School: Béal an Átha Móir (B.)

On this page

1. The Emergency Man's Jennet

   

   Share Share Post

   1

   Ye must assist me
   These lines to explain,
   Concerning a jennet,
   Both gallant and sane,
   Which lately eloped
   As you may understand
   † From the emergency bag-man
   The curse of our land.

   2

   The fairies of Probagh
   Around him they came,
   They pitied his case,
   And they loosened his chain;
   And they said: ''noble jennet,
   With us come away;
   We'll get you a stable,
   With both corn and hay.''

   3

   When the jennet was missed
   They gave a great shout,
   Both peelers and bog men,
   They quickly ran out.
   But he was invisible
   Crossing the plain.
   No beast in creation
   Was treated so mean.
   Both coal and provision
   He drew on the road,
   With peelers and bogmen
   On top of his load.

   4

   These highway paupers,
   From the poor-house they came,
   Formed by nature
   Both crooked and lame.
   When the land-bill is passed
   They'll get a sad overthrow.
   With grief back again
   To the Work-house they'll go.

   5

   You all may remember
   The year '86
   When these bog-men were recorded
   For their plundering tricks.
   My curse on you, Heuston
   On your crooked legs
   † You went down to Philip's
   And stole all his eggs,
   Three cheers for our land league
   And our cause we'll reveal.
   We'll banish these bog-men
   From sweet Innis fail.

   † Davis was said to be a beggar who went from house to house with a old bag before to Probagh. He lived where ...????????????
   Terence Conlan, Tailor, High St. was reared. ?????????????

   † Philips was Phil Gilchriest's house, Curragnabania (or near it)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. genre
      1. poetry
         1. folk poetry (~9,504)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   W. Farrell

   Gender

   Unknown

   Informant

   Tom Prior

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim