tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87311737764653029082024-03-13T22:57:32.155-07:00rhymingfrancisFrancis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.comBlogger8839125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-26376538028498858462022-06-13T16:33:00.000-07:002022-06-13T16:33:43.331-07:00On The Passing Of Catherine DesmondSad news can bring back good memories of the past<div>Though on looking back the years time seems to have gone fast</div><div>Catherine Desmond in Mullachrua in Cullen had dies quite suddenly</div><div>As is said of death it can come unexpectedly</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the lovely daughters of Catherine and Denis Desmond of Liscahane Millstreet Town</div><div>A beautiful young woman with hair of brown</div><div>But going back the Seasons this seems long ago</div><div>And is said of time it becomes everyone's foe</div><div><br /></div><div>Catherine as a young person looked attractive and bright</div><div>One of the young people then that i knew by sight</div><div>The Desmonds of Liscahane were well liked and well known</div><div>One can say of them that they were Millstreet's own</div><div><br /></div><div>Her death to her siblings and nieces and nephews a very sad loss</div><div>But as is said of life it comes with many a cross</div><div>In all who knew Catherine good memories of her will remain</div><div>Of one they will not see in the flesh again</div><div><br /></div><div>By Cashman's Hill in St Mary's Cemetery in Millstreet Town her last remains lay</div><div>A kilometre from where she first looked on the lamp of day</div><div>Eventually for all of us from life a final release</div><div>And as is said of the deceased may Catherine rest in peace.</div>Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-87251416136456055622022-06-01T17:26:00.002-07:002022-06-01T17:26:41.999-07:00On White Winged TrillersThe male black and white bird in breeding plumage white winged triller has a pleasant song<div>To the cuckoo shrike family they are known to belong</div><div>Out of breeding Season the male a brownish gray</div><div>The female in her grayish plumage all year does stay</div><div>In small nest of twigs and lichen bound with spider webs on fork of branch of tree</div><div>That from the ground is not hard to see</div><div>The female lay blotched bluish eggs of two though sometimes three</div><div>They are birds that are not seen regularly</div><div>Sometimes in last year's nest of a peewee</div><div>They lay their eggs and raise their family</div><div>They eat insects they find on the trees and on the ground</div><div>And chase bees and flies as they fly around</div><div>Birds i know of but do not see every day</div><div>So much to know of Nature one only can say.</div>Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-44713977373049991012022-06-01T17:08:00.000-07:002022-06-01T17:08:17.917-07:00On NatureOn every leaf of every tree<div>The beauty that Nature creates one does see</div><div>The best things in life it is true they are free</div><div>Though many with this would choose to disagree</div><div>Nature her beauty with everyone does share</div><div>And no other beauty with her's can compare</div><div>In her there is so much for one to admire</div><div>And those who love her of singing her praises never seem to tire</div><div>That we never stop learning does seem true to say</div><div>And of Nature we learn something new every day</div><div>And the more we do learn the more we come to realize</div><div>That we do know so little this not a surprise</div><div>It is all around you and ity is all around me</div><div>In Nature no shortage of beauty to see.</div>Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-45285885496040001242021-09-08T14:50:00.000-07:002021-09-08T14:50:22.827-07:00Honourable PeopleHonourable people others do trust<div>Since they are known to be honest and just</div><div>They never cheat and their bills they do pay</div><div>And they live their lives in an honourable way</div><div>They are the people who give to receive</div><div>On the workings of Karma they do believe</div><div>They have a good reputation to retain</div><div>And at the expense of others never seek gain</div><div>In their words they never put anyone down</div><div>And they are a credit to their side of the town</div><div>To their higher selves they live as true</div><div>Credit to them it is only their due</div><div>Shame on their family they never do bring</div><div>Honourable people always do the right thing.</div>Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-32118744553908397982018-01-29T13:36:00.001-08:002018-01-30T03:00:12.200-08:00We As The Migrants Of MillstreetWe are the migrants of Millstreet though from there we do live far away
In the Town or the countryside near Clara we first looked on the lamp of day
From there our dreams lured us to elsewhere we all have our dreams of renown
And most of us a strong desire retain to grow old near or in Millstreet Town
We as the Migrants of Millstreet visit the Millstreet web site every day
The love of the old home parish until death with us will stay
Some of those featured on the web site familiar faces and some their ancestors of we knew
We thank them for our good memories of Millstreet and our good memories of Millstreet not in the few
We as the migrants of Millstreet fond memories of there does retain
And in our moments of nostalgia we visit the old Town again
Millstreet is in our d n a to say differently it would be a lie
The love of first home remains in us and will until the day we do die
We as the migrants of Millstreet retain good memories of the days of old
When in G A A parks in Duhallow and beyond we cheered on the men in green, white and gold
The good old days we do remember in our moments of nostalgic tears
Good memories do last a whole lifetime and they never age with the years
In our old memories of Millstreet time for us seems to stand still
Though the people we knew there are ageing in the Town and places near Clara Hill
And some of them no longer living and as migrants from there we do live far away
We retain fond memories of our first home though there we did not choose for to stay
Millstreet the home of our younger years where our dreams in life were sown
It is a place we feel proud of that we could never disown
We only do have the memories of the what was to retain
And often on our flights of fancy we visit Millstreet again.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-2892792105220841922015-02-28T03:21:00.000-08:002015-02-28T03:21:37.369-08:00A Story Of Cocky And JackyMany centuries ago when only indigenous tribes lived there Australia was a Land mostly of trees and on the parts of the Country where trees didn't grow grew scutch grass, it was a Land abundant with wild animals and birds, millions upon millions of animals such as kangaroos, possums, wallabies, koalas, wombats, echidnas, platypus etc etc and beautiful birds such as cockatoos, rosellas, whipbirds, lyrebirds, bowerbirds, kookaburras, magpies, crows, fairy wrens, honeyeaters, robins and millions of huge flightless birds cassowaries and emus,
The story that i am about to tell you concerns a sulphur crested cockatoo his name was Cocky, one very windy evening in late May Cocky did not leave with all of his friends as he usually did to return to their roosting place tall gum trees about a mile from the sea shore, he was very hungry so he decided to stay behind and eat some more seeds which he and the other cockatoos had been eating, it was nightfall as he flew towards the gum trees where his friends were, the power of the wind increased and Cocky felt himself blown out to sea panic seized his little heart and he squawked loudly for his friends to help him but of course his friends did not hear him as they were too far away, he struggled desperately for to fly against the wind but of course the wind blew too strong and exhausted he had to cease trying to fly against the wind and allow the gale to carry him further and further out to sea by dawn he felt very tired and he was miles from anywhere about mid morning the wind had subsided considerably and Cocky thought he saw what was land and he flew towards it but as he drew closer he found it was not land but a boat and Cocky had never before had seen a boat,
He flew above the boat and looked down into it in the boat were people and Cocky did not trust people and although he was very tired he dared not land on the boat as he feared the people might kill him and though he felt exhausted he followed the boat all day until dark and then under the cover of darkness he flew into the boat unnoticed, he hid in the corner of the boat behind boxes and with his head tucked beneath his wing slept soundly until he was startled from his sleep by enveloping human hands, he squawked loudly and tried to struggle free, he even bit into the man's hands with his powerful beak but it was to no avail as the man was too strong and he could not struggle free, the man put Cocky in a box and gave him pieces of raw meat to eat which Cocky did not like but nevertheless eat as he was famished with the hunger,
He spent days in the box on a diet of scraps of meat and water, from listening to the men talking amongst each other Cocky learned to speak a few words like hello and good day and one morning Cocky said hello to the man who had come to feed him and the man who had never before heard a bird talking was taken aback and he called out to all of his shipmates who immediately gathered around Cocky's prison a medium sized timber box with small timber door and four small holes which allowed air and light in but were too small for a bird the size of Cocky to escape through,
Cocky said hello and good day to all of the men who could only watch on and listen in amazement the men immediately summoned their captain and leader who on hearing the bird talking came to the conclusion that they must have imprisoned some sort of a feathered god and the captain who was of a very suspicious nature feared that the keeping of such a creature in captivity could bring ill luck on himself and his men and his boat gave orders for the immediate release of Cocky who on being released squawked loudly and shouted hello and good day as he flew away,
It felt strange for Cocky to again experience the freedom of the sky after having spent what seemed such a long term in captivity he flew westwards and had been flying for up to three hours when he saw in the distance what appeared to him to be land this time he hoped that he was right for if not and it turned out to be another boat he would prefer to die at sea than take the risk of again being taken captive,
As he flew nearer he could see that it was cliffs he was approaching and he gave a sigh of relief as he neared the cliffs he thought he was again back home in Australia but Cocky was wrong as he flew over the cliffs and headed inland he realized that he was not back home in Australia but in some foreign Country, there was less trees than there had been in Australia and the trees looked completely different no gum trees but oak, beech, birch, hawthorn, ash etc etc
trees he had never seen before and the grass seemed much greener than in Australia and there were cattle and sheep and horses creatures he had never seen before,
He perched on a beech tree for to rest awhile a flock of strange birds perched on an oak tree about twenty meters away
They were starlings and they took exception to the stranger in their midst they mobbed Cocky but he was able to fight them off there was plenty food for him to eat here and cocky enjoyed what was the first natural meal he had in what seemed ages to him.
He flew further inland for at least another two hours and as it was now almost dark Cocky perched on a poplar tree in a wooded area where he rested for the night and as he slept with his head tucked beneath his wing he had a beautiful dream he dreamed that he was back again in Australia with his lovely wife Cresty and their son Sulphur and their pretty daughter Katoo,
He was awakened by the sound of birdsong blackbirds and thrushes singing on trees nearby it was daybreak and Cocky was far from home in fact over twelve thousand miles, he was in Wales at the other side of the World, Cocky knew by the strange birds that lived in this strange Country that he must be a long way from home another difference was there seemed to be more human beings living here, he could see up to seven people walking down the valley within fifty meters of the tree he was on, already he had learned the hard lesson to stay clear of the human kind,
though this seemed a nice area for Cocky to stay in with trees and open Country as well so he decided to settle here for awhile at least nevertheless he felt very lonely as he pined for his family and his friends back home and beside the local birds did not like him as to them he was a stranger and they treated him as such and they surely would have killed him had he been smaller but they feared his powerful beak and claws and though they taunted and threatened him that was as far as they went,
He had been about a week in this valley when one morning a medium sized blackish gray bird that resembled a small crow flew up and perched on the same branch as he was on, Cocky braced himself for fight as he thought that this bird had come to challenge him but when he realized that this bird was of no threat to him he relaxed and in fact he found this bird to be very friendly and though she spoke in an accent similar to a crow her voice seemed softer and not as coarse the stranger introduced herself to Cocky and she told him that her name was Jacky and that she was from Ireland and that she like him was blown out to sea and this was how she came to Wales,
Jacky could not join any group as she was an outsider and the other jackdaws let her know it so Cocky and Jacky had a lot in common they both were in a foreign Country though Cocky was many miles further from home and they both had no friends and they both felt very lonely as the days went by they became firm friends and Cocky and Jacky had no more need to feel lonely as they had each other.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-27032717312412300772013-09-01T15:54:00.005-07:002013-09-01T15:54:46.020-07:00We Are All Co-dependentThat anyone is entirely independent why even pretend<br />
On others in some way we always depend<br />
The billionaire boss depends on his employees out of them his billions he has made<br />
And out of the work that they do on him they depend to be paid<br />
Despite what the majority do have to say<br />
We are all co-dependent in some sort of a way<br />
And though credit is not always given to where it is due<br />
That to live we all depend on each other happens to be true<br />
Though most others with what i say may not agree<br />
We are all co-dependent it does seem to me<br />
And whether you live in an Earthly Utopia or an Earthly Hell<br />
No man is an island or no woman as well<br />
And though many may disagree with what i do say<br />
We are all co-dependent in some sort of a way.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-65620643277083802462013-09-01T15:52:00.000-07:002013-09-01T15:52:08.346-07:00A Bully Is Always A CowardIt takes a coward to be a bully and a bully is always a coward<br />
And by instilling fear in the non aggressive the bully feels greatly empowered<br />
But when the bully is stood up to he is not slow to sense defeat<br />
To save himself from a deserved beating he is very quick to retreat.<br />
<br />
In the World there are too many bullies they are to be found everywhere<br />
And every day good and nice people are bullied in the bigger World out there<br />
Bullies are mostly males but also some females and all bullies one thing in common do share<br />
That of low self esteem they do suffer though of such they are not aware.<br />
<br />
There are bullies in every schoolyard and in every workplace of them nothing good one can say<br />
Some who are bullied do commit suicide such stories we read of and hear of every day<br />
But when the bullies are stood up to they are very quick to back down<br />
And it goes without saying that the bully is never the bravest one in the town.<br />
<br />
There ought to be a law against adult bullying it is an obnoxious crime<br />
Those who are found to be guilty of it ought to serve out prison time<br />
As well as being cowardly bullies are cruel hearted they instill in their victims fear<br />
A brave act of one known to be a bully is something you never do hear.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-6932101092981142202013-09-01T15:47:00.000-07:002013-09-01T15:47:25.418-07:00Kolor In AprilHome to wallaby and gray roo and weerloo and the pale eyed crow<br />
Between the volcanic rocks of Kolor thistles, scutch grass and bracken grow<br />
Down the stony face of Kolor red hot lava it did flow<br />
To the amazement of the First Australians thousands of centuries ago<br />
They must have thought the Mountain God was angry as they watched in fear and awe<br />
And that their World was ending so frightened at what they saw<br />
That this was an act of Nature something they were not to know<br />
On the stony slopes of Kolor only bracken and thistles grow<br />
High above the hill of Kolor two wedge tail eagles soar and fly<br />
Scanning the ground for prey movement monarchs of the southern sky<br />
For them to exist on Kolor smaller creatures have to die<br />
This is just a fact of Nature and Nature's facts do never lie<br />
On the stunted trees of Kolor on this April evening in mid Fall<br />
The black pale eyed crows are cawing and the dark brown weerloos call.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-59397188338952435302013-08-31T15:53:00.001-07:002013-08-31T15:53:13.579-07:00In Nature No Shortage Of ThingsAs a writer i am not seen as worthy of note<br />
And i never refer to myself as a poet<br />
Though all of the stuff through the years i did write<br />
You can see on many an internet site<br />
To pen rhymes to Nature i am often inspired<br />
And of singing her praises I've never grown tired<br />
For many years of her i have been in awe<br />
Our marvelous Earth Mother lives by her own law<br />
Her secrets from us she keeps hidden away<br />
Though from her we do learn something new every day<br />
Her beauty is unrivaled it does seem to me<br />
And something that one need not pay for to see<br />
Though my worth as a rhymer I always do doubt<br />
In Nature no shortage of things for to write about.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-8145412381594807002013-08-31T15:49:00.001-07:002013-08-31T15:49:29.483-07:00On Moses Fifth CommandmentTo some it is mythology though many say it is God's will<br />
Moses Fifth Commandment states 'Thou Shalt Not Kill'<br />
Does this apply to humans only or life forms of all kind?<br />
The true answer to such in books you will not find<br />
Since us humans do kill other life forms to eat<br />
And I'm one who enjoy the taste of fish and meat<br />
Does this make an accomplice to murder out of me?<br />
With what i say here many may not agree<br />
'Thou Shalt Not kill' the Fifth Commandment does state<br />
And though most say to humans this only relate<br />
Yet since the Fifth Commandment humans only does not specify<br />
To every life form it well may apply<br />
If this be so all of us flesh eaters are destined for Hell<br />
And the souls of the life forms we've eaten with God's Angels will dwell.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-70166619686315862182013-08-30T15:54:00.001-07:002013-08-30T15:54:09.971-07:00A Joy For To MeetIn the park or the pub, the shopping center or on the street<br />
One with a happy smiling face is a joy for to meet<br />
Wherever they are at joy is to be found<br />
As they bring it with them and spread it around<br />
With a cheerful hello when passing your way<br />
The happy smiling stranger brings joy to your day<br />
Some of the happiness that is in them with others they share<br />
They are lucky to be blessed with a gift that's so rare<br />
One might say of them of happiness they plant the seed<br />
Of more of their kind the Human World is in need<br />
You feel out of sorts as you walk in the town<br />
And lots of unsmiling faces pass you up and down<br />
But a happy stranger on passing you by<br />
Gives your spirits a big lift with a friendly hi.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-62189894661444405792013-08-30T15:51:00.003-07:002013-08-30T15:51:52.838-07:00The Poor Poet Of DublinA high place in literature he does command<br />
His name lives as the National Bard of Ireland<br />
In his forty sixth year he died in poverty<br />
Though his poems were not born to mortality<br />
The poor Poet of Dublin of the famine years<br />
When Eire was Land of death suffering and tears<br />
In life the poor National Bard of Ireland did suffer his share<br />
Though poets of his caliber even then rare<br />
Poor James Clarence Mangan such beauty did create<br />
In Ireland his name lives as a poetic great<br />
Born at the wrong time as some do like to say<br />
A much better Ireland to live in today<br />
In his lifetime great suffering he had known of and seen<br />
The author of the renowned poem 'Dark Rosaleen'.<br />
Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-53772827551337736362013-08-29T15:57:00.003-07:002013-08-29T15:57:38.926-07:00There Are Good And Tainted PeopleThere are good and tainted people in every creed and race<br />
Make yourself a better person make the World to live in a better place<br />
I am not saying what's original only what is known and true<br />
In life we receive the Karma that happens to be our due<br />
Wrongs done to you on purpose you may find hard to forgive<br />
An old saying i do remember is to live and to let live<br />
And for wrongs we do to others in Karma we must pay<br />
What goes around always comes around as some are known to say<br />
Racism is born of ignorance and the ignorant are too blind<br />
To see the goodness in others who are not of their own kind<br />
You only look for flaws in others and good you will not see<br />
That is how it always has been and that is how 'twill always be<br />
There are good and tainted people in every race and creed<br />
And of racism and xenophobia humanity is not in need.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-9832392687246416382013-08-29T15:55:00.000-07:002013-08-29T15:55:09.602-07:00Memories Of The Silver Back CrowThe voice of a bird that i used to know<br />
In fancy i hear the loud cawing of the silver back crow<br />
In the fading twilight on a sycamore tree<br />
Our past seems to follow us would you not agree?<br />
<br />
In the higher fields in the wood by the hill<br />
The weaker young lambs the black and gray birds do kill<br />
No mercy to them the sheep farmers do show<br />
They do hate the sight of the black and gray crow.<br />
<br />
In rural areas classified as a pest<br />
To rid the landscape of them the farmers try their best<br />
But generations of farmers have come and have gone<br />
And despite persecution the gray crows live on.<br />
<br />
In the fading twilight just after sundown<br />
In the high mountain field overlooking the town<br />
In fancy the loud cawing of the silver back crow i do hear<br />
The memories of what was to me ever near.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-88517212655625029092013-08-28T15:59:00.000-07:002013-08-28T16:00:15.314-07:00The CentenarianLast Thursday he celebrated his one hundred birthday<br />
The Seasons and years have left him looking gray<br />
His better days to the forever long gone<br />
But the will it is in him to keep living on<br />
His great great grandchildren are teenagers and Melinda his wife<br />
Died two decades ago she was the great love of his life<br />
To the rare centenarians he is one who belong<br />
And for one of his years he looks healthy and strong<br />
That the will to live in the age surely not a lie<br />
In his two bedroom home by the ocean he will live till he die<br />
With his aging jack russell terrier his only companion he lives on his own<br />
And like many the good and the tough times of life he has known<br />
It has been many Seasons since he was in his life's prime<br />
Three score and ten years ago that's a long time.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-24805410289655962852013-08-28T15:55:00.002-07:002013-08-28T15:55:45.764-07:00From Old ClaraghatleaFrom old Claraghatlea i may live far away<br />
Though the mental pictures in my mind do stay<br />
Of the old fields I've not seen for many a day<br />
And good memories never fade as some are known to say<br />
It's April now in the rushy fields near the Town of Millstreet<br />
Where the Cails from Kippagh and the Finnow do meet<br />
And by the bridge at Drishane into the Blackwater flow<br />
In the home of the rook and the silver back crow<br />
In fancy Nature's feathered minstrels i hear<br />
The song of the throstle melodious and clear<br />
The tiny brown wren with the bigger bird song<br />
And the finches and robins and blackbirds do sing all day long<br />
From the gray of the dawn till just after sundown<br />
In the groves and on the hedgerows near old Millstreet Town.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-33369461835858245362013-08-27T16:02:00.004-07:002013-08-27T16:02:58.515-07:00Delia MurphyThe songstress of Claremorris Delia Murphy was her name<br />
Her distinctive singing voice lives on in c d to her enduring fame<br />
Her songs are often replayed though deceased for some time<br />
She knew of Worldwide fame when in her glorious prime,<br />
She was one of my favorite singers when i was a young boy<br />
And listening to her records is something i still enjoy<br />
The pride of Mayo Delia for her many an encore<br />
She became loved and famous far from Hibernia's shore<br />
From the nineteen thirties to the nineteen sixties an entertainer beyond compare<br />
The Delia Murphy's of this World to say the least are rare<br />
She had the gift of making others happy and that's a marvelous thing<br />
It can be said of Delia that she was born to sing<br />
Though long with the departed her marvelous singing voice with us remain<br />
And the likes of Delia Murphy we may not see again.<br />
Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-43790418049571923482013-08-27T16:00:00.001-07:002013-08-27T16:00:37.114-07:00On An Email From Margaret Desmond SheehyYears ago she left Millstreet in Duhallow for the U S of A<br />
And from her Hometown by Clara Hill she does live far away<br />
She was born Margaret Desmond, Margaret Desmond Sheehy now her name<br />
But Margaret Sheehy and Margaret Desmond are one and of the same.<br />
<br />
Working as a secretary for O Regan's Mills in Millstreet Town she began her professional career<br />
But time does tick on quickly and that's going back many a year<br />
A young and attractive and intelligent woman on hindsight i do recall<br />
But us humans are not unlike Nature's Seasons our Summers fade to fall.<br />
<br />
Related to Denis and Connie Taylor from her mother the Lucey family side<br />
On her Millstreet family heritage she takes a justifiable pride<br />
The Luceys and the Desmonds known to many in the countryside by Clara Hill<br />
Where the Finnow to the Blackwater flows onwards with a will.<br />
<br />
On the destiny of our life's journeys circumstance does have a say<br />
Though nostalgia for the old home-place in the migrant seem to stay<br />
And an email from Margaret Desmond Sheehy took me to the far away<br />
To the countryside by Clara where we first saw light of day.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-21801430670144802582013-08-26T15:50:00.001-07:002013-08-26T15:50:10.626-07:00April In A Southern TownAn April day in a southern Parkland four months from the Southern Spring<br />
On a sunlit black-wood wattle a male gray backed magpie sing<br />
His all too familiar music beautiful flute like and clear<br />
He is the silver billed Australian who sings the twelve months of the year.<br />
<br />
Pleasant and sunny the weather into the sixth week of the Southern Fall<br />
The voices of the magpie larks familiar pee wee pee wee they do call<br />
And the dying leaves on the claret ash are turning a deep reddish brown<br />
How nice to walk through the green Parkland of the sunny Southern Town<br />
<br />
Of singing of Nature's praises one could never ever tire<br />
In the beauty of her changing Seasons artists and writers she inspire<br />
To sketch and paint and to write poetry as well as pen stories and rhyme<br />
Of the World's only known immortal the one who is older than time.<br />
<br />
A beautiful day in mid Autumn with only a slight touch of breeze<br />
In the Town-park the leaves turning brown and dark yellow upon the deciduous trees<br />
White butterflies dance in the sunshine of April in the Southern Fall<br />
A beautiful memory to cherish and in retrospect for to recall.<br />
Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-73672695945457220902013-08-26T15:47:00.000-07:002013-08-26T15:47:08.107-07:00I Hail From ClaraghatleaI hail from Claraghatlea west of Millstreet Town<br />
There i spent my best years when my hair was dark brown<br />
No use at Gaelic Football though i played that game<br />
In a place where to be good at sports is your ticket to fame.<br />
<br />
Though back then in Millstreet Parish to many well known<br />
Nowadays i may not be seen there as one of their own<br />
From the Town by old Clara I've been too long away<br />
And there i might well be a stranger today.<br />
<br />
It has been many years since i was a young man<br />
And in old Claraghatlea where my life's journey began<br />
Not many people nowadays there i would know<br />
Apart from what was as we age we do grow.<br />
<br />
Long years of absence weakens old friendships would you not agree<br />
And there now my friends of the past may seem strangers to me<br />
Yet a walk in the old fields i still would enjoy<br />
Where with Pudsy i often hunted as a boy.<br />
<br />
And though i may never see the old Town-land again<br />
A Claraghatlea fellow at heart i remain<br />
And on my flights of fancy the dipper does sing<br />
In a far away stream on an evening in Spring.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-70455750049436590572013-08-25T16:00:00.000-07:002013-08-25T16:00:23.691-07:00To Those Who Disrespect YouTo those who disrespect you disrespect you will<br />
pay<br />
Respect is a thing that has more than one way<br />
The one in words who enjoys putting you down<br />
Will never become your best friend in the town<br />
Cruel words to your feelings cause a hurtful sting<br />
To like one who does like you is a natural thing<br />
Unless you are a masochist of a low sense of self esteem<br />
Then to take offense at cruel put down remarks is quite natural it would seem<br />
Disrespect causes ill feeling why otherwise pretend<br />
The one who deliberately offends you will not become your friend<br />
Cruel words from one unrepentant seem hard to forgive<br />
They never do fit in with live and let live<br />
And to those who disrespect you in a deliberate way<br />
Respect to them is something that you cannot pay.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-66699498640367266192013-08-25T15:56:00.001-07:002013-08-25T15:56:24.879-07:00Quite A Big EgoIf in life you really wish to succeed<br />
Quite a big ego is something you need<br />
The humble one seldom becomes one worthy of note<br />
That goes for the artist as well as the poet<br />
In sports or in business if you don't feel you are best<br />
You will be found to be wanting when put to the test<br />
The will to succeed it does come from within<br />
And without a big ego you cannot hope to win<br />
Humility in it's place does seem okay<br />
But a big ego in life does take one a long way<br />
If within you lack the desire for renown<br />
You never will become the toast of the town<br />
If others your praises you do wish to sing<br />
Quite a big ego is a necessary thing.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-16486781464938653372013-08-24T15:51:00.004-07:002013-08-24T15:51:48.462-07:00The War It Is OverThe mother she weeps at the grave of her son<br />
The war it is over nobody has won<br />
For so called victory in war does come at a huge cost<br />
No such a thing as a winner with so many lives lost.<br />
<br />
The war it is over on the streets of the town<br />
A victory parade the bands play up and down<br />
But in the nearby cemetery the remains do lay<br />
Of the young men who died in war zones far away.<br />
<br />
The President talks of the huge sacrifice made<br />
Of the young men who could not march in the welcome home parade<br />
But words for him do seem so easy to say<br />
When he and his wife and children are okay.<br />
<br />
Though not found to be wanting when put to the test<br />
The war it is over the dead are at rest<br />
The celebrations are over and in the moonlight<br />
The streets are deserted in the calm of midnight.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731173776465302908.post-42765694792540133702013-08-24T15:49:00.001-07:002013-08-24T15:49:28.506-07:00Born To MortalityWe are born to mortality despite what some do say<br />
And for each and everyone of us a final night and day<br />
The life expectancy for a woman on average slightly longer than for a man<br />
Though the longest human lifetime in time not a long span<br />
The evidence is factual and fact none can deny<br />
That to Nature and Nature only immortality does apply<br />
The one who lives forever as she re-generate<br />
And we can only wonder at the beauty she create<br />
That the soul lives after bodily death many seem to believe<br />
But the earth that feeds and nurtures us our remains will receive<br />
Mortality for all of us whatever your belief<br />
And in the endlessness of time the longest human life is brief<br />
And Nature is the only one to live forever more<br />
That's something i am quite sure you've often heard before.Francis Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07155458455869315949noreply@blogger.com0