School: Clochar na Trócaire, Cinn Mhara
- Location:
- Kinvarra, Co. Galway
- Teacher: Siúracha na Trócaire
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0049, Page 0157
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- Long ago poets were very numerous in Ireland but, after the penal times they started getting scarce because, the English forbade them to write poetry about Ireland. Some of the poets long ago could only write Irish poems and on that account they were forbidden to write at all, because the English were trying to stop the Irish language being spoken. How the poets used to earn their living long ago was, they used to go from town to town selling copies of their poems.
One of the best known poets around Kinvara was Frances Fahy. He was born in the town of Kinvara. He had the gift of poetry from his youth. The best known of his poems are "The ould plaid Shawl" and "Máirin". He wrote the "ould plaid Shawl" on a Summer's day while he was sitting among the rocks of Ballybranagan. After he wrote the poem the house where he lived was known as the house of the "auld plaid Shawl".
When he was a boy of about fourteen years he used to write short plays and then he used to get the boys from Kinvara to act them in the courthouse for him. While he was still(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Kathleen Leary
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Kinvarra, Co. Galway
- Informant
- Patrick Leary
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 70
- Occupation
- Oibrí
- Address
- Kinvarra, Co. Galway
