The Townland I Was Raised In

The Townland i was raised in is far inland from the sea
And everyone in Claraghatlea i knew and they knew me
But the wander bug was in me for places far away
And i left home when the old fields with December frost were gray.

In fancy i see the Finnow bank high in flood of brown
Racing on towards the Blackwater through the fields near Millstreet Town
And the dipper sings in Claraghatlea in view of Clara hill
On rock amidst the rapids where the stream receives the rill

Born near the Town of Millstreet childhood years i did enjoy
And i fell in love with Nature when i was a school going boy
And i got to know the wild birds by sight or their chirp or song
So distinctive from each other one could never get them wrong.

I've lived in this Southern Country for two decades and a year
The place i was born and raised in is thousands of miles north of here
Yet in my flights of fancy i can hear the wild birds sing
In the leafy groves and hedgerows of my Homeland in the Spring.