School: Tuairín Árd (roll number 14078)

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1. Mick Kerin - A Local Poet of Long Ago

   

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   There is little information to be obtained about this poet - The old people have no idea where he had lived or where he came from - Most of his poetry and sayings are long since forgotten but I got the following - from Thomas Wren, Mein, who heard it from his grandfather more than fifty years ago:-

   There was another famous poet in West Kerry, and Mick heard that he was to come to a certain fair in Castleisland - Now the two poets never saw one another before, and this is how they introduced themselves - Mick went in to the biggest shebeen in the town which was crowded with strangers. ...

   "Cad abhí riamh, is beidh go deó", says Mick -
   Straighaway the other poet answered and said - "Bhí an madra riabach na peice riamh is beidh go deó -

   Then the west Kerry poet says - "Cád ná raibh riamh, is ní bheidh go deó, "Ní raibh nead luiche i gcluais an chair riamh, is ní bheidh go deó - Mick answered - After that - Mick knew that he had his man.

   Mick was once in service by a miserly small farmer named Coakley of Paithíneach. This Coakley used go around to the farmers houses plucking the geese and giving them so much a pluck for them - Mick tells how bare he used pluck them when he sent himself away without paying him -
   Mick starts with -
   "Ar maidin, Dé h-Aoine, nuair a eirígheas im' shuidhe dhom,
   Ar mhullach an ` steeple' úd, ar a dtugtar Cnoc A' Phreacháin

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

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

   Languages

   Irish

   English

   Collector

   Liam Ó Murchadha

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Teacher

   Address

   Knocknagashel, Co. Kerry

   Informant

   Thomas Wren

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Tooreenmore, Co. Kerry