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North Longford, Page 3

Gurteen Lake in Ballinalee

Gurteen Lake and the Curse of the McCarthys

Verse from another legend from Longford recorded by the Irish Folklore Commission From Clonbroney the priest was travelling Was making his weary …

Lady of Lough Gowna

An eerie cry echos the evening air The mermaids plaintive song The saying among the folk that know Is there will be …

On The Border Run

The line that Craig the clever chap Carving Ulster in three, drew on a map The maximum area the minority could hold …

War with the Whin

“Whin” is the word for furze in Hiberno English and Ulster Scots in the northern half of Ireland (North Leinster and Connacht, …

Fidel Castro Meets a Country Girl

The dust was only settling The blood bare dry on the Cuban streets America gauging the new regime Brought him over their …

Naked Protest at Derrycassin

April 20th 1847 Men, children and women with clothes cast away Came to Derrycassin door To protest and plunder for want of …

Rattling Buckets Cant Be Seen

A boy, an errand, and a bucket of beer … A drain, a death, and now a ghost does appear … A …

Good Boys and other Blaggards

Bucks and nyeucks read books in nooks Of history, language and culture told Lewd jokes, vetted new comrades in diviment For adventures …

Plastic Bag: Ballinamuck

Walking in to the village of Ballinamuck last year, I saw a lone plastic bag blowing in the street. A once more …

Saintjohnstown – So Beautiful A Name

My mother grew up outside the Longford village of Ballinalee. She always said she preferred the English name on it, St. Johnstown… …

Bitter Sugar

The island of St. Croix has a Granard, Annally, Longford, Corn Hill, Cartys, Cartys Point, and Madame Cartys placenames. All very quant …

Wake at Ballinalee

My mother told of attending a wake when a child in her native village Ballinalee, where the pipes that were smoked cermonially …