School: Inis Céin

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1. A Local Poet (continued)

   

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   him a fine supper and ten shillings also, he then told him that at any time he liked he could come into his house and ask for a meal and it would be given to him. When the poet was leaving he did not forget to leave his blessings with his host, and so he said -
   "May God of Heaven His blessings send down to you galore,
   May you live in health and happiness and may sovereigns glitter on your floor.

   As Johnnie was advancing in years he became very feeble and towards the end he got blind but he did not lose the poetic strain. He continued composing little poems and as he was not able to write them then he got some one else to write them for him. He died at the age of seventy years and he quoted lines of poetry a few hours before he drew his last breath.

   Extra-
   The poet' son named Mike was engaged to a girl named Crowley, and against the poet's consent they were to be married. One day as the poet was walking along the road he met the couple coming on towards him, and he had a very bad opinion of the girl so he afterwards composed a rhyme.-
   "The next I met now all on strike,
   Were Margaret Crowley and my son Mike,
   She was dressed very clumsy, she was not good looking, and indeed her face was far from clean;
   For drollery she surpassed all women that ever put foot in Enniskean.

   (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)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Séamus Ó Lordáin

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Enniskean, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Dick Long

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   73

   Occupation

   Labourer

   Address

   Enniskean, Co. Cork