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THE COBBLESTONES
OF DUBLIN
The cobblestones of Dublin
Sound clickety clack in my ears
I dream of those who walked upon them
In Ages past....so many years...
In Ages past...so many years...
The many lonely travelers,
The many broken hearted
The poor, the ill, the destitute
Broken long before they'd started
The criminals and heros
Those of whom legends were made
Soldiers brave and fearless
Blessed with hearts both strong and staid
Tinkers, wenches, chambermaids
Lassies from each village
Those who gave love freely
And those who met with pillage
Captains and their ladies
Sailors and their mates
Drank and laughed with pleasure
Before sailing to meet their fates
Parish priests and druids
Witches and their kin
Covens filled with holy
Covens dank with sin
The kings, the queens, the pirate rogues
The flame haired Vikings bold
Invaders from the North and South
Walked down these streets so old
I wonder if the dreams they had
Were so much like my own?
Had they wishes, had they pondering thoughts
As they traipsed these streets alone?
These lovely walks of Dublin
Rich in history and lore
Tell me tales of the past
Behind each stone lies a door
The cobblestones of Dublin
Clickety clack sound in my mind
And take me to another place
Another place and time....
********
STARFISH ON THE GREYSTONES
Walk the eastern coast at Greystones
See the Irish Sea at play
Its' uninviting grey green waters
Called me to its cresting waves
A trillion stones upon its shores
All shades of grey and white
But I cannot leave...they beckon me
To walk the sands 'till night
And throwing back each starfish
I find stranded on the shore
Gives me peace and comfort
A key to some locked door
A trillion reasons you may have
For never loving me
But I have no rhyme or reason
Why I can't stop loving thee...
So instead I save the starfish
Perfect their points of five
If nothing else I have done this day
I have kept their light alive...
*******
SHEEP
Baaah! Baaah!
Bleat! Bleat!
People are
A lot
Like
Sheep!
Follow the leader
Everywhere
Up the mountain
Down the stairs
Hide their individuality
Ring their opinions
In neutrality...
Bleat! Bleat!
Baaah! Baaaah!
Sheep are funny!
Ha! Ha!
Long as we draw
No conclusions
When our heads
Fill with illusions...
Precariously perched
On a hill
So we...oops
I mean the sheep
Can have
Their sheeply thrills
Long-haired
Short-haired
Black ones
White
Sometimes
Mixed up
Both dark
And light...
What if sheep
Could have a voice?
Protest their shearing
As their right and choice?
Demand they be seen
For who they really are?
'Tis a stretch
Perhaps...
But for who?
And another stretch
But how far?
Baaah! Baaah!
Bleat! Bleat!
People are
A lot
Like
Sheep!!
********
THE MONKS' WALK
St. Brigid, walk a ways with me
Your hand upon my arm
Your presense gives me hope and faith
Your fire my spirit warms
Generations pass and fade
Life takes many a turn
St. Brigid, walk a ways with me
There is so much I must learn
The spiral staircase led me here
To the monk's walk high above
To your cathedral built on faith
By your followers filled with love
May your spirit flame eternal
For all men on earth to see
I am troubled, dear St. Brigid
Won't you walk a ways with me?
*******
THE FAERIES CAME TO ME LAST NIGHT
The faeries came to me last night
So much did I miss you
That my tears flooded their space
Under my bed
And the wee one that calls Herself Small Mary
Begged me please stop
For her wings were soaked
And she could not fly
She was accompanied by her Da
At least I think t'was her father
Family resemblance of a sort
And he did not beg
But looked at me sadly
And spirited me away to where you slept
So far away 'cross the sea
Dry your tears, he said to me
For your love sleeps sound
And his breathing easy
But I could not believe 'till I saw myself
Your strong jaw, that aristocratic nose
Pressed against the pilllow in sleep
Your mind laced with dreams
I wanted to lay next to you
But he shook his head no
T'were not permitted or the enchantment would break
But you may, he said
Kiss him ever so softly
And whisper a love song
Into his ear
Those things I did slowly
Heartbreakingly achingly
My slowness to prolong the glamour
Ah, the faerie knew my game
And let me play
Perhaps he too was once in love the same
With Mary's mam
'Tis all I recall
For when I woke this morning
I still felt your lips upon mine
And I like to think
You cried a little for me too
And the faeries 'neath your bed
Spirited you 'cross the waters to me
Agra, my heart sleeps always with yours
For distance is only an illusion
And love the only reality
The enchantment is in the loving
The pain is in the parting
Agra, I wait for you
No matter if it be a thousand lifetimes
******
The Crossing Over
(Chorus)
Far over the waves, far over the sea…
We came to these shores, my family and me
To the land of the brave and the home of the free
Poor immigrant Irish from County Kerry
[1]
Three days off Cobh Harbour, Father near died
Mother and wee Patrick could do naught but cry
But I swore to survive and to make a new life
And I prayed God sustain me through trouble and strife
(Chorus)
[2]
Goodbye, dear Ireland, a great ocean to cross
Leaving loved ones behind us, dear has been the cost
Our meager belongings in sacks made of cloth
May God grant our gain outweigh that of our loss
(Chorus)
[3]
Strong waves crash against us
The winds howl in rage
The bowels of the ship trapped us in like a cage
We prayed to the Virgin to weather the storm
And huddled together to try to stay warm
(Chorus)
********
ON THE LAKE
Peaceful quiet greets me here
By the shores of Lake Ennell...
Trees flank the horizon
Summer has come to the Midlands
Overwrought
Sanctuary sought
Amidst the leafy branches
Hidden from view...
Perhaps I can heal
Perhaps I can feel
Peace again within my heart
A battle's been waged...
My insides ripped apart
I have run here
Into the arms of the Man of the Lake
He will protect me from the storm
He will hide me from view
He will shield me from you...
For I can look no more
Upon your beloved face
I have fallen from your grace
Ah, but you have fallen
From mine as well
'Tis private my hell
No one shall tell
As I lick the wounds
Of my empty shell...
Ruins are all 'tis left
The fortress has fell
In the peaceful quiet
On the shore of Lake Ennell |
by Loretta A. Murphy
 ANNIE CARROLL'S LAMENT
They'll be hangin' you James in the mornin'
But my heart is breakin' tonight
They took you from me without warning
Violated our home and our rights
An innocent man they are hangin'
Upstanding in word and in deed
While good men sit in jail their accusers
Grow rich through corruption and greed
They call you a Molly Maguire
Say you a plot did mastermind
To kill Bennie Yost...
What a laugh for ye both
Were a friend to each other and kind!
No murderous words could you utter
For you were a peace loving man
Your only crime affiliation
As an Ancient Hibernian
They'll be hanging you, James
With your brothers
United by oath and country
Gowen swore he would break
Up the Union and none of its
Leaders go free
Now they've taken
To murderin' our husbands
Our brothers, our fathers, our sons
Their lies have put you on the scaffold
And innocent men on the run
They'll be hanging ye, James
In the mornin'
And what shall I do with your son?
When he asks what's become of his Da, James
Shall I tell him the wrong that was wrung
And what of your daughter, dear Jamie
When one day she becomes a bride?
She'll not know the love of a father
Or walk down thes aisle at hs side...
They'll be hangin' ye James in the mornin'
But my heart is breakin' tonight
They took ye from me without warning
Violated our home and our rights
And innocent man they are hangin'
Upstanding in word and in deed
While good men sit in jail their acussors
Grow rich through corruption and greed
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My tribute to the O'Donnell family and their suffering
THE BALLAD OF THE O’DONNELL HOUSE
(Refrain)
The O’Donnell House sits on a knoll, round the bend
In old Wiggans’ Patch, tired, weary, and worn
But if walls could talk, sure, they’d tell us a story
Of the days of Coal’s glory and the Molly Maguires
[1]
It was three in the morning, the 10th of December
The year, eighteen hundred and seventy five
Outside thirty men, masked and armed assassins
Their plan to let none, man or woman, alive
The Widow O’Donnell, asleep in her bedroom
Dreamin’ of Ireland and kin in Gweedor
She heard a great noise and then one of the boys hollered
“Sweet Jesus, our Ellen’s shot dead on the floor!”
(Chorus)
Now who could commit such a horrible crime?
Shoot a young mother down before she’d reached her time?
The papers blamed vigilantes as the ones
But they were bought and paid for by the Pinkertons
[2]
Not one man but twenty, jumped Charlie O’Donnell
Knocked him to the ground and beat him till he bled
He cried out “Oh, why would you want us to die?”
Fifteen shots….then silence
As the snow turned blood red.
Raised cane clutched in anger, Nannie O’Donnell
Pointed her finger, a curse on her tongue
“You shall pay for your hate, guilt shall seal your fate
You have murdered my innocent daughter and son!”
(Chorus)
Now who could commit such a horrible crime?
Shoot a young mother down before she’d reached her time?
Brutally rob an old woman of a daughter and son?
T’was the long arm belonging to the Pinkertons
[3]
They pistol whipped Nannie and left her unconscious
They roughed up Tom Murphy and gave him a fright
Charles McAllister fled, thinking all lost for dead
Till he met the two James who’d run off in the night
When the blood shed was over, long coats trailing behind them
The men strode into blackness and obscurity
No justice was sought, for the felons were bought
Cold blooded murderers left running free
(Chorus)
Now who could commit such a horrible crime?
Shoot a young mother down before she’d reached her time?
Plenty of folks knew who fired the guns
But they feared repercussions by the Pinkertons
{4}
The O’Donnell house sits on a knoll, round the bend
Weather beaten and gaping, but still standing tall
In memory of the toil, waged here on our soil
To support the Labor Movement and answer its’ Call
Forget not the O’ Donnell’s, keep them close in your memory
For bigotry lives where reigns supremacy
Civil liberties lost, if we forget the cost
Of the price paid for freedom and democracy
Back to Chorus 1 then Refrain
(softer, slower)
The O’Donnell House sits on a knoll, round the bend
In old Wiggans’ Patch, tired, weary, and worn
But if walls could talk, sure, they’d tell us a story
Of the days of Coal’s glory and the Molly Maguires
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BRIDGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
Spun sugar promises
Star gazer dreams
Tied up with silver
And ice blue moonbeams
Rainbow of colors
Reflect back the light
Beacons of shimmer
A bridge spans the night
Ferry me over
Troubled astral waters
Safe in yer arms
Contented and warm
Hold me close to ye
A heartbeat from heaven
Snug in yer embrace
We ride out the storm
Remember me
When I wake from this Dreamworld
Memorize me
The outline of my face
I must recall ye
Each night when I slumber
Summon ye back to this Faerieland place
Soft are the clouds
That cushion our bodies
Bury us deep
Hidden from prying eyes
All of my secrets
All of yer magic
Our dance eternal
As the earth and the skies
I will remember
When ye wake from this Dreamworld
I will memorize
The outline of yer face
Ye must recall me
Each night when ye slumber
Summon me back to this Faerieland place
Meet me on the Bridge
Between waking and sleeping
I shall wait for ye there
In the twilight of gray
Be glad for this time
Courtesy the Night Faeries
For Fate separates us
By the Harshness of Day
We shall meet on the Bridge
That Spans the Atlantic
Bridge of Star Crossed Lovers
Bridge of Dreamers and Fools
THE JEALOUS WALL
You imprison me behind a wall of jealousy, my Love
Though t'were you I choose over all other
Pin my hands from freedom
Stifle my soul with your arrogance and ill humor
Shun my protest of innocence
Deaf ears turned to the truth
Why, my Love
Why must you punish me
For your sins and for his?
I cannot help his eyes cast upon me
Mine are lowered as a good wife should...
You must see me stumble in my blindness
For I no longer even look to the light
It is hidden deep behind the jealous wall
All these long years ...
My beauty fading
And yet
I still love you
Still cling to the hope that you will tear down the wall
Not the one you had built of rock and human sweat
Nay ... not that facade of stone that is your folly alone
Though it distances you from your brother and from life
But the wall between us, my Love
The barrier of ignorance and mistrust
The wall that only you can dismantle jealous thought by thought
Paranoid delusion by delusion
That is the real ruin of us, Dear Husband
And it shall stand for all time
A false pretense
Its beauty smeared with hatred
Oh, the pity of it all
The jealous wall
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FLYIN' BACK HOME
I was flyin' back home out of Dublin
The Monday just past Patrick's Day
'Twas weepy I was at the leavin'
When overhead we heard "Delay"
To another terminal were directed
And told t'would not be very long
So I sat and I cried for a moment
Then I began to think up this song
Flyin' back home out of Dublin
My luggage declared tampered free
Just wonder why someone who'd tamper with it
Would be stupid enough to tell me?
As I sat in the airport in Dublin
Wiping from my eyes salty tears
I pondered just why our flight might be delayed
And dealt with a few silly fears
I met a wee stepdancer from Pittsburgh
Who proudly showed off her hard shoes
And a lass comin' back from a weddin' in Cork
Who told me her single girl blues
And then the news came of a new flight
To a different gate we were sent
Off we went dragging our wheelies
Quite frankly, by now I was spent
Please be patient, we'll board in a minute
So sorry, they said, for the fuss
When they announced the "All Clear" sign for boarding
Off we headed for that big green airbus
Flyin' back home out of Dublin
My luggage declared tampered free
Just wonder why someone who'd tamper with it
Would be stupid enough to tell me?
"Now, ladies and gents, beggin' pardon
We now must await other crew
There were technical problems on one plane
And this jet's bigger and it's new..."
So we waited and our new attendant
Boarded and off we did fly
T'was raining ascending from Dublin
As I waved a wet tearful good-bye
In thirty-five minutes we landed
A layover in Manchester where
They whisked us right off of Aer Lingus
Down empty hallways and a stair
By then we were all pretty weary
Ah but now the games were to begin
The unsuspecting Irish travellers
were guilty of some airborne sin...
We first caught on when our security checks
Were takin' longer than our flight
Twenty, twenty five minutes per person
At this rate, we'd be here 'till tonight
Unfortunately, our next flight was leavin'
And four of us had to go pee
The Manchester hostess with the mostess
Said "Too bad" and glared right at me
And another employee right behind us
Was readin' the passenger list
Outloud to someone at the end of the phone
Seemed not one Irish name did they miss
The roll call went on for some minutes
Past the Murphys, O'Connells and Tooles
Past the Bradys and Learys and Creary's
Thought they were onto somethin', the great fools!
Well, we passengers had just about had it...
We were soon to be late for our flight
And another girl and me, we STILL had to pee
I was crossin' my legs from my plight
We were mumbling and grumbling and restless
When a gentleman from Dublin spoke out
"They do this to all of the AerLingus flights."
At which the counter lady looked up with a pout
"We do not!" she growled in my direction
I wondered what the heck did I do?
Then I simply decided sheer rudeness
Was the tell tale mark of a shrew
"What's the problem then?" said the Dubliner
(Not his name but he'll know that 'tis he)
We're soon to be missing our US AIR flight
Departure's at one, but will we?"
"Well, not my fault," said Miss Lack of Manners
"Your plane was delayed and you sat
Twenty minutes, fully boarded on the runway
So there...go ahead...explain that!"
We passengers looked at each other
And one after one, rolled our eyes
Right away we knew what they were thinking
We were all bloody IRA spies...
Or maybe they thought we were smuggling guns
(But t'would be the wrong way goin' out)
"Has anyone tampered with your suitcase?" said she
Said I, "If they did, would they tell me? I doubt!"
Well, I thought she might throw me in handcuffs
So shocked was the look on her face
Me? I decided to just go for broke
"Now find me a bathroom in this place."
We all finally got through the secruity line
Got escorted so we could go pee
We all made it back to America
From far 'cross the Atlantic Sea
I often think back on my journey
And the lesson I learned on its knee
Next time a terrorist tampers with your bags and tells
You darn well better tell Security....
Flyin' back home out of Dublin
My luggage declared tampered free
Just wonder why someone who'd tamper with it
Would be stupid enough to tell me?
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LEENANE (Lionan) BY THE FJORD
Tucked away here between the glacial hills
Rocky green jutting scenes
Majestic in their grandness
Peeks touching clouds
Misty floating clouds
Today dark with pipe smoke greyness
Holes of heavenly blue peaking through
I am reminded of ye
Yer gifts to me
The days your soul peaked
Through with clear piercing blueness
That touched me like heaven on earth
The trumpet flowers, off white, lilly like
So tall, lush with new summer beauty
Frame the picture before me
A lough so ancient
That bearded men of ships once sailed
Came from their worlds to this one
There are memories here
Of the olde ones
The oldest of the old
That remind between these jagged peaks
And stoic faces of rock
Remembering the yesterdays
And the glories past
But saying nothing
Preserving all
Leenane, I will remember ye
As someday ye will remember me...
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Dedicated to wonderful musician Eddie Whalen,
a regular at Kinnity Castle in the Irish Mid-Lands
SING IT OUT, EDDIE WHALEN!
Sing it out, Eddie Whalen!
Bard of the Midlands
A musician's musician
Sing it out, Eddie Whalen!
Your heart beats in rhythm
Music runs in your veins
Sing for your supper, Eddie Whalen!
Dedicated to tradition
A player for all players
Sing for your supper, Eddie Whalen!
Your soul thrives on the words
The lyrics quench your thirst
Sing to the wee ones, Eddie Whalen!
Teach them at the sessions
The jigs and the reels
Sing to the wee ones, Eddie Whalen!
Pass on the enchantment
Weave your spell in the dance
Sing it out strong, Eddie Whalen!
Sean-nos is your heritage
Show us the old ways
Sing it out strong, Eddie Whalen!
The Bard of the Midlands
Crown Prince, take a bow... |
For more of my Irish poetry, read
IRISH ROADS
ISBN 1606107607
Irish Roads is a poetic journey across an ocean and into the imagination.
It is the story of the author’s 21-day sojourn through Ireland—a fantasy
mixed with reality amidst the mystery and wild beauty of the Emerald Isle.
Join Murphy for a romantic and whimsical glimpse of Irish culture, life,
and love as she travels the roads of her beloved Ireland from Dublin
on the east coast to Donegal on the west. Irish Roads is proof that no one
goes to Ireland without leaving behind a piece of their heart.
Are you ready to leave behind a piece of yours?
NOWHERE ON EARTH
There is no where on earth
That makes my heart dance
As the land of the mysts
Where the air breathes romance
It fills my soul so I cannot breathe
I do not wish to ever leave
The sky,the hills,the pastures green
The grazin'cows
and sheep I've seen
My mind goes back to lives before
I have come through so many doors...
It fills my soul so I cannot breathe
I do not wish to ever leave
The purple pink sunsets each night
The days refuse to give up the light
The lakes…the bays…
the rocky seas
Its beauty brings me to my knees
If fills my soul so I cannot breathe
I do not wish to ever leave
'Tis a true home my soul finds here
To leave it is my greatest fear
My prayers to God
and the Saints above
Bring me back to this land I love
It fills my soul so I cannot breathe
I do not wish to ever leave
There can be no other choice
If ‘tis in your plan,
God, hear my voice
In the past, in the present,
In the future I am
Forever a daughter of Ireland
IRISH ROADS
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