On J J Callanan

The poet in verse who glorified Gougane Barra from County Cork died far away
In Portugal his last remains at rest forever lay
But the poems of J J Callanan are living today
It is true that the legacy of greatness outlives bodily decay

When i was a boy by the fireplace on many a Winter's night
Old timers telling stories, reciting poems and singing old songs was a source of delight
Callanan's the Convict of Clonmel was a song then often sung
A beautiful memory from the time when i was very young.

In his written words Callanan created beauty and sad to think that he died in his prime
He was indeed a proven master wordsmith and his best poems have stood the test of time
Gougane Barra, The Convict of Clonmel and The Recluse of Inchydoney to the greatness of their author testify
The one who left us such musical poetry his right to greatness none of him ought to deny

From an early age i have loved the poems of Callanan his legend lives as a great Irish poet
As a translator and an original poet his name lives on as worthy of note
His last remains in distant Portugal but his marvelous poems read and enjoyed today
Yet he died young and poor in a foreign Country and his bones from Cork are resting far away.