), 
 
 'S 417 S < CJ0b4]VG T41) Sé4TT)Ur, 't)4 0641)1) ;* 
 l401T)5 ^4 ll01)4'D >*40J tléjtt), 
 
 Sljjle 'r re^cc 3-064-0 4rjT) 54c lot)3. 
 
 C21JT3 N) N6JU. 
 
 2lr>o)r o t4]tl4-ó ? 4 b-ptvJorN 4|fD ti)e, 4 t)-3éjbe4i)r) 
 
 C]tr4i'6, 
 'S 30 it4crjr)i) 'do rc4)tt, ii)4ti 4 b-^rjl tt)o 5|i4'ó 3C4l, 
 
 Y 50 b-pd5^Y)H ) ; 
 í)o br4)lip)r) it)o I4)nj x>e4r 4jjt 4 b|x454^ ? T)<5 ^407 t)4 
 
 CO)tT))T) C40)l, 
 
 2if é , T)iib4iit'c C4)t; Ijott), "5C4b4'o T)4j]ie, rt)4jt 4 
 W) td5 , f4'D ttjot;, 4rcd)it n)o cjtoj'óe, ii)4]t )r vr bjxeojá 
 
 TT)C 'pMOJji, 
 
 Cl)tnt r4)5e4-o Ati) cttoit>e, t)4 lé)3ir^oíx *ojott), 30 
 
 bfi4£ t* e ^' V>A& • 
 í>4 rn-bejt 4i) Clj^ti/G t)4 rr^e, *T njé le C]toc4 T;]t jo-o, 
 
 't ft)o t\i)x ^4 pie)-©, 
 
 te -CO^t) Cl0)X>]T7), T>0 b4)T)^)ll T>)0b -cf , 4 01)4)^ N) 
 
 Weill ! 
 
 * Ceann, head, chief, captain, leader, James, the Chevalier de St. 
 George. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 207 
 
 She vanished on hearing my tale, 
 
 But at evening I often roam still 
 To lament the sad fate of the Gael, 
 
 And to weep upon B ruffs Fairy Hill. 
 O ! may we soon see the three Kings,* 
 
 And JAMES, above all, in this land ! 
 May the winds on their favoring wings 
 
 Waft swiftly their fleet to our strand ! 
 
 KATE NI NEILL. 
 
 Now that, in prison, and all forsaken, my fate I rue, 
 Fain would I seek her, my only true-love, and wed her 
 
 too, 
 Around her white waist I'd press my arm with a 
 
 pleasure new, 
 But still she tells me — " O, leave me ! leave me ! you 
 
 shame me, you !" 
 
 No, no, my darling, I'll never shame you ; but all night 
 
 long 
 You wound my bosom ! I'm grown most feeble — I 
 
 once so strong ! 
 Come good or evil, come Death or Life, or come Right 
 
 or Wrong, 
 Sweet Kate Ni Neill, love, I'd choose you only among 
 
 the throng. 
 
 * The King of Ireland, England, and Scotland. 
 
JOS THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Jr \x\ne oj^cedft 4i) 4Lró lijjn, i)4ii c4jne4t> beul, 
 'Na b-ipn^l 511V4J5 ^ cfat), 1)A luba buj'óe lé], 45^50 
 
 r^4ji ; 
 Jr 5^1 ^ PÍb, 1T Pi5^e ^ edit), 'r ^ CT)4ri)A 50 léiit» 
 21 b-^c^l 4r rr-o rfar» 50 b4wx 4 cittflSe, -nil c4jnj Y4e'rj 
 
 IM034L 
 
 D4 -cujle 5i)íorn4itt4, '54Tt) le THtjrwc o^, 4 íéjtrj- 
 
 )r n)e4ti tdo T5Ti1oB'ó4, b4t)4 C4ol, jf léiji 'r &T Ivajt; ; 
 í)o ixujtrpá #<?<?£, 4)jt ?ujt> 41) -cise, 50 itje-ati, é4T>fionj, 
 
 bll4T), 
 
 'S le 5117; t>o cfai), 50 5-crj|t < fe4'ó4 cé4T> Uoc, crnj 
 yY&)\) ! 
 
 5<tc béjt T>e4t t>4 ^-^4540 cf 54tí)rA, t)í belt))!)!) 
 
 r4r^04 léj, 
 T31|t H4 lóí)5 4 5-ce4|tT; 'r a 3-cf i^ar, 'r a t^sajl le 
 
 béjb ; 
 
 PÓJfC ^Ú)4t54ti)t)4 4JJt ?4T> 54t) éf 1)7341% 41) Sp4?l)l) 'f 
 
 3o nfteAtiji ljoii)r4 be)t 4)ji le4b4T> clrjrn le4T; 4 
 Cb4ic Ní NéjU. 
 
 51)UC41I)Í) Óf 54TT) Tlf 54T) b4T>, 541) pUjlJ-C, 341) 4)Jte4TT) 
 'S 4r 16475 T50 f lÚb4l^41t)ll 11)4)T>)01) T>flÚC'D4,4)lt b4]t]t 
 
 4T) tém ; 
 
 2lr é ri)o cfie4ó 50 TDfb4C 5417 Tt)é '5rr 'cf , 4 bl4t 1)4 
 
 5-c|i4ob! 
 21 5-C4)t1oll 2t)úrij4T) '^ 5417 x>o Ie4b4t> ^újrw, 4óc 
 
 Cl4n B05 4>éjl ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 209 
 
 Your lovely features, O, glorious creature, attract 
 
 all eyes ! 
 Your golden tresses flow brightly downward in dazzling 
 
 guise ; 
 Your neck so snow-white, your waist so slender, your 
 
 features fair, 
 Exalt you over all mortal maidens beyond compare ! 
 
 O ! beauteous damsel, the light and lustre of Eire's 
 
 land, 
 Yours is the ready, the quick yet steady, the writer's 
 
 hand ! 
 Yours is the light foot, the bounding figure for 
 
 saraband, 
 And yours the voice that nor king nor hero could e'er 
 
 withstand. 
 
 To all the lasses I have met with my heart was steel, 
 No wealth, nor honour, could ever tempt me to them 
 
 to kneel, 
 Not all Portumna, not Spain or Hellas, could make 
 
 me feel 
 One moment faithless to vou, my darling, sweet Kate 
 
 Ni Neill ! 
 
 O ! were you landless, and owned not even one blade 
 
 of grass, 
 All other damsels, the dead or living, you'd still 
 
 surpass ! 
 O, woe and sorrow ! how sadly fare I ! alas ! alas I 
 Without my Kate, without friends or money, without 
 
 a glass! 
 
210 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 UOJS 31j6m 4>UB1).* 
 
 fotjn : — Hdjr obeal <t>ub. 
 
 
 fr^f^y-=4 
 
 " Cres. 
 
 I m. /. 
 
 m./. 
 
 ÍfeÉ 
 
 Dim. 
 
 L_L. 
 
 p pgftgÉ É^ 
 
 V cy 
 
 -^ _ Dim. > -Jy 
 
 í£ 
 
 -^T5 ^ Crcs^ m.f.^s-^ 
 
 Dim. 
 
 2it) irrjioll rléib 'njujc, 50 b-wioll^, é<vociton), fl}4ii 
 
 b'edUc T>4rt) ; 
 toe ei|ti)e 'do léjnie-dr, cj4 suit itjóji 4t) yywt, 
 'S 54t) 'do 5ile 3né)t)e 4Tt) -óéft-rh act; ti}0 Kdjr Sb^l 
 
 <t>ub ! 
 
 * We present the reader with two different settings of this air, for 
 from their extraordinary beauty we could not justly omit either. Bois 
 
OF MUNSTER. 
 
 211 
 
 BLACK-HAIRED FAIR ROSE. 
 
 Tox)t) :■— Kdirln <t>ub. 
 
 Since last night's star, afar, afar, Heaven saw my speed, 
 I seem'd to fly o'er mountains high, on magic steed, 
 I dashed through Erne :— the world may learn the cause 
 
 from Love ; 
 For, light or sun shone on me none, but Roisin Bubh ! 
 
 Gheal Dubh (Black-haired Fair Rose), sometimes -written Roisin 
 Dubh (Dark-haired little Rose), is supposed to be one of these names 
 by which Ireland is known in the language of allegory. 
 
212 THE I'OETS AND POETK^ 
 
 3o -c-r/) 4t) 40i)4C ti)4 té)^)OX)X) cu 45 T>jol -co 
 
 rcujc, *► 
 
 '21)4 té)5)ji, t)4 y><\\) 'céAU&c T4i) Oj-óce 4ri)iijc ? 
 B)0( ; bul'GAj'á 4|i t>o Tbó)]\Ye 'x 11J011-5I4JY' cjp, 
 Ntí 4T b4054l ru)c 41) cléjfijoc 4jt 4tj Koir 5be4l 
 
 <Dut>! 
 
 21 Hdir'jn t)4 b'joc bjidt) o]fc, 1)4. c4r 4i)0jr> 
 
 04 *C0 páfVOttt) O Pi)4)M T)4 Kdl7)4 454*0 ; 
 
 T34 r)4 te]\Á)t\ie ce4(Vc T34|t r4)le 'r 45 T;|t)4ll 
 
 C4]l Tt)^ 
 
 *S rfj cell^ojt Y)o\) Sp4)i)t)e4c 4ji n)o Kdjr 3be4l 
 <Dub! 
 
 ^4 5ri4-o '3411) 4it) U]t tjujc te bl)454)i) 4 ijjug, 
 oti4-ó cjt4)-óT;e ! 3ti4x> c4rii)4fi ! sMx) C)4p4)'ó'óe ! 
 3|x4-6 -D'tig n)é 541) rUii)T;e ! 5^1) M-At)! 5411 íiujt; ! 
 'S 50 b|V4t, bti4t, if) 5 l 40 n t^54il 43411) 4ji rt)o Kdjr 
 o\)e&\ <t>ub ! 
 
 *i>o riu^4i^4iT)n-ri **) 2t)bún)4)i) lean, 'x c)útí)4)r w 
 
 3-ci)oc, 
 2t)4|t rú)l 50 B-^454ir)r) jiui) ofrc, i)d panic le cjoi) ; 
 21 c]táob-cú]tt;4 5 cui5te4]i 'óúji)i)e, 50 b-^u)l 3ti4t> 
 
 '54T) T>4T1) ; 
 
 'S 5Uíi b') pluti-rsojc i)4 Ti)-b4i) njuwce, ii)o Rdjr 
 31)64l <Dub ! 
 
 Bej-6 Ai) fairee 1)4 cujlce T>e4ii34, 'r Ai) rpéw i)4 
 
 Bej-ó 4i) T40541 1)4 Ó054-Ó ó|io)'óe4Ti5 4ji 'óiwjrij t)4 
 
 3-cijoc, 
 Bej-ó 54c 3le-Arji) rléjbe 4|i yuro 6)11)01)1), 'r tijdjijce 
 
 4jl C|l)t ! 
 
 14 é)5)i) rul 4 i)-é43T4i'ó n)0 Fd)r Sb^^l <t>ub ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 213 
 
 My friends ! my prayers for marts and fairs are these 
 
 alone — 
 That buyers haste home ere evening come, and sun be 
 
 gone ; 
 For, doors, bolts, all, will yield and fall, where picklocks 
 
 move — 
 And faith the Clerk may seize i 9 the dark, my Roisin 
 
 Dubh ! 
 
 O, Roisin mine ! droop not nor pine, look not so dull ! 
 The Pope from Rome hath sent thee home a pardon 
 
 full! 
 The priests are near : O ! never fear ! from Heaven 
 
 above 
 They come to thee— they come to free my Roisin Dubh ! 
 
 Thee have I loved — for thee have roved o'er land and 
 
 sea: 
 My heart was sore ; — -it evermore beat but for thee. 
 I could but weep— I could not sleep — I could not move ; 
 For, night and day, I dreamt alway of Roisin Dubh ! 
 
 Through Munster's lands, by shores and strands, far 
 
 could I roam, 
 If I might get my loved one yet, and bring her home. 
 O, sweetest flower, that blooms in bower, or dell, or 
 
 grove, 
 Thou lovest me, and I love thee, my Roisin Dubh ! 
 
 The sea shall burn, the earth shall mourn— the skies 
 
 rain blood — 
 The world shall rise in dread surprise and warful mood — - 
 And hill and lake in Eire shake, and hawk turn dove — 
 Ere you shall pine, ere you decline, my Roisin Dubh / 
 
214 Til i: P ETS AND PO ET R Y 
 
 KOJSJN 4>UBt).* 
 
 rom ! 
 
 'S r)4C boó'c 'oo'r) 'cttéAii-cUtiíi t>o C4it^e4'ó éuld-ó 
 
 54n rp4r ray. yuw ! 
 T34 I4iri) 4ti n\iéAnú)\i 45 T5Ti1or 'f4 jt4ob4T>, — fuzo 
 
 4 lni4-ó 4 rjmS, — 
 ^4rti40i-o n\iéi5te, y&t 4fi Ti-é4ld*ó ii4it;, 4 Fdjrjij 
 
 <t>ub ! 
 
 )r bu4n yxx\\i&ix)T,e x\)0 cjtoj'óe ofi/c 4 rcojjt, 4 1700^, 
 21td -ójt-ri IT Ti\von) cAorari) 54t) r3l* 5 54*1 'cocr; ! 
 Ojt 5411 it)t)e4-ó |t4t it)o f^e^il le4T;, 4 bl46 t)4 rub', 
 2Ict; F4it40)]t ! ^jn) 4 ri-T^oijtre 114^, 4 Bdint) 
 <t>ub ! 
 
 B4 'ÓC4T tt)o 'ódi'c < pe4'ó 'oo bjT) tije pdfci4 le'ti} yno)- 
 
 WX) yew, 
 21 'D-'DUir n)'ói5e 1>1* ")é r^ójg lé 34T) e4rb4T> 4017 
 
 21C-C tl)0 'D)'b-'5U)llTi\ t&)X))C 40]t 'SMTÍJ, 't T) , é4lO)'Ó 1TJO 
 
 cfiu}* ! 
 'S ax £757017 T>4TT) -CÚ 6116757017, a Kdjntl 4>ub ! 
 
 B4 -Ó64r 'CO cld'D 4fl 54C AOX) COjt, 4 C|t40íb íi]t- 
 
 »14*! 
 B4 11)41* 'oo cdiri]t 4]t bd|iT)4ib 5I4Í), tjiufó, 54c 14, — 
 Uc ! cujriiwó 4 KdiriTl 4|i 54c nidi'oe t>o ti^jf 
 
 yem -04TT1, 
 
 3l^>' 5WT 1 b' 6757017 T>4rti t>o t]ié)^)Oí) 4ji r4lle 4 177113 ! 
 
 * This song was sent us as the composition of a Minister bard; 
 but upon examination we found it deficient of that smooth and grace- 
 
OF MUNSTER. 215 
 
 LITTLE BLACK-HAIRED ROSE. 
 
 O, bitter woe, that we must go, across the sea ! 
 
 O, grief of griefs, that Lords and Chiefs, their homes 
 
 must flee ! 
 A tyrant-band o'erruns the land, this land so green, 
 And, though we grieve, we still must leave, our Dark 
 
 Roisin ! 
 
 My darling Dove, my Life, my Love, to me so dear, 
 Once torn apart from you, my heart will break, I fear, 
 O, golden Flower of Beauty's bower ! O, radiant 
 
 Queen ! 
 I mourn in bonds ; my soul desponds ; my Dark 
 
 Roisin I 
 
 In hope and joy, while yet a boy, I wooed my bride ; 
 I sought not pelf ; I sought herself, and nought beside, 
 But health is flown, 'tis old I'm grown ; and, though I 
 
 ween 
 My heart will break, I must forsake my Dark Roisin ! 
 
 The fairest Fair you ever were ; the peerless Maid ; 
 For bards and priests your daily feasts were richly laid. 
 Amid my dole, on you my soul still loves to lean, 
 Though I must brave the stormy wave, my Dark 
 Roisin ! 
 
 ful flow peculiar to Munster poetry. The merit of the translation, 
 however, entitles it to a place in the present collection. » 
 
 The original song of Roisin Dubh is supposed to have been com- 
 
216 THE P0BT8 AND POETRY 
 
 Cujúinj-ó fox ^n i 54C cdrij^-ó n))ti, có)|t, 34T) 
 
 cUonj, 
 Cuiii)i))*6 4 rsójjt 3U|x Ie4r;r4 4 pdr4-ó n}e 4 'D-'cúir 
 
 n)o f^esil ! 
 Cuiri) t)i*6 4 di5be4t) 4í) le4b4T> 4 cdtiuj^^'o T>ui'c 
 
 BUt 174 itdr, 'r T301* *)4 n)óí)-rij4;5, n)o Kdirjt) ^>ub ! 
 
 N4c b-ftul rt)o p4ijvc Icatj a cul v&)X)y)e&t t)4 tj-'ouaI 
 C4r nj-buj'óe ! 
 
 N4C TÍU 1T)0 5]t4-Ó-r4 "O^ b-)5U)l -DO'r) 2l'D4TT)-cUin^> 4 
 C4jl|r) C40W ! 
 
 3onui5 4i) U '1)1U5 4 t)-5T)iori) r)4 |i4it>'Gib i)í b-^U4i|i 
 
 «ú suit, 
 'S r)4ó Cfiu4i-ó 4r) c4r 3Ujx cui|te4-ó 5ft4ií) oji-c, 4 
 
 Rdnit) í)ii)b ! 
 
 N4 b']'óe4c b]tdT) ojrc 4 Kdiri^ • -ac/D biot> 4T> toc'c, 
 T>& t>o c^ifoe 45 / ce4C'c r;4it r^le 54t) rp^r 4 i^oc-c ; 
 docf4'o 4 Ut) t>o tjiejb T)4 Sb4ii)Tje led 4 t)oijt, 
 'S beijt 4 Fdirí*) 54í) bjtorj T)4 -óeo^ rji), 'r 30 'oeo 
 r^°1 C1 01 ) ! 
 
 5o ^0-^)5' 4T) -c|t4t \)X) 064*0 rWt) te4-c 4 T^oy, rt)o 
 
 cum, 
 5o T>-'C)ocr4'D 4Tj 14 r4?) trnle rW^) le4TJ, 4 cjxoj'óe 
 
 T)4C 'CITT) ! 
 
 B1*ó 34iifDe4c, t;4)ii) 4t> K-y Á5M1I 4 r^óijt, 4 1)1115 ! 
 
 210-0 ri Ur^4'o le 4tur 'r it)dji-54Tvo4r 5 4|t 1130 Kdiriii 
 
 <t>ub! 
 
 posed in the reign of Elizabeth for the celebrated Aodh Ua Domh- 
 naill, Prince of Tir Chonaill (Tirconnell). The allegorical allusions 
 
OF MUNSTER. 217 
 
 In years gone by, how you and I seemed glad and 
 
 blest ! 
 My wedded wife, you cheered my life, you warmed my 
 
 breast ! 
 The fairest one the living sun e'er decked with sheen, 
 The brightest rose that buds or blows, is Dark Roisin ! 
 
 My guiding Star of Hope you are, all glow and grace, 
 My blooming Love, my Spouse above all Adam's race ; 
 In deed or thought you cherish nought of low or mean; 
 The base alone can hate my own — my Dark Roisin ! 
 
 O, never mourn as one forlorn, but bide your hour ;. 
 Your friends ere long, combined and strong, will prove 
 
 their power. 
 From distant Spain will sail a train to change the scene 
 That makes you sad, for one more glad, my Dark 
 
 Roisin ! 
 
 Till then, adieu ! my Fond and True ! adieu, till then ! 
 Though now you grieve, still, still believe we'll meet 
 
 again; 
 I'll yet return, with hopes that burn, and broad-sword 
 
 keen ; 
 Fear not, nor think you e'er can sink, my Dark Roisin I 
 
 4 
 to Ireland under the name of Roisin, have long been forgotten, and it 
 is now known by the peasantry merely as a love song. 
 
218 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 eSWOONN 21N CI)NOJC. 
 
 Voi)i) :— 64tt)or)t) 2lr> Cljijojc, 
 
 Moderately 
 Slow. 
 
 m 
 
 w 
 
 i 
 
 v~w 
 
 i? 
 
 ft 
 
 p j pafero 
 
 Cm b-é nu 4n)uié, 
 
 ' rU b-fUjl ip40b.d|l 4jX 4 5UJÉ, 
 
 ^15 it4ob4T) Tt)o 'óofiuir 'DÚrj'ca'ó? 
 
 2t)ire 64rnor)r) 4t) Cljfloic, 
 
 "GÁ bajxrae, ipU4it, ipliuc, 
 O r joíi-tjúb-al Tlfyfive 'r 5le4T)T)'G4't> ! 
 
 C|ie4'D t)é4t)^4it)r)-ri xmi^, 
 2t)ut) 4 5-cujfi?it)i) ojvc be^r) -04 nf jíinA'ó, 
 'S 50 ^-Ttt)l PÚ5-D411 50 -cms, 
 
 'S 50 Ti)-be4'6rí)40ír 4 puoij tijúct^! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 219 
 
 EDMUND OF THE HILL. 
 
 Am :— "Edmund of the Hill" 
 
 Edmund O'Ryan, better known as Eamonn an Chnoic (Edmund, or 
 Ned of the Hill), was born at Shanbohy, in the parish of Temple-beg, 
 in the upper half barony of Kilnemanagh, in Tipperary, previous to 
 the wars of 1691. His father, who possessed a considerable amount 
 of property after the confiscations and plunders of 1641, was des- 
 cended from the valiant and warlike race of the O'Ryans, of Kil- 
 nelongurty, many of whom lost their lives and properties in the obsti- 
 nate, but ineffectual struggle for independence, by the Earl of Des- 
 mond, in the reign of Elizabeth. His mother was of the ancient 
 family of the O'Dwyers, lords of Kilnemanagh. Edmund was in- 
 tended for the priesthood; but by an affair in which he took a 
 prominent part after his return from the Continent, where he had 
 studied for the clerical profession, he had to relinquish that idea. 
 After many strange vicissitudes in life, his body now lies interred on 
 the lands of Curraheen, near Faillan Chluig, in the parish of Toem, in 
 the upper half barony of Kilnemanagh, near the Hollyford copper 
 mine, and the precise spot is marked on sheet 45 of the Ordnance 
 Survey of Tipperary, as the grave of Eamonn an Chnoic. 
 
 We have received a long sketch of him from a distinguished lite- 
 rary member of the family, but are obliged to reserve it for another 
 volume. 
 
 " You, with voice shrill and sharp, 
 
 Like the high tones of a harp, 
 Why knock you at my door like a warning V 9 
 
 " I am Ned of the Hill, 
 
 I am wet, cold, and chill, 
 Toiling o'er hill and vale since morning !" — 
 
 " Ah, my love, is it you ? 
 
 What on earth can I do ? 
 My gown cannot yield you a corner. 
 
 Ah ! they'll soon find you out — 
 
 They'll shoot you, never doubt, 
 And it's I that will then be a mourner !" 
 
220 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 )X 1=4-04 ttjire 4HJU)C, 
 
 ^40j f ne4c^4 '5ur )=40j tioc, 
 
 S 541) -041140X5 454ÍÍ) 4|t 401) H64C ; 
 
 2l)o f e)rite4c 541) r5»1^ 
 
 21)0 b|t41)41t 5411 Cllfl, 
 21' r 54T) 14*0 454n) 4|t 401) COfl ! 
 
 Nj'l C4|t4)-0 454TT), 
 
 )r -04)1)1-0 1)011) T4Í), 
 4)0 5l4C)í4C TT)6 TT)OC 1)4 -oé41)4C, 
 
 'S 50 5-C4)t):e4'Ó Tt)é 'Olll, 
 
 tkn r^inse row, 
 
 Or 41)1) 1)40 b-^U)l Tí)0 540T)4l'C4'Ó : 
 
 21 cú)l 4Ui)t)t) -oe4r ? 
 
 'N4 B-r4)T)5)-óe C4r, 
 
 )f b|ie454 ? 5tir 4t 5l4f *oo f ú)le ! 
 
 3o b-vujl ti)o citoi-oe t>4 rkt'o, 
 2ll4ti t>o f t))0it)T;40) 54-0, 
 
 le bt)454)l) Tí)d|l t4"04 45 -CnUt 16473. 
 
 <D4 b- ^454) i)i) -ri le ce4]VG, 
 Ce4T) -pírje rlor le4?;, 
 }X é4*OT5|ion) 'r 4t -oe4r 'oo f )úb4lp4)t)i) 
 
 50 b-?U)l Tí)0 1 11)40)11^6 4 b64T), 
 
 2ijlt é4ld54'ó 164T;, 
 
 • TP40) CO)llTÍ)b 45 rP^Ut) 411 'OflÚÓ'54'Ó ! 
 
 21 cun)4)T)t) 'r 4 f e4 jtc, 
 K4C4rt)40)T)-iie r^4l, 
 
 1P40) C0)l1/G)b 45 rP^4l4T) 41) T>flUC'G4'Ó ! 
 
 2t)4)t 4 b-r45n)40)-o 4t) b]te4C, 
 'S 4i) lor) 4jji 4 i)64T>, 
 
 2ln ipjAt) '5ur 4T) poc 4 buitjie ; — 
 N4 Ij-eiriiiii-oe b)i)i)e ? 
 2im Íé)3)r))T>e re)i)i)e4'ó ? 
 
 'S 41) CU4)CÍ1) 4|t b4jxjt 4JX úfi-jUir* 
 oo bjt46 bji4t i)) 'úioc^'ó 
 2ii) b4r 4)|t 4|t t)-50)ii64'ó, 
 
 21 Utqt ii4 co)lle cíLb4]r64. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 221 
 
 " Long I'm wandering in woe, 
 
 In frost and in snow, 
 No house can I enter boldly ; 
 
 My ploughs lie unyoked — 
 
 My fields weeds have choked — 
 And my friends they look on me coldly ! 
 
 Forsaken of all, 
 
 My heart is in thrall : 
 All-withered lies my life's garland, 
 
 I must look afar 
 
 For a brighter star, 
 Must seek my home in a far land ! 
 
 " O ! thou of neck fair, 
 
 And curling hair, 
 With blue eyes flashing and sparkling ! 
 
 For a year and more 
 
 Has my heart been sore, 
 And my soul for thee been darkling. 
 
 O, could we but both, — 
 
 You nothing loth, — 
 Escape to the wood and forest, 
 
 What Light and Calm, 
 
 What healing balm, 
 Should I have for my sorrows sorest ! 
 
 " My fond one and dear, 
 
 The greenwood is near, 
 And the lake where the trout is springing — 
 
 You will see the doe, 
 
 The deer and the roe, 
 And will hear the sweet birds singing, 
 
 The blackbird and thrush 
 
 In the hawthorn bush, 
 And the lone cuckoo from his high nest, 
 
 And you never need fear, 
 
 That Death would be near, 
 In this bright scenery divinest ! 
 
THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Bejji rséaU-ó U4)n) ro)p% 
 
 5ttjl C4)lle4TDa|t 04. Ijei'O 4 T)-é4l)l4]t ; 
 Otljl 4 |140)|X -OO T^UJ-C 
 
 2io rn £40734. 4jx 174 cuojc* 
 2lri)4C 4|t ^e4T3 ii4 l)-6)tijoi)n ! 
 
 £)4 tT)4)ll]OC l]OH) 1111)^, 
 
 5o re^c-Drrjujo d 'r))U5, 
 
 H4C^4inO-T£ 4]l Tt))]te 4-D TÍ- ^0404)11^, 
 
 IT 50 nj'Fe^Wt Ijort) 4i)ojr, 
 M4 fi4-ó 50 rn-bejT;?e4 11675 Ijorrj ! 
 
 * From this and the preceding line it would appear that the song 
 was composed in the year of the great frost, 1739. 
 
 Vorjy : — 2lt) SÍCD4 4t;4 4t> Bl)4llu^ 4 Bljii4C4]ll. 
 
 ^I^S"feS 
 
 D.C. 
 
 i*&rt 
 
 SÉ 
 
OF MUNSTER. 223 
 
 " ! could the sweet dove, 
 
 The maiden of my love, 
 But know how fettered is her lover ! 
 
 The snows all the night 
 
 Fell in valley and on height, 
 Through our fated island over, 
 
 But ere the sun's rays 
 
 Glance over seven days, 
 She and I, as I hope, will renew love ; 
 
 And rather would I be 
 
 Deep drowned in the sea, 
 Than be faithless to her, my true love I" 
 
 THE WALLET OF SILK. 
 
 The air which we give on the opposite page, and to which words by 
 Eoghan Ruadh O'Suilliobhain, will be found at p. 64 of our " Re- 
 liques of Irish Jacobite Poetry," originated in the following anecdote. 
 One of those young men, better known among the community as 
 " poor scholars," whom a thirst for education, in bygone days, sent 
 from various parts of the kingdom to the south, was accosted in the 
 following manner, by a young woman, perhaps the daughter of his 
 host, in reference to the wallet, or satchel in which he carried his books. 
 
 " An sioda ata ad wallet, 
 An sioda ata ad wallet, 
 
 An sioda ata ad wallet a bhuachaill ? 
 An sioda ata ad wallet, 
 An sioda ata ad wallet, 
 No abhla do bhlaiseach mna uaisle ?" 
 To which he replied : — 
 
 " Ni sioda ata am wallet, 
 Ni sioda ata am wallet, 
 
 Ni sioda ata am wallet a stuaire / 
 Ni sioda ata am wallet, 
 Ni sioda ata am wallet, 
 
 Na abhla do bhlaiseach mna uaisle / " 
 
 " Is it silk that's in your wallet, 
 Is it silk that's in your wallet, 
 
 Is it silk that's in your wallet, my buachaill ? 
 Is it silk that's in your wallet, 
 Is it silk that's in your wallet, 
 
 Or apples for ladies to eat of?" 
 
 " 'Tis not silk I have in my wallet, 
 
 'Tis not silk I have in my wallet, 
 
 'Tis not silk I have in my wallet, ray fair one I 
 'Tis not silk I have in my wallet, 
 'Tis not silk I have in my wallet, 
 
 Nor apples for ladies to eat of l" 
 
224 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2* 2t)t)2lJK6 '3US 2i 2l)1)UJKNJR 
 
 Font) : — 2i 2t)l)4)|ie 45iir 4 2t)l)íij|tí))t). 
 
 Moderately Q ,_,_ i ^ 9~ — í 
 
 Stow, fl/id A f* rS ^TJT E 
 
 expression. ^J >^/ -^=ÉE 
 
 =fe 
 
 áfci&«=í 
 
 í— == Í5 : -s 
 
 w-d — ^— — ■ 
 
 m 
 
 ^m 
 
 j ^^ ir p^ ip 
 
 g ^^W f^ ^^li 
 
 5 *jr± 
 
 í 
 
 21 <U)l)4ipe '5UT a ií)íílTii)íi), 'r a Wllbiti tj4 5-c]t4ob- 
 21t) cu)ri)it) 1647511)411 'oo fiubl4n)40ir *V> Tinier;) t))t>e 
 
 41) téin 5 l4 ir ; 
 
 21 BUt t)4 t)-4b4ll 5-cub4rit4, t)4 3-cr)d buj-óe, *r i)4 
 
 5-C40|X4'D, 
 
 4)0 p4itVG-rj rfíoji t))úlx;4)5e4r, cé T>íib4C ^40) rt) a 1 © 
 n-éjl)ori) ! 
 
OF MDNSTER. 225 
 
 MY DARLING MARY. 
 
 This beautiful love-song is the composition of one of the humbler rank 
 of the peasantry, and breathes, like all other poems of the same class, 
 the most intense feeling of deep affection, and burning tenderness of 
 expression. 
 
 To show with what fidelity our poet has adhered to the original, 
 we need only refer our readers to the following literal translation of 
 the first stanza : — 
 
 O, my darling Mary — my fair one of the ringlets, 
 Do you remember how we together trod the dew on the green grass ; 
 Blossom of the sweet-scented apple-tree — the golden nuts — and berries, 
 Your affection never deserted me — tho' in sadness you have left me. 
 
 There are many compositions of this class current among the 
 peasantry, which should be collected before they die away, and -we 
 earnestly hope our Munster friends will take care to preserve the many 
 beautiful songs which, though long popular among the peasantry of 
 the south, have never yet appeared in print. 
 
 O, ringlet ted young maiden ! O, my own darling 
 
 Mary ! 
 We've trod the dew together in the fields green and 
 
 airy, 
 
 ! blossom of the apple-tree ! my heart's fount of 
 
 gladness ! 
 
 1 always loved you fondly, though you've left me now 
 
 in sadness. 
 
226 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21 5I 1 ^ £jl f T 4 luijnjn, t;4ii T540)b Ijonj ojt>ce éj5Jt) ? 
 Niuiii lu)5^e4-ó ii)o njiiwcjit 30 nj-bejt>e4ii) 45 C4jn^ 
 
 le t)4 céjle ; 
 2t)o Unj 4]i -do dunttfi), 45 ^énnwi54t> njo rs^jt 
 
 'DUJ'C, 
 
 'S 3Ufi b'é -do 51X4-0 4 rij4J5-De4r), bu4jT) ti4-ó4]tc ?l4t4jr 
 4)é -Djon) ! 
 
 4)4 n)-bejt ^jor 45 rt)o 'óe4Tibfi4'G4Jix íijo 5e4|i4i) 'r 
 
 tí)o bu4)]t)ort), 
 4)4 tti-beit froy (-04]t P4jt4r)), be)-óe4"ó yiuxpUi) jtó- 
 
 ^ Ttjdn «Hi, 
 ^Do cé4'D--re4itc 4Ti) t\iév5io\), 'r cé)le ejle -64 lu4t> 
 
 léh 
 'S T?4|t ii)r)4 -064^4 6jjx?or)r), )r 1 rr)0 5114* 3C4l r)4 
 
 21 C4il)í) bjte454 U4t4)t — U4)5T)e4r tí)o I4jft 'cú, 
 21 cut buj-6e í)4 3-coc4t) 'r 4 5|ti4T)4t) b4ij 6]jiiot)T) ; 
 4)o jiji) ^ú tt)o t)'io5b4)l, 'r T^jvjojt W'l ^131°T 4ifi, 
 
 C|ie4'D T>0 b'4]l llOIT) -DO T5-)4|l]t41'Ó 'f 4 T))4t)-5]l4'Ó 
 T)4 ^454jT)T) THL 
 
 4)4 tii-bej'ójr)r)-rj 4itj j4T54jjxe f J4|t 4 tr)-Beírji) 6iT>jjt, 
 'S 2t)4)jie T)4 t)-5e4l ít)-b|x454'D T)4 bjU'oái) 4|t loc 
 
 ei|tí)e ; 
 Jr TÚ54C 'r 4r Tl)e4T)t l 4C -do jx^ij-r? ^>4 r)-é)l)Olt), 
 'S tdo 5e4b4)t)t) 4T)t) TTjo Y)or\T}Ár) " 5íij4n4t) b4í) 
 
 4)4 rn-berójtjti-n 4tt) Uó4 'r FWrwse rléjfte '54nj, 
 
 *S lt4t)4|tC 4fl T)4 TUlTJC^r Tí'^Or)!) TT)'4í)4n) T>0 f 40fl4'Ó ; 
 4)0 t4b4lt^41T)r) 41) 4}T)31 jt 4 D4]le T>4 b- < pé4T>-^41T)r), 
 
 'S léj5FJíi x>4 í)-4t4)íi 4 be?t ^414X5 x>4 J)-éjljori) ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 227 
 
 My purest love, my true love, come some night to me 
 
 kindly, 
 We both will talk together of the love I gave you 
 
 blindly ; 
 With my arm round your slender waist, I'll tell how 
 
 you won me, 
 And how 'twas you, my Mary, shut Heaven's gates 
 
 upon me. 
 
 O ! if my brother knew but of my woe and my sorrow, 
 A bitter heart he'd have through many a day and 
 
 morrow ; 
 O ! none of Eire's maidens do I prize like to you, 
 
 love, 
 And yet you now forsake me, though I thought you 
 
 my true love ! 
 
 O, loveliest of damsels, the sad truth must be spoken, 
 But, maid of golden tresses, my sore heart you have 
 
 broken ; 
 My suffering is grievous, but I fain must endure it, 
 My wound it is a deep one, but you will not cure it. 
 
 O ! were I in Beinn-Eidir, a fisher skilled and wary, 
 And you down in Lough Erin, a salmon, O my 
 
 Mary, 
 I'd rise up in the night-time, and haste to its waters, 
 And I'd catch you in my net, before all Eire's 
 
 daughters ! 
 
 Or if I were a wild duck, and the heath hills before me, 
 And Heaven in its glory so blue shining o'er me, 
 I'd bring you home, my fair one, and this I tell you 
 
 plainly, 
 That if your father sought you, he should long seek 
 
 you vainly ! 
 
228 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 t>4 nj-berojTW-n 4 lurj-oajn n)4ji ceú\}\) 4]i 411 r}-54|xr>4, 
 
 S Ce4T) 434H) o't) b-P|X4t)1)C4C Tt)0 lOT)5 'DO CU|X T^fl 
 
 Cl)ú)5 lijjle pui)?34 ^d4 tiffru rjtj 54c U t^e 
 
 jr j -i)4iite rno no54-r^ ? 'r ™ bjiorm-y&w nio r^^ -oj. 
 
 6ui5^ 4t> fujje 4 bu4C4jll 'r slu^r ^n w 5e4itjt4t) ? 
 34C be4Uc T54 n)-bu4)liri bjx>' 4|i tu4ji4)T5 n)o t>J4í)- 
 
 í)o b)*ó-rj t>4 Ui4f) Ijott) o b)'6e4r art) le4T)b-b4t), 
 ? S b4 bji^e Ijortj 17407 i)U4i|ie j i)4 cii4c 'x \)& o^Ájt). 
 
 Vot)\) : — 2ltj Sn)4C-D40)t) C|tdrj. 
 
 Lively. 
 
 S: 
 
 ^gsá? 
 
 . g j t n ^ — Ca 
 
OF MUNSTER. 229 
 
 0, were I in London, a naval commander, 
 And France gave me charters o'er ocean to wander, 
 Tis hundreds of thousands of guineas I'd squander 
 On Mary, my darling ! no queen should be grander. 
 
 Up, boy ! Mount your steed ! 'Tis a bright eve 
 
 and airy, 
 And each road you travel inquire for my Mary ! 
 She loved me while yet but a child like a fairy— 
 That sweet one whose tones shame the thrush and 
 canary ! 
 
 THE BROWN LITTTE MALLET. 
 
 The epithet Smachdaoin Cron (Brown Little Mallet) was applied to 
 a stout description of tobacco, smuggled into Ireland about the middle 
 of the last century, and in which an extensive traffick was carried on in 
 Munster. There are many songs to this air current among the 
 peasantry ; but we believe the following is the first stanza of the 
 earliest known specimen: — 
 
 " Eirghidh adshuighe a chailin! 
 Cuir sios potataoi 's feoil I 
 Sud e nios an garraidhe, 
 Rabaire an Smachdaoin Chroin. 
 
 " Oro,ro,mo Smachdaoin! 
 Caradh mo chroidhe, mo Smachdaoin / 
 Oro, ro, mo Smachdaoin ! 
 O, mo Smachdaoin Cron!" 
 
 u Arise ! get up my girl ! 
 Boil potatoes and meat! 
 Here comes up the garden 
 The lad with the Smachteen Cron. 
 
 " Ore, ro, my Smachteen ! 
 Love of my soul, my Smachteen S 
 Oro, ro, my Smachteen ! 
 O my Smachteen Cron I" 
 
230 
 
 THE POETS AND TOETRY 
 
 »N S621BI)21C SJUB1)2*Jl. 
 
 
 irregular. 
 
 Not too 
 
 Slow. 
 
 )X 6 nje-droAfi lion) Alt le^d-ó tjuji, 'r 4icitioB jiécr, 
 
 TAD TPém ; ^ 
 
 2l|t cjie-dCA'6 ^riiíic, -dfi leASAT) tjujI, r 4jt ^tvo- 
 
 r51te4.'D belt, 
 50 b-fuil n)4U|i < cÚ34 , ó te ne&CTi t>o 't) cuir, rid U 
 
OF MUNSTER. 
 
 THE WANDERING EXILE. 
 
 BY MAURICE GRIFFIN. 
 
 Am :— " Soft Deal Board." 
 
 231 
 
 We have several songs to this air in our collection, but have selected 
 this Jacobite effusion of Maurice Griffin, for the present occasion. 
 The original words will be found in Hardiman's "Irish Min- 
 strelsy," vol. i., p. 238, with a translation by Thomas Furlong; 
 and as we have made it a rule never to reprint Irish songs while we 
 have an abundant stock in MS», we hope our readers will feel pleased 
 with that which we here lay before them. 
 
 The original version of " Clar Bog Deal" (Soft Deal Board) is 
 better known under the title of " Caisioll Mumhan" (Cashel of Mini- 
 ster), and may with justice be attributed to the Rev. Wm, English, as we 
 possess copies of it, and of several other songs ascribed to him, written 
 early in the last century. As previously mentioned, the reverend writer, 
 before his assumption of the Augustinian habit, was the author of 
 many beautiful compositions ; among which we may reckon the cele- 
 brated " Cois na Brighide" " By the Bride's Silvery Waters," of 
 which the following is the opening stanza : — 
 
 " Cois na Brighide seal do bhiosa go sugach samh, 
 Ag dearca sios air aingir chaoin an urladh bhlath ; 
 Ba ghile a pib na sneachta air craoibh 's na drucht air ban, 
 'S ni coigcrioch me acht buachaill brioghmhar o Dhun na ra-bad?" 
 
 *' By the Brighid awhile I dwelt, merry and gay, 
 Glancing down on the mild maiden, of the beaming eye ; 
 Whose neck is whiter than snow on trees, or dew on lea, 
 And I am not a stranger, but a brave youth, from Dun of the boats," 
 
 We cannot tell what place is meant by Dun na m-bad, which 
 the writer states is his birthplace, unless it be Dungarvan, in the 
 county of Waterford, a place celebrated for its fishing-boats. 
 
 Methinks Earth reels and rocks, and feels towns fall 
 
 and towers, 
 The gloomy sky looks heavy on high, and blackly 
 
 lowers. 
 The wailing of maids, the hourly raids that waste the 
 
 land, 
 Would seem to say that the Judgment Day is nigh at 
 
 hand. 
 
232 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Jr é -ce)\i 4t) ciijnse C464 ciijl, 'r 4t) Sp4ji)t)e4c 
 
 'Sai) b64t)-r4 'o'ttttj'ldj'ó 'ce^vc'c 541) cújtrre, 4 b-p4jjvc 
 
 t)4 I40C ; 
 N4 ^4-0^41-0 r?^ ^4 5-cle4T4]b lúj6, 't)4 Utjij-óu; 
 
 tl-5é4ji, 
 3o 5-04^^-0 cíirr)pl4C'C i)4ri)4i*D 4]t í)-'DÚ]'6ce ) 4j]t 
 
 ?4tj le ^4ob4|t ! 
 
 Jr 'C64|lb T)Ú1Í)1) 4 C41t4)'0 clÚTÍ)U)l, 'f 4 T^jb 'Ójl 
 
 3o r)-5e4ll4j'D xyxi-o 50 'G4p4j'ó cdr)5r)4íi) b4nc, 'r 
 
 Uoc; 
 3o f[i4r 'oo'i) pji]or)í)r4 ce4r)t)4ir X)útc4ir c4ijvoe 
 
 Cbém, 
 
 "G4 45 ^4'D4 nx)í\)t le tj64jvc 4t) 'Cjtiuiit curt) ^64ct; 
 4 fiéjrt). 
 
 Jr ^e4r d T)'jott3p4i'D 4t) 4jr)5W loí)T)]t47-ó, Uj'ojfi, 
 léjji, 
 
 30 C64]t'5 le 140^40 Ur41|X )0T)T)1t4?C, 4 b-p4j|VG 34t) 
 
 pléjt> ; 
 30 b-ye4|i^4|x *olúj'ú-c64'ó, / c|xe4T4C, T;]tup4c, ^4)^- 
 
 7:640, TJ]té41), 
 
 í)o ó4]'ú^)or Bújtt 50 B]t64'G4]r) c]oí)1)t;4c 4t ai^itjob 
 
 340-Ó41. 
 
 Bei-ó 064114*0 'r íwo 54t) TWtóv 41)1) r^j 54t) 
 T34t, 541) b4054l, 
 
 B6)-Ó lt^4CT3 í)4 'O-'GfljUC 11)41X 164T4 4]t 'D-'CU])* 45 
 
 P4p4 <t>é ; 
 
 B61TD 064^ 't CÚ)\)Xe b\e<\CTiÚ)4X\l bÚ4T)4C, 'DO 51)46 
 
 45 3^0)-Ó6ll, 
 'S 4]1 "S64b4C SlÚb4)r' 54t) 064^0 T50 't) ÍTj-bTlÚ^'O, 50 
 
 bfi4t 4 jié)tr). 
 
OF MUNSTER. 
 
 233 
 
 On the battle-plain blood runs like rain : the Spaniard 
 
 brave 
 And she who comes to free our homes o'er Ocean's 
 
 wave, 
 Have sworn they will fight for Truth and Right, — fight 
 
 evermore 
 Till they drive afar the hounds of War from Banba's 
 
 shore. 
 
 Be of cheer, my friend ; we never will bend ! Our 
 
 barques and troops 
 Will muster in pride ; and Woe betide the heart that 
 
 droops ! 
 Our swords we draw for our King and Law, nor we 
 
 alone — 
 Three Princes he hath to clear his path, and rear his 
 
 throne ! 
 
 Since the Maiden bright, unmatched in might, joined 
 
 Louis of France, 
 We have sworn to stand, a marshalled band, with gun 
 
 and lance, 
 On the battle-ground, and fight till crowned with vic- 
 tory- 
 Yea, till we chase the Sassenach race across the 
 sea ! 
 
 From tyrannous men our temples then, all free shall 
 
 rise — 
 And the Pope of God will bless our sod, and still our 
 
 sighs. 
 And Bight and Might rule day and night in Eire's 
 
 isle — 
 And we shall sing to our exiled King glad hymns the 
 
 while ! 
 
234 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 B4 re4t34Jlt fuUdC 45 c4n'G4ji) cjujl 4r) T>4)ri), le 
 21 ni-lMil'Gjb 2Duri)4T) 50 ti)4irioc, rtjuwce, 54iivoe4C, 
 
 04C T> |td54 X) Ufl T50 cl4T)t)4 líljdl'Ó, Cl)4jltVÓ475, 'f 
 
 2I5 ne^cn 50 l)-úrt)4l 5411 foaT) 4 3-ciijfVG, le 51x4-6 
 -do 'n r5lé)p. 
 
 21N BR2WtNj<t>2i. 
 
 4))4]tn)U)'D n)4C <t>ori)t)4jll, nj)c Tilsit) C1)40jl, tijjc 
 Cl)4tt|it4)'6, ccc. 
 
 21 -Ó4lc4 'oil T>4ft £113474 rr,o 4i)i)-r4C'o '0j4ij, 
 
 5e4ll4)rr| -DU^ 50 lt4C41t)ll-r) 9 SW ?4TJi) tt}0 
 
 21t> t^1 c T)n-n le? C4tit4rjrj4C'o 4t) 4it) 54c bl)4- 
 
 2l<yo 4|i e45U 4 Beit T;fie4r54jtT;4 45 411 ri)-Bit4two4 
 
 f)#! 
 
 Nj reAt34iiieAC'o ?4 tj-'oe4itii4 -04111, tj4 ct4H)p4jt 
 
 1F1AC, 
 M4 4T)'lt)Uir)T) -DO C|UlipiT)T)e4C TT)0 Ce4i)T), 35'0' 
 
 ll4t! 
 M4 re4C4ir) T>ul 15411 54tlb-Ct)0C4lb lUtff^TWD, 
 
 1)45, 
 
 210*0 e45l4-0 4 Beit -C1te4T54tlt4 45 4T) nj-BfULTW^ 
 
OF MUNSTER. 235 
 
 With music and song the bardic throng through Mun- 
 ster's towns 
 
 Shall chant their joy, and each minstrel boy win laurel 
 crowns. 
 
 Each noble chief shall forget his grief, and Lughaidh's 
 name 
 
 And Mac Cartha Mór * shine out as of yore with bright- 
 er fame. 
 
 WHISKEY ON THE WAY. 
 
 BY DERMOD MAC DOMHNALL MAC FELIX (THE SLEN- 
 der) MAC CARTHY. 
 
 My gay and brilliant friend, though my health is rather 
 
 poor, 
 I wouldn't be so slow to cross your hospitable door — 
 Once a twelvemonth at the least would I give you up a 
 
 day, 
 If I didn't fear the sly assaults of Whiskey on the 
 
 Way! 
 
 Tis not disturbance of mine ease, not bailiff's grasp I 
 
 dread, 
 Nor noises that might rattle through and through my 
 
 hoary head. 
 Nor even climbing over craggy hills and mountains grey — 
 I'm afraid of nothing earthly but of Whiskey on the Way ! 
 
 * Mac Cartha Mor, Doncadh Earl of Clancarty — See note, p. 268, 
 
236 111 i: POETS AND POETRY 
 
 edrCdtWAfO *co 'n 4r)4ri)— 45ur Tj4rij4j'D ^o 4)1)14, 
 i)o le454T cujftp -o4 d4lti)4ÓT3 34c b4ll vÁ 
 
 •C-'CjlJAll, 
 
 3U)r^ r^o)c 'r 4jroe yniWea-o, — Bix4T)T)-c4 
 
 2ltaj|i-r)ejri)e b4 rrj^nic £115 itjo ce4t)ti 34T1 
 0)411 ! 
 
 )r cWct^-d lejr 4t) le4t)b be45— -5Vó' 54t)T) 4 
 
 C)4ll 
 NU41Jt 14^4^ 4ft 4]tini1^ t)4. 4)|l 4 fArijtlll "DO 
 
 p)4i)r) ; 
 
 30 r^4Ci)4T) 40 l4f41]t 4T)T) 34Ó b4ll T>4 
 'S TJJ T74)te ^411) |tO)íí) ]X454)ltn^ 4TJ BljtUUWOA 
 
 514C-T4 r)n órt)' te4C'D4i]te, 5it> 541W Ijonj 
 
 14T>, 
 
 2t)o T5^^^ b|xii]r)5)oll 341) ?4)ce bjxui'c, 'i)4 be4i) t>4 
 n74|i! 
 
 T34b41|t Cll)-D T>0 T>' b4T)4lC]t4 1X Ce4T)T)-T^ 
 'S 3é4b41-D U)le 4tt) 4)t)1TÍ)-ri ^0 Cl4T)t) 4X5 W4t) 1 
 
 2irj Ce4i)34l. 
 21 ru4]|tc-i:j|t srio^-oe 'do 5r)it5 4T) 5ite4t)t) 'r^ 
 
 MÍ fiut two' rr)t)40), t)4 'Djb, ^113 n)4ll rt)e 4 
 Tj-xrnl, 
 
 1\J4 ?U4t 'DO't) 'C-rllSe, Cé Ó'jttJ 511^ ri4TT)4Tl TJ4 
 CTJOJC, 
 
 21ct; fiut n)o crioj-oe x>o bjor) t>o 'í) nj-Biuwo* 
 
 454ÍT) ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 237 
 
 A traitor to the soul it is — to God and Man a foe — 
 It makes the veriest sage a fool — it lays the stoutest 
 
 low — 
 The accursed swash, the still-house wash! — it lures but 
 
 to betray — 
 A serpent oft around mv neck was Whiskey on the 
 
 Way! 
 
 The infant-child, though all untaught by mother, nurse, 
 
 or sire, 
 If burned or scorched, in after years will fear and flee 
 
 the fire. 
 And that's the case, alas ! with me — I've been so oft its 
 
 prey, 
 That now I dread like Hell itself all Whiskey on the 
 
 Way! 
 
 But, though thus forced to stop at home — a thought 
 that makes me sad — 
 
 My daughters — comely damsels they ! though some- 
 what thinly clad, 
 
 Will gladly visit you, my friend, for well I ween that 
 they 
 
 Don't run much risk of being o'ercome by Whiskey on 
 the Way ! 
 
 SUMMING-UP. 
 
 Believe me, then, O, sprightly friend ! O, youth of 
 
 cheerful mind ! 
 'Tis no ill-will to you or yours that keeps me here 
 
 confined — ■ 
 'Tis no dislike to scale the hills or climb the mountains 
 
 grey— 
 'Tis my sincere and wholesome fear of Whiskey on the 
 
 Way ! 
 
238 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 «IN <I)K2iO.Nmi <t)ONN. 
 
 Vonn : — 2h) 4)1X401)41) <t)oi)rj. 
 
 /~ r^ /T\ 
 
 §g#g 
 
 i ?- : é : 
 
 m.f. 
 
 Dim, 
 
 2> hÉ*J» 
 
 Cres. 
 
 * 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ~Ibb 
 
 Dim. 
 
 PP 
 
 S)le4í) cé4^o ?e4jt suit leo ?éji) nje 4T) tutjti T>'dl4)tt) 
 
 tjUTJ, 
 
 'S T;)5e4í) t>4 'o-'gjxjaí) rior 'oloti) 43 CU)ri)í)e 4Jjt 4 
 5-coTT) it^t) Ijott) ; 
 
OF MUNSTER. 239 
 
 THE BROWN SLOE-TREE. 
 
 Air : — " The Brown Sloe Tree." 
 
 The Draonan Donn, i.e., " The Brown Sloe-tree," or " Thorn," is 
 the name of another of those beautiful love-songs peculiar to the Irish 
 peasantry, and which, in almost every instance, have been adapted to 
 our most admired airs. There is some similarity between the air of 
 the Draonan Donn and that of the Rois Gheal Dubh (Black- 
 haired, fair-skinned Rose), which we give at p. 210. Yet there 
 is a slight difference — only perceptible to a refined ear. 
 
 The Draonan Donn tree is called " Draonan'' from its sharp- 
 pointed prickly thorns. It blossoms early in the month of August, 
 and produces full ripe sloes in September. With respect to these, 
 much depends on the quality of the soil w T here the tree grows : 
 if it be fertile, the fruit is nearly as large as a plum ; but if in 
 barren soil, as small as the haws which grow on the common Sgeach 
 gheal, or hawthorn bush. 
 
 The Connacht version of this popular song may be seen in Hardi- 
 man's Irish Minstrelsy, vol. i., p. 234. 
 
 When, amid my gay friends the brown-beaded ale I 
 
 quaff, 
 I droop in deep sorrow, despite the song and 
 
 laugh — 
 
240 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Si)e4ÓTM réj'óce 'r é -c4 f jon-éw]i4ix Sl)l|4b i)4 nj-B4i) 
 
 Tio\)\h * 
 r S 'cu 11)0 5íi4-ó-r4, tij4jx bl4t 4r) 4)tii)e, 4|t 4i) Í)|t40- 
 
 i)4i) í)ot)t) ! 
 
 4)4 n)-be)-ó)i)i) 4ii) b4-od)|t )r ^e4r 'oo ri)4ri)?4)i)i) 41) 
 
 t4)ti5e 4 t)íií)í), 
 'S t>o TSN^^n cíijd'o Vji)e le b4fi|i ti)o pe4í)i) ; 
 
 ^4|t40)]X 5é4|l ! 541) T1)é 't 'CÍÍ, 4 C|l4'Ó415 1T)0 CjtOJ'Óe, 
 
 21 i)-5Íe4Tjrj'G4ii rléjbe le b-^IT^Sl^ 5Tiéji)e 'r 4i) 
 T)]xííct; 1)4 Uij'óe ! 
 
 Ciij]t)ti) ^éji) rt)o ii))le rl4i) le4t; 4 b4jle r)4 5-cji4i)ij, 
 'S 34C b4)le be45 e fl& *°á Ti)-b)T»e4c n)o f;|xj4U 4i)i) ; 
 Jr 10íi)-ó4 be4Uc, y\nic, r4Í4c ; 45ur bó)t'\i)X) C4irj, 
 T34 ''djjx Ti)é 5itr 41) b4}le, 'í)4 b-fujl n)o rcdjjijT) 4í)1) ! 
 
 lé)5^)i)i)-ri Ie4b4|i 540)-óe)l5e 'sur l4)T>)i) t>j 4jx 
 
 i)eo)t), 
 S3tijB?iij-ri TÍOT é le b4|tix n)o pe4t)i) ; 
 Bbe)-ó)i)T) 45 é4ló54'ó ^40) 1)4 lé)i)e 'r 45 p4r54T) 4 
 
 COÍt), 
 'S 41) 14 1)4 ^é4T>V4)1)1) b641) T>0 b|xé454t>, 1))'l 41) 
 
 b4jjte l)oit) ! 
 
 * Sliabh na m-Ban Fionn (i. e., The Mountain of the Fair-haired 
 Women), forms a long range of hills lying about four miles north- 
 east of the town of Clonmel, and known by the name of Sliabh na 
 m-ban, but the origin of the appellation "fionn" (fair- haired) is 
 rather mystical. This mountain is remarkable as the place of an en- 
 campment of a small body of the Irish in 1798, who were dispersed 
 by the king's troops, on the day after their appearance on the hill, on 
 which occasion some rhymer produced a song, of which the following 
 is part : — 
 
 " Is dubhach 's as lean liom bualadh an lae ud, 
 Do dhul air Ghaoidheil-bhoichd 's na ceadta shlad ; 
 Gur 'mo fear eadrora 's crobhaire gleigiol 
 On am go cheile do gabhag le seal ! 
 'Na bh-fuil corduigbe caola ag buaint luith a n-geag diobh, 
 
OF MUNSTER. 241 
 
 A thinking on my true-love, who is fairer than the 
 
 sun, 
 And whiter than the white blossom of the Draonan 
 
 Donn. 
 
 O ! were I a mariner, 'tis I that would often write 
 Across the sea to my darling all the long stilly night : 
 My grief and my affliction it is that I cannot pass 
 The early morning hours with her, ere the dew gems 
 the grass. 
 
 A thousand farewells of sorrow to the villages all 
 Where I spent my time so blithely from dawn to 
 even-fall. 
 
 many are the high mountains and dark winding 
 dells 
 
 That sever me from the hamlet where my true-love 
 dwells. 
 
 1 would read for her in the noon from a Gaelic or 
 Latin book ; 
 
 I would write her pure thoughts down by some clear 
 
 pebbly brook ; 
 I would take her around the waist, and press her to 
 
 my breast, 
 And the day that I couldn't please her, I'd lose my 
 
 heart's rest ! 
 
 A n-duinseoin dhaora go deo faoi ghlas, 
 Nior thainig ar Major a d-tuis an lae chugain, 
 'S ni rabhamair fein arm a g-coir na g-ceart, 
 Ach mar seolfaidhe aodhaire le bo chum sleibhe 
 Do bhi Gaoidheil-bhoicht air Shliabh na m-ban !" 
 
 1 To me how woful was that day's battle 
 Gained over the Gael, of whom were hundreds slain ; 
 And many youths of powerful arm, 
 Were then unjustly seized, 
 With slender ropes now their limbs are fettered 
 In foul dark dungeons 'neath bolts and locks. 
 Our Major was not with us early, 
 To lead us, as was his duty ; 
 But like cattle driven by herdsmen, 
 Were the Gael that day on Sliabh na m-ban ! " 
 
242 THE POET8 AND POETRY 
 
 'GM&fll "DO ti)4lUcT; T>0 T)'útA)\i 'f ^O T>* n)Át4)\l)\) 
 
 N4jt tw$ be^54n Ctt)3t10t)t)4 tjujc tíjo I4jri) -do 164- 
 
 54ii) ;* 
 Jr itjoc 4]t 11)41^1) citmmn cuJA'o-rA bjtíá rt)o r5é)l, 
 B)Oc rt)o be4í)t)4CT; 434-0 30 5-C4rf4|t 01x75 4 n-U4i5- 
 
 T)e4r Tt)é. 
 
 21 2t)l)uiite x))Hr • cjie4TD -do -óé4r>):4T> n}4 Itt)tj5e4t) 
 
 73Ú U4JÍ1), 
 
 Nj'l eolur curt) -oo t^e 's-dtt), -oo te45U)3, i)4 -co 
 
 clu^T) ; 
 
 C4 njo n)Átú)\i)\) ?40j le4é-citon), 'r nj'atAJii r4i) 
 
 U4JT>, 
 
 C4 njo tyuwdp, 4]t TfAt) 4 b-):e4|i5 Ijottj, 'r "10 3114-6 
 
 4 O-^T) U41TÍ) ! 
 
 1t)4r 45 ityteucv 4 -c4)it iujtí) 4t)0)r 4 ti)ú)\it)w 9 50 
 
 b-^lle4'ó 75Ú rlát) ! 
 Jr ^e4tibt4 3Uit ri)4iiib -cú itjo citoi-oe 4tro tí)o 14ji, 
 "Nfl coiTíe '5411) 'oo cuitt^jr) 4/0 t>1415, t)4 b4-o ; 
 T^'rj t^rae *)4 xnijlce e4'ofi4iiiíj 3 'r *JÍ edl -04111 
 
 ri)4ri) ! 
 
 * See the penal enactment against education at page 31. 
 
 On the subject of education in Ireland we have the following testi- 
 mony from Mr. Christopher Anderson, an honest intelligent Scotchman : 
 "I may assure the reader, that such has been the eagerness of the 
 Irish to obtain education, that children have been known to acquire 
 the first elements of reading, writing, and arithmetic, without a book — 
 without a pen: — without a slate ! And indeed the place of meeting 
 was no other than a graveyard ! The long flat stones with their in- 
 scriptions were used instead of books, while a bit of chalk and the 
 stones together served for all the rest ! But then this eagerness for 
 
OF MDNSTER. 243 
 
 A shame for her father and her mother it was indeed, 
 That they never taught my darling either to write or 
 
 read, 
 'Twere a task so delightful to write to her o'er and 
 
 o'er, 
 But my blessing be on her till we both meet once 
 
 more ! 
 
 O ! holiest Virgin Mother, let me not lose my love ! 
 
 Far away from her, alas ! this dark day I rove ; 
 
 My mother is in trouble ; my father is dead and 
 
 gone, 
 And I, I am left friendless, — friendless and all alone ! 
 
 I entreat, O fairest maiden, that you and I may not 
 
 part, 
 Though your smiles and your glances have broken 
 
 my sad heart ; 
 Alas ! that the wide ocean should roll between us 
 
 dark, 
 And I be left pining here, without a fisher's bark ! 
 
 knowledge, though more generally felt, is not novel. Let any one 
 inquire minutely into local circumstances during the last fifty or sixty 
 years, and he will find it here and there as a strong feature of the 
 Irish character. When we advert to the native Irish and education in 
 their native tongue, we see what avidity can suggest. Then we can 
 mention evening scholars, who have been endeavouring literally to go 
 on by the help of moonlight, for want of a candle, and even men and 
 women, particularly within these few years, acquiring an ability to 
 read in so short a period, that, until the facts of the case are examined 
 or witnessed, the statement might seem incredible."- — Sketches of the 
 Native Irish, p. 205. Third edition. 12mo. London: 1846. 
 
24 l 
 
 r 1 1 1 : l'OKTS AND L'OKTRY 
 
 21JSIJN3 621*81)21) B43 4)0 N03121)C1). 
 
 )^or)t) : — 0r3Ujl 41) 4)ofiur 30 Oujt) ! 
 
 graceful. vM/ Of 
 
 wS^-k 
 
 P^ 
 
 /r 
 
 Sf 
 
 BS 
 
 M/ 
 
 [The last two lines of each verse are to be repeated.] 
 U ? 5UT tile 45 -GAirOlol 4}l tl)A1*01t) 4T1) 40t)4Jt^ 
 
 'S K&itt)e4x\) T)4 5itéiTje 4]t 4Tj tj-'ofiuc'G, ! 
 í)o t4tiUi'ó 4T) 4it)5iri t)4. re^rATi) le rt)' t4ob-r4, 
 50 b4jtji4ri^l, bé4T4C, 54?) puflt, ! 
 
 Bd 4lU1T)T) 4 pe4]tT4, b4 TfAJ'GÍJJOtfJdC, 1D|lélTT)|ie4C, 
 
 B4 c4tt)4TiT4C, pé4|tUc 4 cíll, ! 
 B4 bUtnW 4 njaU Tt)4il 3e4|lll4 le c4ol-pjnt), 
 B4 Ie4t4ll 4 l]-é4-D4í) 541) XXt\\V\Ti, O ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 245 
 
 EDWARD NAGLE'S VISION. 
 
 Air — " Open the Door, /" 
 
 This song is the production of Edward Nagle, a native of Cork city 
 and brother to the poet, James Nagle. The brothers lived about 1760, 
 and we possess a large collection of their poetical compositions. 
 
 Edward Nagle was a tailor : he refers to his profession in the tenth 
 stanza ; and it is probable that his friends participated the feelings of 
 "le pauvre et vieux grand pére" of the greatest of modern song 
 writers : — 
 
 " La vieux tailleur s'ecrie : ' Eh quoi ! ma fille 
 Ne m' a donné qu' un faiseur de chansons ! 
 Mieux jour et nuit vaudrait tenir 1' aiguille 
 Que, faible echo, mourir en de vains sons.' " 
 
 Béranger. La Tailleur et la Fee. 
 
 To the air of " Open the Door," Moore has composed his beautiful 
 song on Sarah Curran, " She is far from the land where her young 
 Hero sleeps." 
 
 As I wandered abroad in the purple of dawn, 
 Ere the flowers yet woke to the air, O ! 
 
 I met a young maiden who trod the green lawn, 
 So stately, so comely, so fair, O ! 
 
 Her figure was queenly ; her ringletted hair 
 Fell down in rich curls o'er her face, O ! 
 
 Her white marble brow was beyond all compare 
 For beauty, and lustre, and grace, O ! 
 
246 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 S5Ú1I 5eal 54t) r34nj4l r)4 ji4H)4íi-n°r5 pé4fit4c, 
 SrjeacziA '5ur C40U4 't)4 5t)ú)r, O ! 
 
 Hai-DTje 34T) 4^11)10, 4CT> I4b4jtt4 bé4T4c, 
 BUrT>4, ? 5ur bjiéjtjie b4 cjuji), O ! 
 
 2i b]t454jT> n)4|i 4t) r^e4CT;4 le T^jtrjjorij tj4 5ixéjne, 
 Se4t4n) ti)4|i geir 4|t 4t) rjiujll, O ! 
 
 B4 bUtri)4jt 4 T1)4tt)4 'r 4 le4b4)|t.C|t0b 40l/O4, 
 
 B4 T?4i'cr))ort)4c, C4ol-T>e4r"» 4 con), O ! 
 
 te i)4 biteáátMcc x>o ri)e4r4r 5U]t pe4jir4 b4t)~ 
 z>é)te ) ; 
 
 Pallas, 1)0 Venus, tjo «T^tzo / 
 No *i) r / c4j'obe4T) le'ft C4|ll)05 5417 4jrjoc 174 cé4'cc4, 
 
 2i 5-C4rtí)4J|fC 1)4 ^It4e f OJfl 50 'OUD4C, O ! 
 
 Mo 't) ri)4t)U 'do -C4ir^1ol T^it C4U)t 4 5-céji) re4l, 
 
 O 131)4)10 TT))C Tj]ié)X} T)4 'O-'GjtjÚC, O ! 
 
 No 't) b4jrj-ci)ejr ^ji b'4jt)ircj t>) I34)re b4 t40b-5C4l 
 le4T)b 1)4 3|ié)5e 'r 4 plúji, O ! 
 
 No 'n 4fiur 4t) TblT 1 *)e4C4)|t b4 'eeAyft t)4 T5é4l'C4 > 
 ^lr> 4jí)5)it T)0 cUoi)4'ó le Tloi)t), O ! 
 
 No 't) r^4)T>-bfui)t)5joll C4)lce T>4]t b'4)i)jtt) t>j 
 $>é) r votie, 
 
 3o J)-2Ub4)i) x>'é4l4i3 te i5\i)ú\i, O ! 
 
 <t>'4jvo4)5e4r 50 n)e4t)tt)i)4c nr^jsne 4 T)éft)?e4CT7, 
 
 <Do I4b4|i4r léiri 50 c)ii)T), O ! 
 21 3ti4-ó 51I t)4 5-C4|tit4'o 'r 4 64)T5e ipo cléjb-rj, 
 
 T34b4)ti 'oo 5645 t>4ti) 50 -olújt, O ! 
 
 " S-c|i4)Ue FJfi ^4541-0 étt" |i4'D4r 4í) béfc Ijott), 
 
 2t)e4T4)Tí) 511 ji lé)t)r 4T> cúl, O ! 
 4)4)l)TT)n ?4)fie le4Ti ! re4C4)T)t) t>o pUe ojin), 
 
 N4 T4)l)5 TT) , é4'D4C T4 ptÚj'D, O 1 
 
OF MUNSTER. 
 
 247 
 
 Her blue eyes were stars that not Death could eclipse- 
 On her cheek shone the lily and rose, O ! 
 
 Like honey, sweet words ever dropped from her lips, 
 As morning's dew-pearls upon snows, O ! 
 
 O ! 'twas bliss beyond all bliss to gaze on her breast, 
 Milk-white as the swan's on the lake, O ! 
 
 Her neck, and her hand, that no mortal e'er pressed — 
 I felt I could die for her sake, O ! 
 
 From her figure I deemed her a goddess at least, 
 
 A Pallas, or Venus, or Juno — 
 Or that wonderful damsel renowned through the East 
 
 For whose sake Troy was burned too soon, O ! 
 
 Or her who, far voyaging over the sea, 
 
 From Tailc obtained a release, O ! 
 Or Taise, the fairest of damosels, she 
 
 Who of old was the glory of Greece, O ! 
 
 Or her who eloped with the Fionn of yore, 
 
 As Seanachies tell in their tales, O ! 
 Or Deirdre, whom Naois, out of love for her, bore 
 
 To Alba of stormiest gales, O ! 
 
 Awakening up, as it were, from a trance, 
 Thus spake I the maiden so bland, O ! 
 
 " My treasure, my brightest ! O grant me one glance, 
 And give me your lily-white hand, O !" 
 
 " False flattering man !" cried the maiden to me, 
 " Why the hair on your head has grown grey,0 ! 
 
 Shame on you, old wretch, to think I could agree 
 To wed one of your age and your way, O !" 
 
1 48 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 lr ce4|t|iiM ^jji ce4l54j-ó n)e4r4jrr), cé x> , 40|-4ir, 
 ^-4)?)^^, 16)5 -Ó4tT) 4fl -D-Tnijr, O ! 
 
 Jt 5MW 'bo U v 4C4*6 *T 4t re4|xb 'do b|ié)t|te, 
 $0e4lU i)4 nj-béjte 4tin -do ]tun), O ! 
 
 N4 C4)ti-ri njo te4C4-ó, *y r)4 lj-4b4ijx-rJ b|té43 Ijorn, 
 T34)'ót)í'6e4í) n)o D|t)4f;|i4 'r *T)o ^e, O ! 
 
 le rE4i*o-bfi U jT)3joll b4]tTi-tloiiti -do T*nAir;ib t)4 
 b-6me4Tii), 
 
 ^ty^tjjnj-rj G4T)b4Tt'o, 4 null), O ! 
 
 oM'ó lion) T50 le4C4, t>o ri)4l4, *do téj'ó-tiojr'3, 
 
 K4X)4r 4T) bé)^ IjOTT) 41)1) TlÍ/D, O ! 
 
 o|t4T) I701T) t>o pe4jvp4, t>o f e4r4ri), 'do t\ié)te, 
 
 Tj&)t\))OXX) XX)0 clé)b-rj 'DO TJJUJT), O ! 
 
 Vorjn :— 'Coj r vóe4lb4c l4jT>jit. 
 
 lively. 
 
 m 
 
 ± 
 
 FTOJ J-JJI I 
 
OF MUNSTER. 249 
 
 Quoth I, "I'ma tailor.' 5 " A tailor, forsooth !" 
 She exclaimed. " You go on a bad plan, O ! 
 
 You're an ugly old brute, and you don't speak the 
 truth, 
 And I fear you're a very sad man, O !" 
 
 " Look at me more nearly," I said with a smile, 
 
 " For mine is a very wide fame, O ! 
 I am loved by the daughters of Eire's green isle ; 
 
 And Edward, 'tis true, is my name, O !" 
 
 " Ah ! now," said the maiden, " I know who you are — 
 I love your high forehead so pale, O ! 
 
 Your bearing bespeaks you as fashioned for war — 
 Yes ! you are the Prince of the Gael, O ! " 
 
 TURLOGH THE BRAVE. 
 
 Toirdhealbhach Laidir (i.e., Turlogh the Brave, Valiant, Stout, or 
 Mighty) flourished about the middle of the last century. His real 
 name was Turlogh O'Brien, and he belonged to the family from 
 whom Leim Ui Bhrian (Lemebrian), a townland in the county 
 of Waterford, takes its name. He frequented all the fairs and patterns 
 of Munster, particularly those of his own county ; and, from his stal- 
 wart appearance, was an object of terror wherever he went. "We 
 remember the following stanzas of a doggrel rhyme attributed to him, 
 when clearing a fair green, or pattern : — 
 
 " Cumadh na beiridhean tu bainge dham f 
 
 Cumadh na cuirean tu im air f 
 
 Cumadh na teighir go dti an maraga, 
 
 Ag ceanach luadh pinghine d'uibhe dham ?" 
 " Why don't you boil up the milk for me ? 
 
 Why don't you thicken it with butter ? 
 
 Why don't you hasten to market, 
 
 To buy me a pen'orth of eggs there ?" 
 " Hurroo / ce bhuailfeach mo mhadra f 
 
 Hurroo t ce shracfach mo chaba ? 
 
 Hurroo / ce dhearfach nach gaige me f 
 
 ''Sgur b'ainim dam Toirdhealbhach Laidir!'"' 
 " Hurrah ! who'd sneer at my little dog ? 
 
 Hurrah ! who'd tear my old cape off ? 
 
 Hurrah ! who'd say I am not a gentleman ! 
 
 For my name is Turlogh the Mighty !" 
 
250 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 21JSIJN3 PtySMOKUJC CUNtoUN. 
 
 TPoijlj :— 2ln $>v&)c)x) 6ditr)4-ó. 
 
 Moderately 
 
 Slow. 
 
 2t)4iT>ioí) 'r n)e Art) 40t)4|i coir ^ob co]lle 'DY^lle- 
 
 215 'OéAT)4ít) Tt30 })-101l)4T)T)4'D b4 51)4^40 tt)e 41)TJ ; 
 
 'S tt)ine 4m luipje Pl)oebrr 'qté 564541!) le nY)tt)e- 
 
 2i plémiOCT; le CjllOfOAl-f 10rHl4T> ^40b|l4C t)4 
 T>- < COT}T) ; — 
 
 64l'C4iort)'ó4 éAX)U)t 4iit ctiAoB4ib 50 niioc4iit-clir'oef, 
 2I5 réire4'ó , r 45reit)T)e-bwTje 4i|i 5^454 54c c|iat)ti, 
 
 B]tU1C 't S10T)415 Cl40f)4'0 110111) t40l-C0W 4^ 1WC- 
 
 tiujte, 
 
 '5 UoCfU'D 50 l)-J1)1H0ltad T>4 '0-'Gtl40C4'D 54C 4T1) ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 251 
 
 PATRICK CONDON'S VISION. 
 
 Air :— ." The Little Stack of Barley: 1 
 
 Patrick Condon, the author of this song, was a native of the 
 barony of Imokilly, county of Cork, and resided about four miles 
 from the town of Youghal. About thirty years ago he emigrated 
 to North America, and located himself some distance from Quebec. 
 The Englishman who has ever, in the course of his travels, chanced to 
 come into proximity with an Irish " hedge school," will be at no loss to 
 conjecture the origin of the frequent allusions to heathen mythology in 
 these songs. They are to be traced, we may say, exclusively to that 
 intimate acquaintance with the classics which the Munster peasant 
 never failed to acquire from the instructions of the road-side peda- 
 gogue. The Kerry rustic, it is known, speaks Latin like a citizen 
 of old Rome, and has frequently, though ignorant of a syllable of 
 English, conversed in the language of Cicero and Virgil with some 
 of 'the most learned and intellectual of English tourists. Alas ! that 
 the acuteness of intellect for which the Irish peasant is remarkable 
 should not have afforded a hint to our rulers, amid their many and 
 fruitless attempts at what is called conciliation ! Would it not be a 
 policy equally worthy of their judgment, and deserving of praise in 
 itself, to establish schools for the Irish in which they might be taught, 
 at least, the elementary principles of education through the medium of 
 their native tongue ? This course, long advocated by the most enlight- 
 ened of every class and creed, has been lately brought forward in an 
 
 able manner by Mr. Christopher Anderson See his Sketches of the 
 
 Native Irish. 
 
 The evening was waning : long, long I stood pondering 
 
 Nigh a green wood on my desolate lot. 
 The setting sun's glory then set me a- wondering, 
 
 And the deep tone of the stream in the grot. 
 The birds on the boughs were melodiously singing, too, 
 
 Even though the night was advancing apace ; 
 Voices of fox-hunters, — voices were ringing too, 
 
 And deep-mouthed hounds followed up the long 
 chase. 
 
252 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 laji 5-c4j'ce4ri) e)t\)e<ic crjd -Ó4IT) bj© bti4C4c 4jx bjle 
 
 Iii4-ó4jl Uct; 541) TJjnj6 jtjí)64t5 v*40f4nj ©o'l} 
 b-^4T)n ; 
 S4T4ÍÍ) bj*6e 541) 5tir4)n) 4r)T), -do ?ii4ti4r, 'y njjle- 
 bUjre, 
 Sr;u4jii) 45 ur iOT)T)4it-c|xu]'ce 5lé-tm5re 4Ti) ce4r)Tj ;— 
 
 3U|1 C4T45 'Cflj'O 4t) TD-bll4i)-T)0)lte 4 TJU4f C^S^H) 4]X 
 
 ^jqiftoflHfttjéé, 
 
 t^irle^CG r)4 b-^T)Tie-b4n 4. r56lri)-cjiuj'c T)4]t 54tjt) ; 
 
 2*W5Jri 40jbjTJT) U4tt)4C, Un-br4C4c -C4]t cjr)T)e-Scuj'ce, 
 
 BU4-Ó4C, b)T)D ? TT)jlj|% TT)]0C411t, \é)Ú) T34|t 54C 'D]te4TT). 
 
 4)0 ^^4-04, -Dl40)T;e4C, pé4]tl4C, 4 Cjt40b-yol'D 4 
 
 TJj'cjttvbjijr'se, 
 
 431X0111)1X640, C4)% JOT^TWOa, 4 b-?J5 T}64T;4 T)4 
 C64T)T) ; 
 
 21 ^641104 bj-ó tt)4]t tté4lt;4 T)4 rp6i}te le fiujfnje- 
 
 56ir-'óAif; r)0 5)le 4t) lile, T)j4rfj-cjiY}rw 4 con) ; 
 B4 -Ó64T, b4 citiL)T)r) 4 '©64x54, le céjle ©o CY}]te45 
 
 21 b64l bj 50 HiiOT^l-cljr^e A n}-b|t6i'GTie I4t) Iotjtj. 
 •S h\At 4X) T>ti40ii) -cfxe C40|t4-ó rj4 T56jri) 'r t)4 ©61115- 
 
 |N|)4tT) rise 4 p|>i'ú-'ce oilce 4 jt6j5rtj64r 50 boi)i% 
 
 <t>o fe4r4in) n 170113 rti4r 'r ^o bu4t)-4n)4]tc Ti)ire 
 
 Jfed'Ó, 
 
 21 T)-'cu47|t)it) 5U|t b|tuir)5ioll 1WJI0II T^te b) 4t)T), 
 No ce4CT;4ri b) 4T) rp6i]t-be4t) le C4orijt)4r t)4 T50)|xe- 
 sew'ce, 
 21 / c64|tr)4'ó curt) ^eiTjjrr) rn^e 'Cjteibre 5411 be4i)T) ; 
 
 4) , tlOTM'Ó tt)6 T>0 b]t6)tjte C40JT), T)64T;4, 064)175, 
 Cl)rT56-fr)YÍ'Ó'C6, 
 
 46 2lt) T?r Calypso rjo Ceres, \)0 Hecate r)4 |t4T)T), 
 Minerva rjd Thetis ©o t]t6rr)-bjtire4c lot)54 4|i ujrse, 
 
OF MUNSTER. 253 
 
 Nut-trees around me grew beauteous and flourish- 
 ing— 
 Of the ripe fruit I partook without fear — 
 Sweet was their flavour, — sweet, healthful, and nou- 
 rishing — 
 Honey I too found — the best of good cheer ! 
 When, lo! I beheld a fair maiden draw near to 
 me ; 
 The noblest of maidens in figure and mind — 
 One who hath been, and will ever be dear to 
 me — 
 Lovely and mild above all of her kind ! 
 
 Long were her locks, hanging down in rich tresses 
 all- 
 Golden and plaited, luxuriant and curled ; 
 
 Her eyes shone like stars of that Heaven which blesses 
 all: 
 Swan-white was her bosom, the pride of the world. 
 
 Her marvellous face like the rose and the lily shone ; 
 Pearl-like her teeth were as ever were seen ; 
 
 In her calm beauty she proudly, yet stilly shone — 
 Meek as a vestal, yet grand as a Queen. 
 
 Long-time I gazed on her, keenly and silently — 
 
 Who might she be, this young damsel sublime ? 
 Had she been chased from a foreign land violently ? 
 
 Had she come hither to wile away time ? 
 W r as she Calypso ? I questioned her pleasantly — 
 
 Ceres, or Hecate the bright undefiled ? 
 Thetis, who sank the stout vessels incessantly ? 
 
 Bateia the tender, or Hebe the mild ? 
 
254 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 N1 rC4CTM|t T>J0b T^Jt lll4*Ó4)r 4*0 T>r4t)T;4jb 4|l 
 
 ire, nijre, 
 21^ 4)1)5^ cUoiTb-ce, t|te4r54|tt4, ^jte jot)4cl4T)Tj 
 
 T)4 T1-04U ; 
 
 'S 4t 54i|t)'D 'o'jb 411 ti4i]t 't)4 rt)-be4-ó Tt)ótt-'64C'C 'r 
 
 njjjte buja i)-'oti5'ce, 
 S4r4ri) cjiuiT)T) bf|i ifawoejre be4T> ?e4r'D4 '5Ujb 
 
 54T) ri)e4ll : 
 Cujt cu)5 4 rce4ó í)e4ti)-3itr4Ti)4, le yrAjnjejiyG it)4|i 
 
 te 4)f 4Í) r))X> bÚ|t b-?4)rO)l)e b) ^454)t'C4 le4f ^411 
 'S 4T T>641tb T)]b 1)4C bll4t) bej5 4TJ CU4)U fO T^ b-^T)T)6 
 
 T5Mor'04, 
 24 Uc-c T4 Ijoi) be4x> T5WG4. Ijb, bjoc n)'4i)4tt) lejr 
 
 4 i)-564tl. 
 
 ÍIJSIJN5 Cl)ONNC1)UBl)ajK U) S1)UJllJOB1)2iJR 
 
 L TFotji) : — " Se4T)-be4r) Cl)jt5ot) 4t) <Djui)T;4it)." 
 
 ojié tt)' 4irllT)5 a itdojft 'r itje'ti) f ^4.1) x;4fij, 
 í)o t>e4jic4T4 iti05U)i) 1)4 5-CU4C it)-b4r) ; 
 BljITb Ur41|l V\l) IjTJJT, 45 C64TT)4C 'f 4 co)ri)e4r54)ti, 
 N4 l)-45t4 5 r 1)5 'I tl°r C M lpuajit b4jtii! 
 
 21 cdttii-tote Ti|x5t)re4c ir Ie4b4)]t T>'f4r, 
 3o C4it)4tirAC, T)úo)te4c, 'ejus, -citort), '^4 ; 
 'N4 ti)-be4|i / c4ib 4 'cfáeAC'G ftija, 50 b4C4lUc, buj'óe- 
 
 c4r, 
 
 O b4t4f A C5l)1) 5)1 50 bOT)t) 'GtUC'O. 
 B4 C4)lce 4 T)é)'D-TT))OT), b4 jl<5 bl4t, 
 
 21 rt)bé4l- < c4t)4 b'ejyeAC'cac cdri)ti4'ó ; 
 
 21 lt4TT)4|t-)tO)r5 Cl40t)4, 't 4 H)4U T>e4f TÍJ401VD4, 
 2t)4]t TJ4tl|l41)5lp4C C40l-p)1)l) 4 3-Cld'D, ,/ c4)'D. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 255 
 
 " None of all those whom you name" — she replied to 
 me : 
 One broken-hearted by strangers am I ; 
 But the day draweth near when the rights now denied 
 to me 
 All shall flame forth like the stars in the sky. 
 Yet twenty-five years and you'll witness my glorious- 
 ness : 
 Doubt me not, friend, for in God is my trust ; 
 And they who exult in their barren victoriousness 
 Suddenly, soon, shall go down to the dust I" 
 
 THE VISION OF CONOR O'SULLIVAN. 
 
 Air: — " The Growling Old JVoman." 
 
 Last night, amid dreams without number, 
 I beheld a bright vision in slumber : 
 A maiden with rose-red and lily-white features, 
 Disrobed of all earthly cumber. 
 
 Her hair o'er her shoulder was flowing 
 In clusters all golden and glowing, 
 Luxuriant and thick as in meads are the grass-blades 
 That the scythe of the mower is mowing. 
 
 With her brilliant eyes, glancing so keenly, 
 Her lips, smiling sweet and serenely, 
 Her pearly-white teeth and her high-archéd eyebrows, 
 She looked most commanding and queenly. 
 
256 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 13a yatijitjl 4 rS^Mh-'ÉIuMc., > 4 le4b4)ii-bji454)T>, 
 TjiM P)<m 0.734 1)4 t)-4or)-oj-óce 4 i)-5le4t)t)-734jr) ; 
 
 *S 4 le4l'UJ|t-l ; |t0b 401-D4, b4 C4)lce l45-ri)é4|l4C, 
 <l)0 rP|UM54C ^V1?t te4-D-CftU^ 54C rG\lZ4X)X)-C&X). 
 
 2i t)U4Jii n)e4T4r J 73e4C73 411) cdn)-'64il, 
 > r 4C4)n) 50 t)-)re4U le rr)diró4)l ; 
 Pe4r4}tt) 50 C40)t) x)in 4 \)-A)\))\i), 'r bii)5 4 73rii4jr, 
 No 'n b4)le 'r)4 rtj-bjot) X) 54C c)Ot)T)-73|i4j73. 
 
 í>o tn^^5^m At) 11)054)1) 50 |id r4nj, 
 'S b4 734)73i))orT)4C b)t)i)-5ti)73 4 cdri)-ii4'ó; 
 2l))re be4i) '0)l)r i)4 b-rl4734 too T>)bji)05, 
 2Í'r 2ilb4)i) fio)ri)e r^o? 51^ bed '734)70 ! 
 
 21 crít)4)r)T) t)4 73fiéj5 ti))re 4 t)-T>d-l4r, 
 
 SU)5 4T)T)T0 7340b ^^OIT) 50 f 0)11, 11)4 
 
 )y kvl'vi r)i)t)e-be4i) 73-Sé4irju)r, — bu)it)e t)4 l40cji47b, 
 T^4b4)|i c|iu)i)i)e4r 54c r5é)l tmttj, t)d 5e4b4TD Mr I 
 
 í)e4jtb4)'D T>ii40)73e '3ur ye&\) T>4)ri), 
 1^1)4111141)54)11 N40)ri) 'r 54c T>tie4n) TM)£; 
 
 30 ^-734)^)01^40 TT))1/De ^4 4|lTt)4)b 1)011)734,* 
 
 2l)ji Clj4Tiolur Sx5Job4|i'D 734)1 ti)4ll-73ii4j5. 
 
 21 -Ó41/G4 1)4 b)OTb re4f04 45 ce4i)rj-tt4r), 
 Sp|ie454C too c|io)'De 't)0)r, i)) l)-jo T J T )-' c M* ; 
 
 2lí) 41T) 4í)fd'Ó C)TÓr)ll 4T) C4b4)]l 4 T)»540))l TÓU)73, 
 B)4TÓ T5^1P^ 4-1tl 54C T04O)r73e '1)4 jl4TT)4)l-ri)4r. 
 
 <t>é)t))Tb 54)tt-Ti)40)'D'ce le lút54))i, 
 'S T54or54)5 73114)6 ^)OT)734 or cjorji) cUi)! ; 
 4)641)73411 ci)4)rn-73e)i)i) / ce, 45iir rél'o r^oc t)4 pi be, 
 
 2l5Ur 5lé4r'C411 54C C40)11-C11U)73 Y 73)OTt)-p4jt) ? 
 
 
OF MUNSTER. 25/ 
 
 Her long taper fingers might dally 
 With the harp in some grove or green alley ; 
 And her ivory neck and her beautiful bosom 
 Were white as the snows of the valley. 
 
 Bowing down, now, before her so lowly, 
 With words that came trembling and slowly, 
 I asked what her name was, and where I might wor- 
 ship 
 At the shrine of a being so holy ! 
 
 " This nation is thy land and my land," 
 She answered me with a sad smile, and 
 The sweetest of tones — "I, alas! am the spouse of 
 The long-banished chiefs of our island!" 
 
 " Ah ! dimmed is that island's fair glory, 
 And through sorrow her children grow hoary ; 
 Yet, seat thee beside me, O, Nurse of the Heroes, 
 And tell me thy tragical story !" 
 
 " The Druids and Sages unfold it — 
 The Prophets and Saints have foretold it, 
 That the Stuart would come o'er the sea with his legions, 
 And that all Eire's tribes should behold it ! 
 
 "Away, then, with sighing and mourning, 
 The hearts in men's bosoms are burning 
 To free this green land — oh ! be sure you will soon see 
 The days of her greatness returning ! 
 
 " Up, heroes, ye valiant and peerless! 
 Up, raise the loud war-shout so fearless ! 
 While bonfires shall blaze, and the bagpipe and trumpet 
 Make joyous a land now so cheerless ! 
 
 s 
 
258 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Jaji 'O-'ceaÓTM.l) óv-Tt) T;)|te 30 Cjor)r)-T;-S4jl, 
 4)o*n Uoójux-ó rin l40)re4c T)4 'o-'Cfiiip 14jt) ; 
 Bejt> oaoj'óejl-boc'G 45 >cojii)5ljc, — T>é4i)4'ó éj|tl)5 
 'r -d'jo^It^jt, 
 21jjt ?ijéjtiljoc4 'n té)ll 'óujb t>4 5-cf|tr4il ! 
 
 VBe2l3K^lt)T) 4)1)ONNCly2l4)1) UJ St)U)Ll)0- 
 Bi)21Jt\! 21) K C1)ONC1)UBt)2lK. 
 
 Toiirj : — "Se4i)-be4i) cjtjot) 41) 'D]t4ij'G4jt)." 
 
 2ÍT) 5e4lt4t)-cttui / 6 C40)t)-C4ilce, f £4t)3 tt)t)4rrjujl, 
 4)o t>e4txc4)r ^é 'o' rnj^ojij'ce 50 Ie4b4ti-bl4t ; 
 21 pe4]tr4 'r 4 5^)1on)4, V ^ ti)4H)4 SÍ'á'tj-^ojbjrjt), 
 Nj'l TJ4i|ibe x>job 4i)i) 40^ ]or)-'cl4r. 
 
 )t 'oe4|trr)4'o ruíá'se '5UT K^ll n\iÁ)t, 
 21}jx BV}4rjb4 c)r)r)-5e4|t|iT;4 cdrtj-c4)5 ; 
 
 Mj 3l4C4C }0T)4 CUJTÍ) 'CU, T)4 T)e4c ejle '©O'D' f )T)í)re4|t, 
 50 5-C4T4C rr i Ult-lÍ0T)'C4 54C 4b4'D I4l). 
 
 )X TiAitr)io\\)ác l)\)i) 54t) ?db4r; T>'t454jl 
 2iiji b4r)4lT;|i4 c)oc-5e4l t)4 'o-'Cfidrn-^irij ; 
 T31)U3 3e4lUit)tiir) T>]lir te r^^T^ 34c i)-'oitie4c, 
 4)o 54tri4'ó ájtoj'óe-cljroe 4T) Ti4ijT}-34jr 
 
 T3411 C4l4jt 3Ur 'GAOj'oe t)0 4 t)-3le4i)tj-rn-b4jrj5 
 4)4 T)- , C434'ó t>o l40if^4C ?jt}4 Tbt^rj^jr) ; 
 B14T) 45ii]í)í)e TJ40)ri5 b4 C4ltt)4 4 i7-5t)iori)-50jl, 
 4)o le43^4T) T)e4ifc r40]te x>o 34n)-r4irj. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 259 
 
 " For the troops of King Louis shall aid us ; — 
 The chains that now gall and degrade us 
 Shall crumble to dust, and our bright swords shall 
 slaughter 
 The wretches whose wiles have betrayed us I" 
 
 DONOGH O'SULLIVAN'S REPLY TO CONOR 
 O'SULLIVAN. 
 
 Air: — " The Growling Old Woman" 
 
 That maiden so fair and so slender, 
 Whom you saw in your vision of splendor, 
 Can give you, alas ! no hope and no fancy 
 That Time will not make you surrender. 
 
 'Tis a dream that was longtime departed 
 That of Banba, the generous-hearted, 
 Till the streams and the rivers roll back to their sources 
 The aims of her sons will be thwarted ! 
 
 We love the Antique and the Olden, 
 We gladly glance back to the golden 
 And valorful times of our sages and heroes, 
 But those shall no more be beholden ! 
 
 Were Louis to come with his legions 
 O'er ocean from France's proud regions, 
 There are hosts in the island to meet him in battle, 
 Who would scatter his soldiers like pigeons ! 
 
260 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 ?l5 B]i4T;4nT)4J5 Y)or\)t<x T)4 t)-4b4ll nj-bUt, 
 Bu te4]i54C IjorijT^ 't)4 lon)-'o4)l ; 
 5o n)4C4jfte 4t) cojrije^rsujfi x>4 'o-t;454J'ó, t>o cj-ó- 
 
 <t)0 Cl)41t0Uir STÍJ0b4flT>, 't)4 toll-T^T» !* 
 
 3é ?4T>4 bejt ire^U 4 b-^oí)í) v454jrj, 
 2I5 ye&x&xx) le T>40jjtre 54c 'qtdtt)-c4ji) ; 
 t)o , 'D ce4r)54l 4 T)-5e)bl)oc i)4 T54ltf<vó te^c cojt>ce, 
 
 30 -D-T3454-Ó T>0 t40)T)5 50 CjOI)tJ-7;-S4ll ! 
 
 2lr> T5^tt)4l to Ijoij'ga t>o cjtórt) c4c, 
 
 B4 Ti)e4r^ 'ÓUJ'G l}t)e fljOC'C Cl)4irA 4. t)-]0C'C41X, 
 
 N4 e4rb4-ó 5111T; pjbe, '5ur -cjonj-páij ? 
 
 2ÍJSIJN3 21N 2lCl)aK P2ttoK2iJC Uj B1)KJ2iJR 
 
 CósipA'ó r6 4-cui]xre 'r btidtj T>jb, 
 
 2lt) 4JtlW3 ^° C0t)4|lC 4)1t W\)6)\l)X) ; 
 2ll) b41}4lqt4 b]té454C, 
 
 4)0 641 1 4]t 54c 40) t) t)e4c, 
 O t>']H)«c)5 4 céjle — tt)o bfidt) ) ! 
 
 21 ct)e4t ttj4ti 4t) xx)e&tTi& b4 |td ri))t), 
 21 b4r vaoj ^4 le4C4-o 'r 1 'oedji-Sujl ; 
 21 TT)4H)4-be45 51613041, 
 2l5 COtyAjm; 4T) bé4]tU'ó ; 
 í>4 rUn)4'D 54ti TJJX40C4 — 341) cori)í)U)5e ! 
 
 * Toll-dad. Topsy-turvy. 
 
 
OF MUNSTER. 261 
 
 The armies of Britain wield ample 
 Resources to vanquish and trample. 
 Charles Stuart's o'erthrow, should he venture o'er 
 hither, 
 Will be dreadful beyond all example ! 
 
 Long you groan under sorrows unspoken — 
 But the slumberiug band hath not woken. 
 Till a nobler Kinsale* shall atone for the former, 
 Your fetters will never be broken ! 
 
 The cloud hangeth dark o'er our nation ; 
 Momonia drees black tribulation, 
 And worse than the want of your " bagpipes and 
 timbrels" 
 Is, alas ! Cashel's deep degradation ! 
 
 THE REV. PATRICK O'BRIEN'S VISION. 
 
 The marvellous vision I've lately seen 
 
 Will banish, my friend, your sorrow and spleeu, 
 
 'Twas her whom her spouse has, alas, forsaken. 
 The gay, the good, the kind Moirin ! 
 
 Her fair smooth skin it shone like snow — 
 Her bosom heaved with many a throe, 
 
 That bosom the English wolves have mangled 
 And her head reclined on her white arm low. 
 
 An allusion to the battle of Kinsale, a.d. 1601, 
 
262 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Jf é < DÚb41]t l C 41) ÍÍ)UC-4lU'Ó 'DO 5ldlt-C40)l), 
 
 'Zli) b-^ujl t;u 4T> co-dU 4 2W)d)n)i) ? 
 
 '3Uf T>e4jtC 4|t 1)4 T>40)l)e, 
 C4 ^640^ CÚ34JT)t) TJ4J1 < C40)'Oe le tí)Ó]t-bU1'Ólí) ! 
 
 2lni)-r)i) beiT) 434T)-r4 4T> cdntujSe 
 
 2t>4Jt C4b4)]t 'DO T)4 c64T>'G4, 
 
 D4 cne4T)4 Y 4 béjce, 
 4)4 5-c]te4C4 'r ^4 5-cé4t4 le njdjt-cior '• 
 
 2i-c4 641)141* 1)4 co)lle 50 iid-bji)!), 
 2i 11-611)^100^ 4 r^ir)i)in) 4 nd'G4i'De ; 
 
 30 H)e41)4H)T)4C, 40J14C, 
 
 4)4 )\)X)\)n t>4 c6)le, 
 114 beit> ?e4|i5 ii)1c 4)6 l)i)i) 4 5,cdriji)4)'óe ! 
 
 Do cu4l4'ó t>4 t^1t)i)1ii) 4jx cedl-p)b, 
 3o b-^uil Coile4ó 'r TioUji 45 T>edjt4i5e4C'G ; 
 4)o pioc4T i)4 rúile, 
 2ir 41) i)-'Dtiii)e i)4n 'óú'úc4r ? 
 Bl)ei* 45U)i)i) 4 lúi)T>4)i) 'i)4 coií)iiui5e ! 
 
 Bej'ó Hector 'y Ccesar 50 bedl-b)i)i), 
 Bowler 'r Ranger 4 5edr)4l'óil ; 
 
 'S 5e4|iritl 4 ' D ' C4 ^jt r40*4ti, 
 
 O Cl)4irioll 50 B64|i4, 
 3o 'o-tjj'gi'd 4 i)-6)i)Ye4C'c 4i) djtlui'óe ! 
 
 2li)i) r)i) 50 ?0)itue4c pdr-TW15e4|t, 
 2li) x>u)i)e i)4)t f)\e&'b le W6)]i)x) ; 
 
 'S c|uiii)i)edc4'ó i)4 ce4T)'C4, 
 
 4)0 Ti)4t4)b 1)4 \)-&W°W> 
 
 3o njulkc Cl)i)oic 3t*6ii)e le cedl-rj* ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 263 
 
 And thus methought I softly spake : — 
 Moirin, Moirin, dost thou sleep or wake ? 
 
 O ! look forth seaward, and see what heroes 
 Are sailing hither for thy sweet sake ! 
 
 O ! soon again, shalt thou have, as of old, 
 Bright heaps of silver and yellow gold, 
 
 And soon shall thine arm raise up the Fallen, 
 Now trampled hy Tyranny uncontrolled. 
 
 The very birds of the forest sing 
 The prophecy of thy coming Spring — 
 
 " Gone by," they warble, "for ever and ever 
 Is the anger of the Almighty King !" 
 
 I heard the bagpipes playing an air 
 
 Of an Eagle and Cock — a wondrous pair — 
 
 Who will pick the eyes of a certain man out 
 Now throned in London's regal chair ! 
 
 My Hector and Csesar, they rage and fret, 
 And Bowler and Ranger howl and sweat ; 
 
 They are coursing from Cash el to broad Bere- 
 haven, 
 And will rend the hare asunder yet ! 
 
 And then in Wedlock's golden chains 
 Will the Hero clasp Moirin of the Plains- 
 
 And Eire's nobles will all assemble 
 On green Cnoc Greine to fairy strains. 
 
26l THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 oustiAit cÚ54jnt) Punch 45ur beojjx 3fioi'óe 5 
 
 'S b)0*D'C41l -D4 'D-'C4|Xil4]í)5 4 5-CÓri)l)U)'Óe ? 
 
 Cuj]t 4r) 4jT)-óejre 4ji c4woe 
 
 30 11J4J*D10Í) 4 TT)4tt4C ; 
 
 'S 541) C4r^vó 50 b|Ut r)4 50 -oed j ! 
 
 Bé ?41*D z>o béj-ó T5jWW5 4T1) POJCJl), 
 
 Nj rs^rtFWO le 0111-0640^4 ^D^diitin ; 
 
 0l)54TIJ40J'O 1*14)1)^6, 
 2ll) ^Jfl 4^4 l)--o4l) T>), 
 
 Cl)UTi) cu)-D)U54T) 50 bjx4t lé, 'f 50 *ceó 'jt)r ! 
 
 2ln4 clu^ce te l)-)rt)j|XT; 45 2t)d)ti)i}, 
 Tjnin^e^'6 41) Cii]t4T;4 'r *JÍ bjtdt) l)t)t) ; 
 
 2te4 40i)-4-tj4fi'G xé)t>ve 9 
 
 'S 41) ti)5 -oul 4]t éi5Ji), 
 
 'S 41) b41)-ltÍ05U)l)'l)4 T)é)5 X)X) 4 'CdflUI^C^ ! 
 
 2li)i) r)i) Pite4b^4'ó 4]x bdjro rlor^ 
 
 2li) 0)01)4-6 )r ?4.t>4 T^oj ced-'Dit40)5e4C'c ; 
 
 S5U4b^4)-ó 4 V'émxeúcv, 
 
 N4 be4Tvc4 le cé)le, 
 'S b4)i)):e4'ó T5lUji)5 54H b40-ó4C4r, 'r c'Tidji)rj 
 
 *D)Ob 1 
 
 Be)T> ci)4)P)'óe t>4 i)-t>é4i)4'ó 'se Seo))rrii), 
 T^o) tuá)\in) 41) 64-04)5 i)4fi cd|tíi]'óe45 ; 
 
 Bej-Ó 1)4^4 Tí)4lt Bé4b4)]t, 
 
 2l|t 4)l)on)i)4ll i)4 5^^)1)6, 
 <t)4 C4t4ri) )T *)4 rpé4]tt4 le rndfi-cjioj-oe ! 
 
 3o Tt)-b4)i)'ce4it 4i) bfilfoe t>4 tot) r)or, 
 2lt) T)ii)i)e t)4fi tt))41) bejt 45 dl T>ise, 
 
 V&O) tuAntirr) 4t) rséjl XW> 
 
 'S r;ti)Ue n4 T>é4ti^4T> ; 
 1)4 n)-be)-ó)i)i)-r) 541) léji)e ! 341) cdj^ji) ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 
 
 265 
 
 Bring hither punch and foaming ale ! 
 We must not droop, we will not wail ! 
 
 Away with sorrow ! and may she never 
 Come back to us with her doleful tale ! 
 
 As long as I have a shilling to spend 
 My fair Moirin I will ever defend ! 
 
 Here's now to the health of Him who will wed 
 her, 
 And guard and guide her as her friend ! 
 
 Moirin is about to hazard a game, 
 The Knave will be beaten with utter shame — 
 And the King and Queen — whom nobody 
 pities, 
 Will fly, and forfeit name and fame. 
 
 Then up shall spring on the table so proud 
 The Five, long under a darkling cloud — 
 
 He will seize on the Crown, and grasp the 
 
 shilling, 
 And win, with the game, the cheers of the 
 
 Crowd ! 
 
 Then Georgey will quake, and shake, and bow, 
 He is left in the lurch, he discovers now ! 
 
 But "Dan of the Sun" will fling high his 
 beaver 
 With a joyous heart and a beaming brow. 
 
 Now here's to Moirin, and to her success ! 
 And may he be stripped of breeches and dress 
 Who would wrong her in aught, — whether priest 
 or layman, 
 Or cause her a moment's pain or distress ! 
 
266 
 
 Till: l'OETS AND POETRY 
 
 <Un 2lBt)<HJNN 1210). 
 60541) (Ai) ibéW'Ji)) ^Dljejc C^nn^S, cct;. 
 
 "Fotji) :— 2tjp 6)|te i)í 't)eor4)t)t) cj4 b-1. 
 
 ^« ^% 
 ^P 
 
 Moderate 
 Time. | 3— 4^ 
 
 33 
 
 praf 
 
 si i HlJ 1 n 
 
 
 lEjpl 
 
 É 
 
 w^ 
 
 * j a 1 ^ 
 
 s=£ 
 
 Vi/ 
 
 yitDTfT^^B ^ 
 
 S 3 
 
 gj= fe g 
 
 =P?3 
 
 3 
 
 *=S~-5^ 
 
 #-¥-*« 
 
 ^ 
 
 21 éutijpUóT; 3U1) c40iTi)-ctto'C4c C40jí), 
 
 Xfaléfiflotftox 5° liot)tí)4it a t)-T>4i) ; 
 Bl)úit t)-'DÚT;ti4C'o 45 S^Tt-TiloUt) lAOh 
 
 (Ba T40t4ti -A itfifljtfleaó'o IT T^4Wi) 
 2li) lub-r ltot4C, 5lé-cjtl or^l, fl)1t), 
 
 jt réjle 4|i bl* Tioti-uir3« call ; 
 5ujt *umlli)3 5AC ré4t) le 1)4. v&o)V>, 
 
 <t>o b'tél'oiti TP-4 nÍ5C4CC tjejrije 'o'f 4341I. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 267 
 
 THE RIVER LEE. 
 
 BY EOGHAN MAC CARTHY (THE SMALL-FINGERED). 
 
 Air : — " For Eire (Ireland) Fd not tell her Name." 
 
 The original words to this beautiful air will be found at p. 132 of a 
 volume of " Irish Popular Songs," edited by Mr. Edward Walsh, 
 and published by Mr. James M'Glashan, from which we quote the 
 first stanza : — 
 
 " A raoir 's me tearnamh air neoin, 
 
 Air an taobh thall don ieora ''na m-bim ; 
 Do thaobhnaig an speirbhean am choir, 
 
 D'fhag taomnach, breoidhte, lag, sinn. 
 Do gheilleas da meinn 'i da clodh, 
 
 Da briathra 's da beol-tana, binn ; 
 Do leimeasfa dhein dul na coir 
 
 'S air Eire ni ''neosfainn cia hi!" 
 
 " One evening as I happen'd to stray 
 
 By the lands that are bordering on mine, 
 A maiden came full on my way, 
 
 "Who left me in anguish to pine — 
 The slave of the charms, and the mien, 
 
 And the silver-toned voice of the dame, 
 To meet her I sped o'er the green ; 
 
 Yet for Ireland I'd tell not her name !" 
 
 41 The pleasant waters of the river Laoi" (Lee) have their source in 
 the romantic lake of Gougane Barra in West Muscraidhe (Muskerry), 
 Spenser describes it as — 
 
 " The spreading Lee that, like an island fayre, 
 Encloseth Corke with his divided flood." 
 
 The length of the river from its source to the city of Cork has been 
 computed to be twenty-six Irish miles. 
 
 Bright Host of the musical tongue, 
 
 Rich Branches of Knowledge's Tree, 
 O, why have you left so unsung 
 
 The praise of the blue-billowed Lee ? 
 That river so shining, so smooth, 
 
 So famed for both waters and shore ! 
 No pleasure were greater, in sooth, 
 
 Than to dwell on its banks evermore ! 
 
THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 )X Cfib4JUB4 *T 4T C|l40b-'60]t]tT;4C fytieAX), 
 54C 340|VC4 't)4 TJJTtJCJOll 45 ?4r ; 
 
 ^4 Ab'Ulb, ?4 C40fi4jb, f4 t1 0i 1> 
 
 215 CUOIJA* 50 l)-)OC'C41t 4 TJJl454 ! 
 
 2ib4ll-50jjrc ?4 5&454b 43 luise, 
 
 2lfl 4t) 13-i:é4ít-5l4r At) U4Jfl l)0t)41'D 4 Tt)-bl4t, 
 
 2t)4|t lub-sofiT; Hesperia x>o bj, 
 
 <t>4 C401Í)IJ4'É> le T)]t40)564C / C 4]X ^64* rp4r. 
 
 B4 TW34C ?l4)-G ^éjle 4jfi 34c 75401b, 
 
 3o féAfCAC, 30 y)0i)ri)4]t 'do 3i)4t ; 
 'S T;íiiitl)r)3 t)4 clé)|xe 'o'joi^iáe, 
 
 "N4 r^oti-te4it ; T)4 TJ)5e4r4C4 b|te454 ; 
 Jr x>iib4c Ijotr) 4 jiéjtt) 'x 4 3-C)or, 
 
 1^4 r-ce^jb t>4 T^íort) jr>)fi c4cíj ; 
 'S 4tr pjtjoíWA 41) Altona 'i)4 lujge, 
 
 N4ji t]té)5 cjtej'ojoTi) Cl)]tjorG 4|i a t^4 i c ! 
 
 The " Church's true son" mentioned in the last stanza of this song 
 was Donchadh Mac Carthaigh (Donogh Mac Carthy) Earl of Clan- 
 carty, who lost an estate of £60,000 per annum by his attachment 
 to his unfortunate King James II. He died at Altona, 1734. 
 
 The family of Mac Carthy traced their immediate pedigree up to 
 the commencement of the third century, from which period they were 
 the lords of Deas Mumhain, or South Munster. The great antiquity 
 of this family has been commemorated by a modern bard : — 
 
 " Montmorenci, Medina, unheard was your rank 
 By the dark-eyed Iberian and light-hearted Frank, 
 And your ancestors wandered, obscure and unknown 
 By the smooth Guadal quiver, and sunny Garonne — 
 Ere Venice had wedded the Sea, or enrolled 
 The name of a Doge in the proud Book of Gold j 
 
OF MUNSTER. 269 
 
 Around it the wild flowers blow, 
 
 And the peaches and plums in the beams 
 Of the sun ripen redly, and grow 
 
 Even down to the brink of the streams. 
 Each valley, and garden, and bower 
 
 Shines brightly with apples of gold — 
 'Twould seem that some magical power 
 
 Renewed here the marvels of old ! 
 
 And yet, though the Nobles and Priests, 
 
 And Gaels of both high and low ranks, 
 Tell tales, and indulge in gay feasts 
 
 On its dark-green and flowery banks, 
 I mourn for the Great who are gone — 
 
 And who met by the Lee long ago — 
 But most for the Church's true son, 
 
 Who now in Altona lies low ! 
 
 When her glory was all to come on like the morrow, 
 There were chieftains and Kings of the clan of Mac Cartha ! 
 
 Mac Cartha, the pride of thy house has gone by, 
 But its name cannot fade, and its fame cannot die, 
 Though the Arigideen, with its silver waves, shine 
 Around no green forests or castles of thine, 
 Though the shrines that you founded no incense doth hallow, 
 Nor hymns float in peace down the echoing Alio ; 
 One treasure thou keepest, one hope for the morrow, 
 True hearts yet beat of the clan of Mac Cartha." 
 
 The " Clan of Mac Cartha," by D. F. MacCarthy. 
 
 A full and accurate account of the Mac Carthys may be seen in the 
 " Green Book," by J. C. O'Callaghan, Esq. 8vo. Dub. p. 101. 1844. 
 
270 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 si?*™ c\)wm p2i4)K?ijc ssijKsem.* 
 
 21 P1)4t5|X4)C S4jitre4l rl4i) 50 'd-t^' 'cú ! 
 
 O CtUVD4ir 'DO '11 ^tjf^TJC 'r 'DO C4n)P4jt>C TS^ojlce, 
 
 2I5 x>é4t)ATt) 'do 5e4|i4in lejr V4 K)5te 9 
 y S 'D't^s T5Ú Gjfie 'sur o^oj-óejl-bojct; cUoj'ó'Ge ! 
 Oc\) ! octjdt) ! 
 
 21 P1)4t>ji4K S4)|iré4l ir 'Diurje le <t)j4 73Ú, 
 
 )T be4T)r)Ai5te 41) T^Uri) 4jx fjúlMjl t;ú tiiatt) 4)fi ; 
 
 30 Tt)-be41lT)415e 4T) 5lje4l4C 5^41 'r 41) 5b|lJ4T) T>XY]V^ 
 O T5U5 CU 4TJ 14 O I4tt)4 Kl5 Ulllj4Tt) 164^. 
 
 Ocl)! 7C. 
 
 * Patrick Sarsfield was descended from an ancient family, consisting 
 of several honorable branches, one of which possessed the title of Lord 
 Kilmallock. Patrick inherited, from his elder brother, the family 
 castle and estate of Lucan, County Dublin, with £2,000 a-year. He 
 first served in France, as Ensign to Monmouth's regiment ; then, as 
 Lieutenant to the Guards in England; whence, in 1688, he followed 
 James II. into France. In March, 1689, he accompanied James into 
 Ireland, and was made Colonel of Horse, Brigadier, and Commander 
 of the force appointed to protect Connacht from the Inniskilling or 
 Northern rebels. This he did, till the effects of the unfortunate affair 
 of Newton-Butler, July 31st, and the raising of the blockade of Derry, 
 by the landing of Major-General Kirke's troops from England, com- 
 pelled him to retire to Athlone. That autumn, however, he retook 
 Sligo, and entirely expelled the enemy from Connacht. In July, 
 1690, he served as Major- General at the battle of the Boyne; and by 
 his noble exhortations, and his memorable surprise of the English 
 battering artillery, ammunition, &c, August 12th, only about seven 
 miles from the besiegers' camp, he mainly contributed to the triumph- 
 ant defence of Limerick. In December and January, 1690-91, he 
 foiled the military efforts of the English, aided by treachery, to cross 
 the Shannon into Connacht, and was, soon after, made a Lieutenant- 
 General, and ennobled as Earl of Lucan, by James II. In June and 
 July he was at the gallant defence of Athlone, and the fatal, though 
 nobly-contested, battle of Aughrim. Soon after he detected, de- 
 nounced, and arrested, for corresponding with the enemy, his intimate 
 friend and neighbour Colonel Henry Luttrell, of Luttrellstown ; though 
 
OF MUNSTER. 271 
 
 A FAREWELL TO PATRICK SARSFIELD. 
 
 Farewell, O, Patrick Sarsfield! May luck be on your path ! 
 Your camp is broken up — your work is marred for years ; 
 But you go to kindle into flame the king of France's wrath, 
 Though you leave sick Eire in tears. 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 May the white sun and moon rain glory on your head, 
 
 All hero, as you are, and holy Man of God ! 
 To you the Saxons owe a many an hour of dread, 
 In the land you have often trod. 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 that traitor was either too war}', or too powerful, to be condemned. 
 After the Treaty of Limerick, in October, 1691, to which his Lordship 
 was a chief contracting party, he used all his influence to make as 
 many as possible of the Irish adhere to the cause of James, and accom- 
 panied the national army to France ; thus sacrificing to his loyalty his 
 fine estates, and the best prospects of advancement from William III. 
 In 1692 he was appointed by James to the command of his Second 
 Troop of Irish Horse-Guards — the King's son, the Duke of Berwick, 
 having the First Troop. In the defeat at Steenkirk, in July, 1692, 
 of the English and Allies, under William III., by the French, under 
 the celebrated Marshal de Luxembourg, Lord Lucan was compli- 
 mented by the Marshal, as having acted in a manner worthy of his 
 military reputation in Ireland. In March, 1693, his Lordship was 
 created Maréchal-de-Camp, by Louis XIV. ; and at the great over- 
 throw, in July, of the Allies under William III., by Luxembourg, at 
 the battle of Landen, he received his death -wound. Lord Lucan's 
 character may be comprehended in the words, simplicity, disinterest- 
 edness, honour, loyalty, and bravery. In person, he was a man of 
 prodigious size. By his wife Honor de Burgo, second daughter to 
 William, seventh Earl of Clanrickard, he left one son, who, after 
 serving under his illustrious stepfather, the Marshal Duke of Berwick, 
 died in Flanders, without issue. 
 
 •j" Go m-beannaighe an Ghealach gheal 's an Ghrian duit, i. e., 
 May the bright Sun and Moon salute thee, a mode of salutation in use 
 among our pagan ancestors. 
 
J<- THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 2i)o 5iu*6e-ri féfa 'r 5Uit>e lijic 2t)iinie le4r; ; 
 
 O tc5)5 -cu 4t) T;-2it-C4ol* 45 54b4il 'Djte Btiiojaju 
 
 'S 5UJ1 45 CuilliriT) O' 5-Cu4i)4-ót bu4-ó45 le4T; luin)- 
 
 T)C4C. 
 
 Ocl) ! 7C 
 
 3e4b4'D-TA tJA-lt 4T) rll^-T^ ATI) 40T14|t, 
 
 'S 5e4b4-D 4 t)i4]t 4 wx íi)4f Tpéi'oit 1 ; 
 
 )t 4T11) T>0 COt)4TlC TT)é 4T) C4TT)p4 540X>'l4Cll, 
 
 2iri T)|xe4TT) bocx; rj^ce ti4t/i cuitx le ti4 céjle. 
 Ocl) ! 7C. 
 
 * ^í/i Caol, Narrow Ford, which must mean the river Narrow 
 Water, in the county of Down. 
 
 f At Ballyneety {Baile an Fhaoitig, i.e., the town of the Whites), 
 near Cullen, he surprised the great Wiliiamite convoy, to the loss of 
 which the raising of the siege of Limerick is mainly attributable. 
 David Bruoder, a cotemporary poet, commemorates the event in a 
 ballad of twenty-five stanzas, from which we extract the following : — 
 
 " An tan do thiomsuig pearsa an Phricnnsa, 
 Neart a thruip 's a airneise ; 
 Timpchioll innill Inse Sionna, 
 ' S Muimhnig uilefu mheala ; 
 Niorfhag bumba, bad na uma, 
 Na ban bonn da b-pras-ghreithibh, 
 A m- Baile an Fhaoitig gan a sgaoile, 
 Mar ghal coinnle a n-dail speire. 
 
 * Do shuil nach criovfadh clu na sgribe, 
 Fuigfiodfillte a b-paipearaibh 
 Tuairm aithne air ''uair na faille ' 
 Fuair an seabhac slan-easgadh 
 Se cheadfoghmhar, mile \y nochad, 
 Aois nach onna tath-eifiocht 
 Bliaghna anChoimhdhe, d'-fhiad san aoine, 
 Pian is ainnsin nach eidir.^ 
 
OF MUNSTER. 273 
 
 The Son of Mary guard you and bless you to the 
 end ! 
 Tis altered is the time since your legions were astir, 
 When, at Cullen, you were hailed as the Conqueror and 
 Friend, 
 
 And you crossed Narrow-water, near Birr.* 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 I'll journey to the North, over mount, moor, and wave. 
 'Twas there I first beheld, drawn up in file and line, 
 The brilliant Irish hosts — they were bravest of the 
 Brave ! 
 
 But, alas ! they scorned to combine ! 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 *Sarsfield was at Birr in the spring of 1689, when deputed by 
 the Duke of Tyrconnell to inspect the national troops there ; and also 
 in September, 1690, when the Castle was attacked by the Duke of 
 Berwick. 
 
 ' All Momonia was stricken with sorrow, 
 When the Prince did, without restraint, 
 Muster his mighty troops and artillery 
 On the borders of Inishannon ; 
 But Sarsfield left not a bomb, boat, or mortar, 
 Or a farthing's worth of their brass equipments, 
 Without scattering them in Ballyneety, 
 As the wind extinguishes the flame of a candle. 
 
 1 That this event might not be forgotten, 
 I will leave recorded the time and place 
 Of the victory gained by our gallant hero. 
 Six hundred autumns, one thousand, and ninety 
 Have elapsed, since the Man-God suffered, on Friday, 
 A most dreadful pain and penalty." 
 
274 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Bfure i)4 C|iujft)ii)t)e* 'r bjijre m Bo)X)X)e 9 f 
 'S an v^Wi^-d bftjre 45 Wóv* 3bM)T)t)e 6)^X ; 
 2ii) ce4tíi4n)4'ó bfijre 4t) 64c-<t>1)nujri) T>i4-<I)orijt)4i3, 
 'S bU4ll643 bujlle -ófumj 0|iu)T)i) 45 , Cob4|t 41) <t)on)- 
 H4)5. 
 
 Ocl) ! 7C. 
 
 2l)o CÚJ5 cé4*D rUr) cÚ54jb 4 l)4ll40j lujiiJWQ, 
 'S curt) 1^4 buj-ójí) 4lujt)ij ^o bj 'ijáji 5-cu)*oe4C7:4'ó ; 
 Bl))'6e4C'ce)Ti73ecr)4it)4 , 5U]nT) 5 IT c4jvo4J5e jrt)e4jVG4, 
 'S bii)4tfi4 í)é t>4 lé454ri) 50 Tt))Tj)C t>ujr)r). 
 Ocl) ! 7C. 
 
 21 tur)-04)í) <t>0)fte§ bol54c cÚ54T>-r4 
 2l)P t)or 1)4. rs^ile 4)jx Ur^t le pÚ5-D4ti : 
 
 'S 4 iKC'C ?4|tjt4J|te ^4*04 ?J0í)T)-lÚb4C, 
 
 5^1) ^Ors' O 'l) D-540)'C, '1)4 C|t)4'D T>4 5-CÚrl)'D4C 
 
 Ocl) I 7C. 
 
 * No details of this affair at Cruimminne have readied us. It was 
 probably some local event of the Rapparee, or Guerilla warfare, be- 
 tween the campaigns of 1689 and 1690. 
 
 t The army of King James at the Boyne, was only from twenty 
 to twenty-three thousand men, with six field-pieces. William's army 
 contained between forty and fifty thousand men (vastly superior to 
 their opponents in equipments and discipline), with from fifty to sixty 
 heavy cannon, exclusive of field mortars. Yet James's army had none 
 of their cannon captured, and but one pair of colours (if we may credit 
 the hostile accounts, which falsely claim the capture of two more), and is 
 admitted to have made an honorable retreat. On William's side, the 
 battle was fought almost entirely by his Continental auxiliaries ; his 
 army being composed of men from ten European nations. 
 
 % The rout at the Moat of Graine Og, in the spring of 1691, was 
 probably owing to the Irish there having been under such a com- 
 mander as Clifford, who, in the following September, caused the fall of 
 Limerick, by allowing the enemy to cross the Shannon. 
 
 § For an account of the monstrous exaggerations to which the 
 boasted defence of Derry has been indebted for so much unmerited 
 celebrity, see Green Book, p. 78. 8vo. Dub. 1841. 
 
OF MUNSTER. %75 
 
 I saw the royal Boyne, when its billows flashed with blood ; 
 I fought at Graine Og, where a thousand horsemen 
 fell ; 
 On the dark, empurpled field of Aughrim,* too, I stood, 
 On the plain by Tubberdonny's WelLf 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 To the heroes of Limerick, the City of the Fights, 
 
 Be my best blessing, borne on the wings of the air ! 
 We had card-playing there, o'er our camp-fires at night, 
 And the Word of Life, too, and prayer. 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 But, for you, Londonderry, may Plague smite and slay 
 Your people ! — May Ruin desolate you, stone by stone ! 
 Through you a many a gallant youth lies cofflnless to-day, 
 With the winds for mourners alone ! 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 * The battle of Aughrim (Cath Eachdliruim), was fought on 
 Sunday, 12th July, 1691. The Irish army, under Lieutenant- General 
 St. Ruth, consisted of about 15,000 men, and its "artillery of nine field- 
 pieces. The Williamite army, under Baron de Ginkell, amounted to 
 between twenty and thirty thousand men, with a vastly superior artil- 
 lery. Up to the death of St. Ruth, about sunset, the engagement was 
 so much in favor of the Irish, that it is generally considered that the 
 loss of their General alone prevented them obtaining a complete 
 victory. 
 
 In this action, as at the Boyne (JBoinn), William's force was mostly 
 composed of Continental troops. James's army, with the exception 
 of a few French officers, was entirely Irish. 
 
 •f Tobar an Domhnaigh (Tuberdonny), situated in the County of 
 Louth, about two and a-half miles from the towns of Dunleer and Ar- 
 dee respectively, and nine miles from Drogheda. We cannot explain the 
 occurrence which the poet refers to ; but in other versions of this song, 
 current in Munster, the line runs thus : — " Do chailleamair an Fran- 
 ncach an ceannphuirl ba mho 'guinn " — " We have lost the French- 
 man, our greatest bulwark'' — which evidently refers to St. Ruth. 
 
27(> THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 4)o bj n)é 4i]t rll<*b U b|te434 3tiéiTje 
 
 4>o con4ftc t)4 S43r4i)t)4ic 4 b-roc4)ti 4 céjle ; 
 
 2ln cdii C4p4ll b4 t>eire bi ij-6ifie, 
 
 O' ! coin)é4-o X54rt) T)4 boT>4i5 5° n)-b4)T)^e4'D 56 
 
 4T'04 ? 
 
 Ocl) ! 7C. 
 
 )r lon)'óA r4i3'omin Tt)e45]i4c, it)e4t)4nj t)4c, 
 í)o g4jb 4t) 'c-rllse-n le re^c^ r^4C'CTt)U)i)e ; 
 T^e 5Ui)4-ó, y4e pjce4T>, ^4e cloix>e4ri) cir>t) 411131*0, 
 Slcr; ^4 ri^ rlil'CC tior 41) e4c-t>tiuin) ! 
 Ocl) ! 7C. 
 
 C14 tut) T34ll 4i|t crjoc Bl)eii)t)-ei'oiti ?* 
 S4)5T)]U]it boc-c rt)é le K13 Sé4tí)ur ; 
 
 <t>0 b) lt)é 4 l)Utl|X413 4 t)-4]tít) 't 4 T)-é4'D4C, 
 210*5 ^ltt) 4 T1)-bll454T)t)4'Ó 45 14|líl41'Ó T>éjtxce ! 
 Ocl) ! 7C 
 
 )r é tt)0 Ctl64C Tt)4tl 'OO C4llle4it)4)tl <t>14tltt)U1'0, 
 
 Bl)1 ce4t)i) 4t) ir54*iF4Hie 4)|t l)4lb4iVG )4fqxuii)i) ; 
 Bbl 4 0111-0 yeoU. t>4 ríi4C4 'r 4 bfuu^c *o4 r^MlUr, 
 *S 54i) ?454il C4ro4 '5^ *o4 b-^454c ré 43)4 41 Jt ! 
 Ocl) ! 7C 
 
 )X é ti)o ctte4c-T4 4t) -c-rii^it *o4 < cd5b4t), 
 2li) *o4 t^^T 1 ^é45 t>o b) or c)0i)i) Teófucl) ; 
 Wo t>i4r ^De4itbji4t4ti 4r 1AT> ir 3led l)on), 
 
 2ÍC"C TTJO CÍI15 Cé4'0 T))0t-Cll1|l < D)4tin)íl1'D 4T) 73-015- 
 
 te4tx ! 
 
 Ocl)! 7C. 
 
 * Beinn Eidir, now the Hill of Howth. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 277 
 
 I clomb the high hill on a fair summer noon, 
 
 And saw the Saxon Muster, clad in armour, blinding 
 bright. 
 Oh, rage withheld my hand, or gunsman and dragoon 
 Should have supped with Satan that night ! 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 How many a noble soldier, how many a cavalier, 
 
 Careered along this road, seven fleeting weeks ago, 
 With silver-hilted sword, with matchlock, and with spear, 
 Who now, mo bhron,* lieth low ! 
 Och! ochone! 
 
 All hail to thee, Beinn Eadair ! But, ah ! on thy brow 
 
 I see a limping soldier, who battled, and who bled 
 Last year in the cause of the Stuart, though now 
 The worthy is begging his bread ! 
 Och! ochone! 
 
 And Diarmuid! oh, Diarmuid! he perished in the strife ;f 
 
 His head it was spiked on a halbert high ; 
 His colours they were trampled ; he had no chance of life, 
 If the Lord God himself stood by ! 
 Och! ochone! 
 
 But most, oh, my woe ! I lament, and lament 
 
 For the ten valiant heroes who dwelt nigh the Nore ; 
 And my three blessed brothers ! They left me, and they 
 went 
 To the wars, and returned no more ! 
 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 * Mo bhron, pronounced mo vrone, literally, my sorrow. 
 
 f It is probable that Diarmuid was a Rapparee, or Irish Guerilla ; 
 two pounds being given by the Williamite government for the head 
 of any Rapparee. 
 
278 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 4)0 cu)\ieA'6 4n céd'o h\i)xe o|tjuijt)i) 43 T>|tojce4T> t)4 
 
 Bo)t)t)e, 
 2ln D4|i4 bfijfe 43 T>|xoKe4-D 7)4 Sl4jr}3e* 
 21 n TJftjrij 1134*0 bjtjre 4T) 64c-T>tiujtt) Uj Clje4ll4l5 
 'S 6jfte cúb4|VG4 tt)o cuj5 cé4x> rl4i) 164*5 ! 
 Ocl) ! 7C. 
 
 2it) U4)]X Ur 4Í) Ve<XC bj 4T) ^64X340 ^ft Tt)UC4'D, 
 
 'S cl4T)t) Bl)jl b]t4T)4i5t T?4]t i)-3]te4'D4 le pÚ5T)4it; 
 Nj 'I 401) Volley-shot t>4 TS^ojlj'ojr ?ujt)t)e, 
 N4 ^I4^jt4)-óe4c Colonel Mitchell 4fi le454'ó Zorc? 
 Lucan ? 
 
 Ocl) ! 7C 
 
 T34 le4rÚ34t) 43 , Ce4tl4J5§ t)4c 54jn)ri) t)4 Tmi5le4c, 
 ilcu r4J5T>jujjt)'óe T34p4 'óé4t)ip4'ó 54jr5e le pice4X) ; 
 81 t^F^ )4-o 4 í)-64C-'ó]tU)Ti) t)4 rflA*É4i)t)<<tó y'wce, 
 ^t)4|x bej-óeác ?eojl C4p4)ll 45 ti)4T>ti4j'óe t>4 riuo)le ! 
 Ocl)! 7C 
 
 2lí)t) tU'O 4734 T14T> b4fljt U4)rl^ 6)tt)0t)T) 
 
 <t>ju)cjt>e, Bú]tc4J3,|| 'x n)4c B)5 Sé4ti)ur ; ] 
 C4p'C40)í) 'C^lbój'o cjtoi'óe Tj4 ^é)le, 
 'S P4-ojt4ic SáiitréAl ! 5V,<xt> b4t) e)fi)ot)í). 
 Ocl) ! ocl)di) ! 
 
 * There is no account of any fighting at the Slaney, during the 
 War of the Revolution in Ireland ; perhaps the allusion is but an inter- 
 polation, as we had to take our copy of the poem from the mouths of 
 the peasantry, never having met a manuscript copy of it. 
 
 f The poet here calls the Williamite soldiers " The Sons of Billy 
 the Thief." 
 
 X Colonel John Michelburne, Governor of Deny, who commanded 
 a regiment of foot in William's service in Ireland. 
 
 § Colonel Charles O'Kelly, author of the " Macarice Excidium" or, 
 perhaps, his son Captain Denis O'Kelly, who commanded a troop in 
 Lord Galmoy's regiment of horse at Aughrim, and had a horse shot 
 under him at that battle. 
 
 || Of the De Burgos, or Burkes, of Norman, or French origin, five 
 noblemen fought for King James, viz., Lords Clanrickard, Castlecon- 
 
OF MUNSTER 2/9 
 
 On the Bridge of the Boyne was our first overthrow ; 
 
 By Slaney, the next, for we battled without rest ! 
 The third was at Aughrim. Oh, Eire ! thy woe 
 Is a sword in my bleeding breast ! 
 Och! ochone! 
 
 O ! the roof above our heads it was barbarously fired, 
 
 While the black Orange guns blazed and bellowed around ! 
 And as volley followed volley, Colonel Mitchel inquired 
 Whether Lucan still stood his ground, 
 Och! ochone! 
 
 But 0' Kelly still remains, to defy and to toil; 
 
 He has memories that Hell won't permit him to forget, 
 And a sword that will make the blue blood flow like oil 
 Upon many an Aughrim yet ! 
 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 And I never shall believe that my Fatherland can fall, 
 With the Burkes, and the Dukes, and the son of 
 Royal James ; 
 And Talbot the Captain, and Sarsfield, above all, 
 The beloved of damsels and dames. 
 Och ! ochone ! 
 
 nell, Brittas, Bophin, and Galmoy. The son of royal James alluded to, 
 is, the famous James Fitz James, Duke of Berwick, and subsequently 
 Marshal, Duke, and Peer of France. 
 
 The following stanza, which should come in as the sixteenth in the 
 song, was not versified by Mr. Mangan. We subjoin it here, with our 
 own literal translation : — 
 
 44 Cia sud tall ag dorus na ceardchan ? 
 Na ceil air Righ Uilliam e, mise Brian laidir, 
 Fan ad sheasamh a bhodaig go g-caithfiod gran leat y 
 A ghiolla na praisge ni bh-facfad go brath leaf. 
 
 44 Who is that halting at the forge door ? 
 Conceal it not from King William — I am Brian the Stalwart j 
 Stand, you churl, till I have a shot at you ; 
 But, you stirabout-pot licker, I'll not mind you." 
 
280 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 Votjt) : — Bjuwc \)A CA\i\idrse B4ji)e. 
 
 *>/'. «"<* J ? | p. g l l 1^"^ " 
 somewhat Ifm fW~ J ~ W- > i ~' 
 
 ^5 
 
 ^^ 
 
 It* 
 
 i> 
 
 Dim. 
 
 ^f 
 
 33 
 
 
 Ores. 
 
 eííe 
 
 *«-A- 
 
 S=ffi3 
 
 ^=a*ffi 
 
 i i J a 
 
 m. /. 
 
 Dim. 
 
 & 
 
 v 
 
 n 
 
 i T 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 \1/. 
 
 SljJ4fi co)r 4B4T) 54T) Bftéi3, 3^1) 'ooftdTJ, 
 21^4' T) 41T)51|t C1UJT)-TJ4ir, n)4r)t4'ó ; 
 
 'N4]t 5ile 4 coni 't)4 2U4t> 4i|i 4t) ^D-'EOtw, 
 
 O B4t4r 50 hot)\) 4 btidise ! 
 )r 1 4t) r / c4]'D-l)e4t) í T)0 Ó|i4'ó4i5 tt)o cTioj'óe, 
 
 'S x>' t^5 ftf ÍW&1W b|tdí)4é, 
 lei3ior le r454lt, ijfl 45411) 50 bti4t, 
 
 O 'ÓJul'G4J'Ó Tt)0 SJlaTD 564l 'O^X^ ! 
 
OF MUNSTER. 281 
 
 THE BRAES OF CARRICK-BANN. 
 
 TRANSLATED BY COLONEL BLACKER. 
 
 Bruach na Carraige Baine. — Bruach and Carrick are the names 
 of two townlands lying contiguous to each other on the river Bann, and 
 forming a part of the demense of Carrick Blacker, an ancient seat of 
 the Blacker family, near Portadown, in the county of Armagh. 
 
 As the family residence was changed to this particular locality from 
 another part of the property, on the marriage of William Blacker, Esq., 
 with Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon. Colonel Kobert Stewart, of the 
 Irry, county Tyrone, and granddaughter of the first Lord Castle- 
 stewart, about, or shortly previous to, the year 1666, and as the sub- 
 joined poem coincides in its general structure and style with that 
 period (being at least a century older than the succeeding effusion), 
 there can be little difficulty in affixing very nearly a date to its com- 
 position as an Epithalamium, or " welcome home" song, and the party 
 in whose honour it was composed. 
 
 To their successor in the fifth generation, Colonel Blacker, the pre- 
 sent proprietor of Carrick Blacker, we owe the following very graceful, 
 as well as close translation. 
 
 By yonder stream a maiden dwells, 
 Who every other maid excels ; 
 Less fair the swan, in snowy pride, 
 That graceful stems sweet Banna s tide. 
 The leech in vain would seek to cure 
 The pangs of soul that I endure, 
 Since of each joy and hope bereft, 
 That stately fair my sight has left. 
 
282 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
 4)o b'fedW ll on ) F^lfl 'i)4 Gwe ii)d|t, 
 
 'S t)4 r^tifijor KÍ3 t)4 Sb4)t)t)e ! 
 3o nj-bej-ójnn-TJ *T ^ur4 4 lúb t)4 riwe, 
 
 21 5-00)11736 a bfa-o d 4|t 5-c4)ivoe ; 
 Z>ut<x '5ur n)jre ^ be)t pdro4, 4 Sii4'ó, 
 
 Le 40T)-'cojl 4tj4íi 'r njitwqi, 
 21 riwS-ojot) 05 'r njílre P05, 
 
 5|t)4t) tj4 CA)|i3e B4jt)e ! 
 
 )r le4t)rr)4ji rt]0 tutiur le ^^j^re 341) ruc4jt^, 
 )r b4054Uc 30 5-cuj|i}:e4fi curt) r454)i) nje ! 
 
 le 3é4]t-f e4]tc T>o't) btiu)T)5joll jr 1)64^4 r^ ctiujtwe, 
 4)o cujjt c64T>'G4 4i|i U)tte4rb4t> tU]i)ce ! 
 
 í)o b) 4 l)-é4'D4t) Tt)4]t lujpje T)4 sfié^e -ctie cjijor^l, 
 Céí-o é4T)U)'c curt) ruc4)]fo le stU'ó t>) ; 
 
 C434Í) -Gltéjtl-tJTl 'r Má'Ce TÁljt < Gjl64l)-TÍ)U)Jl T>4 
 1)-4TT)4|IC, 
 
 )T 1 5íH4í) T)4 C4)ti5e B4jrje ! 
 4)0 V) Helen 4T) 4ji)3)|i cujfi 4T) 1^46 f ojji 1)4 l4r4)lt, 
 
 B4 T)é4T54 TT)4[l Ub4]t4J'D ?4)56 ! 
 
 Cu)]t 4;^ 'r -4cAt7/, 'r y* < Gti6)t)-r)jx curt) C4t4, 
 
 WO 16411, )r 16 04)1164X5 t)4 r^jt-tli 1 • 
 
 <Do )tU5 4t) rp6)|ibe4i) 16 4T) b4|tjt 4 ti)-be4r4 'r 4 b- 
 
 pe4nr4> 
 
 'S x>ob' 6)3)ot) 'odjb C4r4 -C4|i r4jle, 
 21 36)le t>o 'í) 4)t)5)ti 4 3-cl4]t 1)4 B4T)b4, 
 
 2l)|t BbltU4C 1)4 C4)lt56 B4)t)6 I* 
 
 4)o juc4)t)r) le n)' buj-0641) -54 ji r4)ti3e A lo)t)3, 
 
 'S *O0 CU)ltr)í)l) tt)0 r^U4)i)X>6 4 'O-T^C'G 'D) ; 
 
 4*4 r4r34T> le tt)' ójioj'óe 4)|t 4tvo-le4b4'ó rij)íj, 
 'S Tj) r54Tir4)i)T) le? nj' r^054l 4ft r^u 16 ! 
 
 * Bruach and Carrick are the names of two townlands on the river 
 Bann, near Portadown, county Armagh, forming a part of the demesne 
 of Carrick-Blacker. 
 
OF MUNSTER. 283 
 
 Dear is my native isle, but she 
 That maid is clearer far to me ; 
 To me her favour greater gain 
 Than all the boasted wealth of Spain. 
 Fair-hair'd object of my love, 
 I would that in some happy grove 
 'Twere mine to hail thee as my bride, 
 Of Carrick-braes the virgin pride. 
 
 But, oh ! forbidden for a while 
 To revel in that sunny smile, 
 I seek some distant forest gloom, 
 To mourn in heaviness my doom, 
 And hear the wild birds warbling sing ; 
 "While o'er the seas come Prince and King, 
 In hopes to bask beneath the rays 
 Of her, the Sun of Carrick Braes. 
 
 The lovely Queen, whose fatal charms 
 CalFd Greece's bravest sons to arms 
 (Historic bards record their names 
 Who wrapp'd the stately Troy in flames), 
 Less worthy than this maid by far, 
 To bid those heroes rush to war ; 
 The heart more willing homage pays 
 To Banna's maid, on Carrick Braes. 
 
 With her I'd roam o'er ocean's wave, 
 And ne'er to part each danger brave ; 
 And as I pressed her to my heart, 
 My soul's most inward thoughts impart. 
 
284 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
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 oo Bfuutc i)4 C4)|t5e B4ii)e ! 
 
 2i bfiuit)51oll 341) 'cejrijiol v>o bu4-ó4)5 TJ4)tT))ort) rt)o 
 cjtoi'óe, 
 'N4Ti t3it)r)e -do Uoj-óe 'i)4 'i) cUijtrioc ; 
 
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 2liji Bl)|iU4C i)4 C4i]X5e B4ii)e ! 
 
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 Be)-ó cditi o]fc t>o / c4iti)eoc4'ó le t>' c4nroe ; 
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OF MUNSTER. 285 
 
 But now I'll seek to win a name — 
 A soldier — on the field of fame, 
 In hopes, returning crowned with praise, 
 To win the gem of Carrick Braes. 
 
 Oh, peerless maid, without a stain, 
 Whose song transcends the harper's strain ; 
 Whose radiant eyes their glances throw 
 From features like the driven snow ; 
 Return, return, without delay, 
 While I atoning homage pay, 
 And let us spend our blissful days 
 'Mid those we love on Carrick Braes. 
 
 Oh were each earthly treasure mine, 
 For thee I would it all resign ; 
 Each fond regret my ardent love 
 Shall place my dear one far above. 
 Come, maiden, where, beyond the sea, 
 Both health and riches wait on thee ; 
 Repress each lingering thought that stays 
 On home, and friends, and Carrick Braes. 
 
 Lov'd charmer of the flaxen hair, 
 I'll deck thee forth with anxious care ; 
 All dress'd in silken sheen so fine, 
 The costliest in the land to shine ; 
 Unnumber'd herds shall low for thee, 
 Her honey store prepare, the bee ; 
 While rings of gold adorn thy hands, 
 And menials wait on thy commands ; 
 And friends behold, in fond amaze, 
 Thy splendour upon Carrick Braes. 
 
286 
 
 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
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 cUoj-ó' m4fi 'r;4jm ? 
 
OF MUNSTER. 
 
 287 
 
 HAVE YOU BEEN AT CARRICK? 
 
 Mr. M'Glashan, with his usual kindness, has permitted us to copy 
 this song and translation from his recently-published volume of " Irish 
 Popular Songs." 
 
 It is the chef-d'ceuvre of Dominic O'Mongan, or Mungan, and was 
 composed early in the last century, for a celebrated beauty of her day, 
 Eliza Blacker, of Carrick, County of Armagh, who became afterwards 
 Lady Dunkin, of Upper Clogher Court, Bushmills, County of Antrim, 
 now called Dunderave Castle, and still held by her grandson, Sir 
 Edmund Workman MacNaghten, Bart., M.P. for that County. 
 
 Miss Blacker was the eldest daughter of William Blacker, Esq., of 
 Carrick, by his wife Letitia, sister and co-heiress of the Right Honor- 
 able Edward Cary, of Dungiven Castle, M.P. for the County of Lon- 
 donderry, and the great-grand-daughter of the parties mentioned in the 
 introduction to the preceding poem. The present house of Carrick (or 
 Carrick Blacker) beautifully situated on the river Bann, is the ancient 
 seat of the Blacker family. The building, commenced previous to the 
 Revolution of 1688-9, was not finished until 1692. It is about a mile 
 and a-half from Portadown, and now the residence of Lieut.-Col. Wil- 
 liam Blacker, D.L., the present head and representative of this family. 
 
 Dominic O'Mongan was a gentleman Bard, who was blind from his 
 birth, and a native of the County of Tyrone. Bunting notices him at 
 p. 78 of his Ancient Music of Ireland, to which we refer the reader. 
 
 Have you been at Carrick, and saw you my true-love 
 
 there ? 
 And saw you her features, all beautiful, bright, and fair ? 
 Saw you the most fragrant, flow'ring, sweet apple-tree ? — 
 O ! saw you my lov'd one, and pines she in grief, like 
 
 me? 
 
288 THE POETS AND POETRY 
 
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 rijdjfx, 
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 TlOtijA'G ! 
 
OF MDNSTER. 289 
 
 I have been at Carrick, and saw thy own true love 
 
 there ; 
 And saw, too, her features, all beautiful, bright, and 
 
 fair; 
 And saw the most fragrant, flowering, sweet apple-tree — 
 I saw thy lov'd one — she pines not in grief, like thee! 
 
 Five guineas would price every tress of her golden 
 
 hair — 
 Then think what a treasure her pillow at night to 
 
 share, 
 These tresses thick-clustering and curling around her 
 
 brow— 
 O, Ringlet of Fairness ! I'll drink to thy beauty now ! 
 
 When seeking to slumber, my bosom is rent with sighs — 
 I toss on my pillow till morning's blest beams arise ; 
 No aid, bright Beloved ! can reach me save God above, 
 For a blood-lake is form'd of the light of my eyes with 
 love! 
 
 Until yellow Autumn shall usher the Paschal day, 
 And Patrick's gay festival come in its train alway — 
 Until through my coffin the blossoming boughs shall 
 
 grow, 
 My love on another I'll never in life bestow ! 
 
 Lo! yonder the maiden illustrious, queen-like, high, 
 With long-flowing tresses, adown to her sandal-tie ; 
 Swan, fair as the lily, descended of high degree, 
 A myriad of welcomes, dear maid of my heart, to thee ! 
 
290 THE POETS AND POETRY OF MUNSTER. 
 
 Vot)\) :— Bjuttó x)<\ C4]tit4i3e B4we. 
 
 
 As our little volume has now drawn to a close, we cannot allow 
 this page to remain blank, and therefore present our readers with 
 another setting of that beautiful air Bruach na Carraige Baine (the 
 Braes of Carrick-Bann), at p. 280; and with it we take leave of our 
 kind patrons for the present. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Dublin : Printed by Edward Bull, 6, Bachelor's-walk. 
 

 Date Due 
 
 
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 S'37 
 
 
 
 
 2. ;, ' 
 
 r-> \j--*~yC*. 
 
 
 
 HflR-3'1,1 
 
 3 á ^C 
 
 
 
 
 V 
 
 
 '- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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953& 
 
 BOSTON COLLEGE 
 
 3 9031 01165226 
 
 . Mangan, James Clarence 
 
 Author ~ 
 
 ..__ The Poets and Poetry ..of.. 
 Munst@r_ 
 
 77 
 
 J 
 
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