That From Life We Receive

That from life we receive what from life we are due
In so many cases happens to be true
If to the law of the land for your crimes you do pay
Then Karma it will catch up with you one day
The saying what goes around comes around in it has truth
It applies to the people who are without ruth
Who harm others physically or financially and find pleasure in crime
If the law does not catch up with you then karma will in time
Those who harm others in any way for their future bad karma are planting the seed
What goes around comes around is quite truthful indeed
I am one of those who happens to believe
That in life we must give if we wish to receive
What applies to everyone applies to me and you
And this only does happen for to be true.

The Allow Bank High

The river known as Allow in flood waters of brown
Bank bank high through Kanturk an old Duhallow town
In late January a cold, wet and windy time of year
Though the calendar Spring with each day is drawing near
It is windy and cold around Kanturk today
The cattle in the farmyard sheds bellowing for silage or hay
At least eight to nine weeks until the nesting birds sing
On leaf budding trees near the prime of the Spring
And the cattle on young grass gaining weight by the day
Far more nutritious for them than eating silage or hay
So many days and nights from the prime of the May
When the hawthorns will wear their blooms of white to gray
And the Allow bank high in flood waters of brown
Goes babbling on it's way through old Kanturk Town.

Not An Ordinary Fellow

Not an ordinary fellow would you not agree
He drink beer with his breakfast, lunch and dinner he never drinks tea
And at work break in mid morning referred to by some as brunch
He drinks something stronger than a shandy or punch
When drunk always merry he never looks for fight
He arrives home late from the pub every night
Without wife, partner or children of responsibility free
But few in the town are as happy as he
Is for he always does have a big smile on his face
Just a likeable bloke with a strong sense of place
In his mid twenties he lives on his own
As an ordinary fellow he will never be known
In the pub every night he joins in the cheer
The happy young man who enjoys drinking beer.

Only Winners

Only winners the masses do wish to recall
In sports as in life the winner takes all
And though losing is a thing anyone does not choose
For one for to win someone else has to lose
There are winners and losers in life every day
This is how it is for life is this way
For the winner the glory the money and praise
And winners their personal status do raise
The winners are grinners as some like to say
And for the winner there is always a loud hip hooray
There are winners in life and winners in sport
In the football stadium or the tennis court
For the loser disappointment for the winner the joy
A fact of life that i did learn as a boy.

Ballydaly's Last Blacksmith Farrier

When Brendan Murphy was in his physical prime of time one must go back a span
Ballydaly's last blacksmith farrier he was quite a man
He shod his last working horse in his forge in his brother Eddy's backyard
For his livelihood he is one who did work quite hard

Tall and lean and dark haired and physically quite strong
Ballydaly's last blacksmith farrier to a rare breed belong
The hooves of the last working horse, mule, jennet and donkey he did pare
Since the demise of the last working equines blacksmith farriers have become rare

With Denis 'The Rover' Riordan the blacksmith farrier of Millstreet's West End he learned his trade
From the hard work of blacksmith and farrier Brendan earned every pound he was paid
A quiet achiever and quiet in his way
Quiet waters run deep as the wise one does say

The nineteen sixties brought change to Ireland as it did Worldwide
And working animals became rare in the countryside
With the introduction of bigger and modern machinery blacksmith farriers became an endangered breed
And for engine mechanics there became a far greater need

In his working life he worked hard for his every pay
Ballydaly's last blacksmith farrier is in honorable retirement today
As a top class tradesman a name for himself he made
With Denis 'The Rover' Riordan the renowned Millstreet blacksmith farrier he learned his trade.

Of Nature Every Day

The more about Nature i have come to know
The more my wonder of her only does grow
Yet so little i know of her ways i have come to realize
But this in itself is not any surprise

Of Nature one does learn something new every day
We never stop learning as the wise one does say
In a lifetime that we learn so little is not a lie
And we never stop learning until the day we do die

I can only marvel at the natural beauty i do see
The beauty every day that is all around me
Of Nature the only real World super power
The one who can create a beautiful flower

The writers and the artists she does inspire
And of singing her praises i never could tire
Many of her wild-born creatures are close to extinction or becoming rare
With Mother Earth's creatures us humans have not learned how to share

Of Nature we learn something new every day
We never stop learning it does seem this way
And though i am not one of the knowledgeable few
Of Nature every day i do learn something new.

I Am Of The Place

I am of the place where the waterways meet
In the old rushy fields towards the west of Millstreet
The home to the badger the rook and the silver backed crow
And the dark brown water bird dipper of breast white as snow

I may never again see Hibernia's shore
Or stand on the hill above high Claramore
On a nice Summer's day enjoying the scenery
Of the green countryside way beyond Knocknagree

It is only in fancy i nowadays meet an erstwhile friend
For perhaps i will never again walk on Millstreet's West End
Where i always did feel as one of their own
To many today there i would not be known

I am of the place where old Finnow does flow
On towards the Blackwater it babbles on slow
Through the flat countryside that in all Seasons is green
I only can visualize of Nature's beauty i have seen

I am of the place from here far away
Where above the rushy fields on nights in May
The territorial male snipe with his tail makes a drumming sound
Of the what used to be the good memories abound.