(continued from previous page)
(8)
And o'er he bound him he did divest him
Of coat, cocked hat, and sabre keen,
And to Climax all he quickly laced him,
Within the arms of a beggar Queen.
(9)
Now, Shaun dressed in Cocked hat in feather,
A scarlet coat and a slashing sword,
Left the General bound by a stout tether
To an old Gipsy upon the road.
(10)
For this act so daring he obtained a pardon,
No cuter exploit is on record:
So the General for aye fainthearted,
Unto his death wore a wooden sword.
Francis Toland. This was taken from the finest (century old) collection of Ballads and Folk Poems. A very clear and vivid story can be recalled.
O'Donnells farewell to the Rosses
22-12-1938
Farewell to my aged parents, to my friends and comrades all,
I'm bidding you a long adieu, I'm leaving Donegal,
Its hills and rugged valleys, its lakes and streams so rare,
It's plains and yelping rivers and its buachails all so fair.
