John Kelleher Better Known As Jack The Mule

He worked for farmers and for town people shlauned peat for winter fuel
The mighty man John Kelleher better known as Jack The Mule
One of Duhallow's best workmen on his day
Though his working efforts seldom matched by pay

A tall broad shouldered man he was as strong as two
Without much effort the hardest work he could do
Yet to himself he was not a good friend
Most of his hard earned wages on alcohol he did spend

That he was not one to mess with was obviously quite clear
The mighty Jack he was a man to fear
He never once was beaten in a brawl
And he left many a big Duhallow bully feeling small

Not known to have children he never had a wife
A rugged man who led a rugged life
An outdoor fellow he often slept rough
On himself he was one who made life tough

On the first of March a cold and wintry day
The sunless sky was overcast and gray
On a field by Clara as Daithi Dowling and his son climbed on the higher ground
The lifeless body of a man they found

Some things in life are hard to understand
John Kelleher had died at his own hand
By Clara Mountain his life he choose to end
To himself he was never a good friend

He was not a bad man and of him one can say
That to help people he often went out of his way
To die of old age not in his destiny
One like him in Millstreet never more to see.