All who have good health
With hands and will to work
Are indeed rich.
The mildew of poverty and want
Shall never knock at their door.
Sound the knell of old
and greet the new,
To life and love in peace,
turn the blotted page away
within the book of time.
He who has a code of conduct
Built on decency and decorum
Wherever he may be
Is good company
an asset to society.
It is never too late
To learn good manners,
It is a light load to carry
Make a start now.
Life is like to Mountaineering
Be it work or be it play,
Every step towards the summit
A shortening of the downward way.
Watching the clock
During office hours,
Is filling an application
For a passport to nowhere.
Digging hard when the Boss
is present is a poor substitute
for honest digging
When he is absent.
If you owe a man one penny
Or one pound, Do not hurt
Your eyes and feet by evasion,
Meet him face to face,
He will be happy in the knowledge
That your intention is good,
Be consoled by the fact
That he is also in debt
And every man is a debtor.
Do not despise the humble beggar,
We are all beggars,
We are not seen on the street,
Others we send out to do the job.
Easy to learn, read and write
When life and all are young,
How hard we find things later on
To check a wagging tongue.
I would rather meet
A man eating tiger on any road
In preference to a drunken driver,
I could shoot the tiger,
I have no liberty to shoot the driver
A thousand times more dangerous.
Sleep in the morning
And your day is short,
Steel from the night
And your day is long,
Racing all the way
Yet last past the post.
Deception - A vehicle gliding by
With mileage big,
The aged passing young
Yet playing well,
Like many another thing
we buy and sell,
A rotten egg has a perfect shell.
My wish that I could see
One summer dawn in sweet Glencar,
Where rumbling falls from
Mountain Ledge go tumbling far,
I wish that I could hear
A Thrush full throated sing,
A whistling Blackbird,
A Corncrake call
Where memories cling,
I wish that I could wander through
Pasture Green in youth's bright morn
Within a Grove in summer
Garland fine, where love is born.
If visitors to the Seaside
Left only their footprints
On the sand, Taking nothing away
But their Photographs,
Life would be pleasant indeed.
If you think you are more important
Than other men, You are right
To think it, but never speak it,
Since being heard all shall know
You do not speak the truth.
The path of life is strewn
With pools of mud, Dark and Deep,
Be careful where you tread,
You could sink,
You could be ultimately submerged.
Feed a little love within you burn,
Tend it well, Rest at every turn,
Within thy breast let passion grow,
To all be ever loyal and true,
No weakling, Drunk and falling down
To Beastly Level,
Cursed with cheap renown.
Keep on digging,
Physical and Mental,
You may find something
You did not know was there.
Taking a drink in the morning
To cure a Hang-Over,
Is like counting the links
On an endless chain.
If you still have a few friends
Perhaps you should disperse them
Without firing one single shot,
Lend them a little cash.
Dreary is the idle day,
Time to count the cost,
Pay the price for what is lost
By doing things half-way.
Time gives us but a single chance,
No lingering on the way,
Onward youthful spirit surge
Each shall have a day,
Like Summer Flowers that bloom
By Mountain, Wood and Glen
Triumphant strides the frost of age
To blight the ways of men.
Never a churn out drying now,
The Cooper, far and few,
Oh, for a drink of buttermilk
And a grand Kerry cow.
The road to prosperity
Is a long road,
A hard road
And a straight road.
Oh could I see my sweet Glencar
Or Woodville haunts so dear,
Fair Drenaghan and Aughamore,
The waves of Rosses Clear,
The world is big and beautiful
But here is beauty's crown
My own beloved Sligo
At breaking of the morn.
If you cannot speak well
Of your neighbour,
Then he dumb,
Close your mouth
and Speak no More.
How foolish it is to think
That you are indispensable,
Remember there is another
Who can do your job better.
Lonely are they who never tasted wine,
The greatest the world has known
Could Drink, Could rest and think.
Their Secret, Moderation,
A Chain to bind
With never one weak link.
Only fools buy
What they do not require,
Not having cash to pay
Screw themselves into
The Vice of debt,
There to rust on the Scrap-heap
Discarded and alone.
If you do not love your work,
You cannot then love anything
Not even Yourself.
If you are thinking about
Feathering your own Nest,
It is always wise
To pluck your own breast,
It is best in the long run.
When your neighbour
Has a Pot Boiling Over
Take no notice
Keep an Eye
On what is on your own fire.
There is Rowdyism
In every Generation,
It is a bad weed
A thing that is Evil,
Contaminating what is good.
Men and Women together
Drinking in moderation
Is for the good of all,
Has a sobering effect
A brake on vulgar conversation.
Thou shalt not Steal
Better Die for Honesty
Than be a living Thief,
A little thought is useful here.
Sweeter far than sounds that were
From Stable, Barn and Penn,
Age old pleasure listening
To notes of a Cackling Hen.
Something rare and valuable
Can still be found
Among the human race,
An honest man and woman.
There is a crossroads
On the journey of life
Where all must pass,
It is there we take our path,
It is there we draw our line
On the map of destiny.
Evening time each passing day
Pass on as was to be,
Time an endless roaring flood,
The gorge, Eternity.
Let the day I depart be
One day of storm
Hard blowing from the West,
My Soul to ride
On the Wings of the Wind
To its place of rest
Beyond the Horizon of Time.
Bad advice is never
In short supply,
At all times expensive,
Good advice is inexpensive,
A strictly rationed commodity.
Oh, Aged and weary year,
Like frosted flower
Thy petals close,
No repeat of time or further use,
Thine be a sweet repose.
The past is dead,
The future dark,
Yours is the present
Use it well.
Laziness is an awkward burden,
Heavy and fatiguing,
Cast it from you
Some other fool will take it up.
A tablecloth has many calls,
Covering a good leaf
To prevent it being scratched,
Covering a dirty leaf
which should have been washed.
No one can be expected
To help you out of a rut
You step into,
with your eyes open.
Filth is cheap on any market,
Its Valuation nothing,
Filthy language in company
The Hallmark of bad breeding.
Where an honest shilling
Is to be earned
There you will find me.
A man in ragged clothes
Is no more a sign of poverty,
Than a well dressed man
Is a sign of prosperity.
Get all you may require
If you have cash to buy,
All you do not require
When you have no intention
Of meeting your obligation.
Greed is a canker of the mind,
An evil thing,
Thrift is a virtue
Whose praise we sing.
There is no refund for time
Lost yesterday,
The present hour is yours
You let it pass
It is gone forever.
If one has spoken about you
In a derogatory manner,
Take no notice,
A good listener is better
Than a bad speaker.
The Point so bright
Looked snowy white
From Coney Island Strand,
Knocknarea stood well away
Majestic, High and Grand,
Rushing Tide on every side
In Summer evening glow
Far away a path of Gold
Beyond the Ebb and Flow.
Have you ever felt that soon
You Die and be no more,
Have you ever wondered how
The world would carry on?
If you care to stop and think
While you stand upon the brink,
There is nothing unattended
When you're gone.
You bought what you thought was
Good, Yet turned out bad,
You were fooled,
Rejoice for Deep within you has been planted
One seed of wisdom.
Sweet Legnathraw,
Loved Legnathraw,
Where Minstrels Sing,
Among the sheltered Thorn,
Diamond Dew-Drops Amber Tinted
In the light of morn have glinted
Where Love and I were Born.
Here do fairest Maidens dwell,
Fresh blooms from some flowery Dell
Or Mermaid from the ocean swell.
Here lovers true a haven find
Glorious Youth, Nobly Given,
A happy home, Joy of Heaven,
In Sligo City.
How blind are those
With eyes to see,
How careless can the careful be,
Deep falling in the mud to lie
Deeper trampled in the rush
As men pass by.
No matter how great
The temptation be,
Always keep an eye on
Number One.
Play an honest game
Or do not enter,
Soon you will be taped
Right, Left and Centre.
Looking for fight trail your coat
Behind you in any town,
Someone will trample upon it,
Then shall you find
That which you were seeking.
Be thou a man with power to hold,
Chin-Piece high when you are called,
Dig and Plough, Reap and Mow,
Men of doubt, Thieves that go,
Hold within your breast
An honest heart,
Before all, Play a noble part.
Lonely the call of the Curlew,
Dark where hill mists meet,
Autumn inlaid leaves of gold,
Fairy lights grown ages old,
Where Rainbows Weep.
Time fades the script
Where on the deed is marked,
Fragrant through the years
The spirit lives,
Ambition, Triumph, Life's Reward,
Enshrined, For they who work.
If you cannot cultivate friendship
Never attempt to buy it,
A recurrent liability,
A step on the road to poverty.
If you shout loud enough
You shall be eventually heard,
Except by those who hear
Yet do not wish to remember
Having heard.
Youth grow up, Work and learn,
Keep the law while others scorn,
Pay all, No debts acrue,
Be to all as each would be to you,
Your face a light
Your way a guide to all.
Keep on digging
Something is bound to turn up,
Remember always you cannot
Get anything for nothing.
Have you fought an uphill battle
All through life,
Failed on the long hard road?
Then sit you down and rest
Beaten by the acid test,
Rise again and forge ahead.
How difficult to know
The correct thing to do
When confronted with an
Emergency,
How easy to know what one
Should have done
When the Emergency has passed.
Those who listen at their
Neighbours keyhole,
Generally hear something
Not always to their advantage.
Arise in the early morning,
When fortune scatters gold,
The Hallmark of Prosperity,
Trusted, True and Old.
Arise in the early morning
To ordered life and plan,
The flash and fresh of morning
Arise and be a man.
We offer thanks
Power of Powers Supreme
For all who suffered,
Suffer still and weep,
For those in death who sleep.
For every task pay and beg,
Let human instinct draw,
A wise man can break a leg
A fool can break the law.
Strife is a Bankrupt thought,
Bondage, Danger and Death,
Plant a rose of Love and Peace
In the heart of every man
Plant it now.
It is natural to have a high
Opinion of yourself,
Fly on the wing of imagination,
Others may think different,
If you are ignorant of the fact
You live in a fool's Paradise.
A snob will address you
When he is alone
Ignore you completely
When in company.
A lone tree in the Craiglands,
By someone planted there,
Leaning away from the wind
That blows, Year after Year
It buds and grows,
For all it is scraggy and bare,
A lone tree whispering of the past
Through Sunshine, Storm and Gloom,
Telling something stranger still
How Fledglings come
The nest to fill
Then off on the wings of time.
As you journey through life,
Keep an open eye
For pools by the wayside,
Covered with thin Ice.
If you think you can impress
All who have to listen
To your high Falutin Talk,
Then think again.
Health is still the sweetest Rose
Within Life's garden growing,
Tend it well, Too soon it goes
As tide and time keep flowing.
Some think they were born
Too Early,
Others think they came too late,
Not a thing can be done about it,
Blame the darned thing on fate.
Goods in short supply
command a high price,
Honesty is still
Within the reach of all.
What a waste of valuable time
Spent watching for the post,
There is always something to be done,
If he has an item for you
He will never pass your door.
All that is yours
Is the moment present,
The past is in the shade,
The future a blind road
That no man can see.
A far journey I have made,
By night and by day,
A far journey still to make
But I know my way.
The journey of life
A school to grow and learn,
Every mile has something new
Both good and bad,
The good to be forgotten
The bad to linger on.
Have you wandered through
The dark vale of sin,
Have you cursed when
It should be watch and pray,
have you struggled in the net
Misfortune always set,
Then swore you never would
Be caught again.
Old Age, When hearts tire,
Mounting steep stairs,
Upon each landing rest
A picture to admire.
For sixty seconds
Of what is good and best.
Fools stress themselves
In an effort to obtain,
Something which they know
Is not for them to have.
Years of study and learning
Are rewarded with knowledge,
Those who never learn
Imagine they know it all.
If every clock in the world
Was to stop,
Time would still go on
Such is the plan,
If you have something important
To do this day, Then do it,
There is a doubt about tomorrow.
Better to be born poor
At the foot of a mountain,
Then climb to the top,
Rather than be born rich
At the summit,
Then slide to the bottom.
If it rains to-day
The sun may shine tomorrow,
There is joy and sorrow,
Then something called hope
To make life worth living.
How wise are they
Who their own business mind,
A fool instructing all
How things be done,
Yet nothing does himself.
Good deeds you accomplish
Fade like morning dew,
The bad you do
Locked in the grip of memory
Ever fresh and new.
The greatest of all
Downward pull,
Is that which is generated
By living
Over and above your means.
Whatever you may accomplish,
Or the task that may be set,
Never trust a rotten rope
It brings worry and regret.
What is outward show,
Naught but useless pride,
Like a pebble in a stream
Wearing out with every tide.
Never expect compensation
For advice given to another,
When that other is aware
You are not fit to advise
Not even yourself.
Bad News, Like a snowball,
Grows as it rolls along,
Good News, a lamp without oil
Flickering for a time,
Then is gone.
If you do not believe in anything,
Respect those who believe
In something,
Then life, Short as it is
Shall be happiness for all.
If you think that my Bees
Gather more honey than your Bees,
Do not be despondent,
My Bees have better flowers,
There is a reason for everything.
By listening to what the
Other man has to say,
Then only shall you learn
To whom are you listening.
If you blot your copy
on the way up,
No effort will ever remove
That stain,
The Ink that caused it
Shall not dry in your lifetime.
Looking at the task too long
Before making a start,
Never made things easy,
It may sharpen observation
Yet blunt the ardour.
Respect the private life of
Your neighbour,
Shackle your tongue,
Take a look down your nose
Ask yourself one question
Am I honest?
If you have never accomplished
Anything worthwhile,
Make an effort,
Try it now,
Without a beginning
Nothing can be finished.
If you steal from your neighbour
That ill-gotten gain
You add to your store,
Shall breed privation,
Your character is lost,
All that is left of you
Is the scum of society.
There is fear in every man,
He who is afraid of work
Is a coward indeed.
No man has a right to tell
A skilled tradesman
How to do his work,
Even if he thinks
He has better qualifications.
Time is ebbing away,
There is much to be done,
Work and keep working
On talent hidden within,
Such shall be lost to all
When buried with you.
Peace is vanishing
From the mind of man,
Seek it and restore
Happiness and Goodwill
To every Hearth and Home.
Yesterday, gone forever,
Hail bright new day,
Hate buried deep within the dust,
Every heart a flame of love,
Bend your body to the wheel
Learn from all, Take and give,
Progress must be honest labour
Hacking through some hidden core,
There you find the better seam
Then you sell the better ore,
Toiling through the days ahead
Climbing with a noble pride,
Life is like a Merchantman
Upon a flowing Tide.
The confounded liar
And the poisoned pen,
Have wounded social life
In many a Townland.
Tis not the poor alone who beg,
Stoop so low to pick so little
All upon charity depend
For victory in life's battle.
My town One Hundred Years Ago,
Hardware shops at every turn,
Tinkers clipping Tin,
The eating shop and Barber,
Whiskey, Rum and Gin,
Banks to hold your capital
Bills to lend it out,
Medical and Legal Aid
For Gitters, Crime and Gout.
To-day I hail thee, My City,
From Wattle Hut of long ago,
Upon a river bank, A Shelly Shore,
There to herald by birth and time
A City and commercial power,
Master minds, Honest Men,
Charming Daughters Fair,
Craftsmen skilled in every art
Where can I seek for more.
Health is still our greatest wealth,
Guard it as years glide by,
Surpassing every worldly thing
Truth that only Fools Deny.
A man who cannot amuse himself
Is poor company for others.
Vandalism, Seed of evil mind,
Whatever may befall,
Burning Beds and Blankets
The County pays for all,
He who never broke the law
The County he must pay.
One step in the wrong direction
May start you on a journey
From which there is no return,
Think and be careful.
Every Flower that blooms,
On every path,
Every Bird that sings
On every Tree,
Is the way to Heaven.
If you have good health,
With only a Shilling in your pocket,
You can be classed
Among the richest of men.
Keep your eyes open,
The path of life is narrow,
Long, High and twisted,
Tread with care.
Snobbery and class distinction
Are evil things,
To which no human being
Has a right,
For all the final path
Is through a graveyard gate,
There alone is found true equality.
If you think that all
You set out to do
Has been accomplished,
Think again and think well,
Something may have been forgotten,
More important than anything
Yet Accomplished.
If you remain idle
While your neighbour works,
You have no hope
Of ever achieving anything.
There was a time
When only Bulls and Buck Goats
Seeing their reflection in a window
Had an inclination to smash it,
We live in changing times
Better or worse.
All should pay their lawful debts,
Before they dare to spend
and enumerate their assets
When tempted for to lend.
Spread that which is good,
Close thy mind
To all that is bad,
Good news, a slow advance,
Bad new, Fire before the wind.
All the perfume
In all the world,
Could never obliterate
The Stench of Pride.
Keep an eye on your business,
Keep your nose clean,
Respect your neighbour,
Take no notice
Of what he is doing
Or what he is not doing.
Never thing that when you die,
All things must stand still,
Nothing of the kind takes place,
Only a fool would think it will.
If you think you have knowledge
A few steps on the village street
Will convince you on limitation,
There you meet someone
There you are enlightened
On something you thought
Never existed.
Time wings its way
Stern and bold,
No man its onward march can stay,
Sure is the end
Yet not foretold,
When life and soul
Shall fly away.
Weary the heart that is longing,
For a cottage home so dear,
In the flowery days of summer
Or dark of winter drear,
Naught can man find sweeter
On the whole world wide,
A realm, beyond contentment,
Your own fireside.
If you think your bread
should be buttered
on both sides, You are living
In a Fool's Paradise.
Death is like a railway station,
Just changing platforms,
Then continue your journey
It's as simple as that.
If there is one thing
In this world
That lends itself to ugliness,
That thing is a drunk man,
But only in the absence
Of a drunk woman.
The journey of life
The greatest charity walk of all,
The human race are entered
Happy in the knowledge
That in the end,
All shall meet The Master Sponsor.
Here is my village
Here is my home,
My land and my river
My tree, Hill and stone,
My youth and my age
Wherever I roam.
If you are not on speaking terms
With the whole community,
Then you have no idea
Of what it is to be happy.
Peace at any price is not real,
Perfect peace is by agreement
One community with another,
True peace can never be
Bought and sold.
In evening glow a dying year,
Pass on as was to be,
Time an endless roaring flood,
The Gorge, Eternity.
Be more than careful
when you cross the threshold
Of a New Year,
Where paths are strange.
The largest dump on earth
Is that wherein is cast
Broken Resolutions,
Made when the year is new.
If you have a Gander,
Someone will give you a Goose,
If you have nothing
No one will give you anything.
In every fool
There is wisdom,
In every thief
There is honesty.
The old and wise
Keep saving on,
For youth to spend
When they are gone.
When all relations desert you,
An asset still is with you,
For help and comfort,
The kindly Honest Neighbour.
High spring tide
I rest but for a little while
My task and time allow,
I must be rolling on the ebb
Or rushing on the flood,
I rise from the dark
Of the ocean,
Tinged with silver spray
When my task is completed,
I steal myself away.
Oh happy life for those
That nothing do expect,
Happy also those
Who do expect
And receive something.
Put it on the long finger,
Where good intentions fail,
A system old as time
And haunting still.
A man drunk unlocks his mind
To expose the thoughts
Held in bondage,
Through years of sobriety.
You may not court wings of fame,
Knowledge is a mystic power,
Honesty the highest name,
Joy of heart unknown and poor,
If he be a Lord or King
Or some stately office fill
Seek him if a beggar low
That you labour higher still.
If you can someone help
To cross a stile,
By placing not a stone
Upon the path,
One day shall you be helped
and hope shall not be vain.
Loved ones depart and fade,
Passing friends go far away,
You shall not wait alone
By night or day,
While you command respect.
Fire can destroy
All that is written,
Iron, Steel and Stone,
The words you speak
For good or evil,
Can never be obliterated.
Rest not while the task
Is half done,
Stick it out to the end,
It is then and then alone,
You find prosperity.
In all things be moderate,
Never exceed the limit,
Which is the very extent
Of your known capability.
Honesty unrewarded
Will germinate
The seed of dishonesty.
Time shall heal the wound
Of love Frustration.
A creeping fungus
Of heart and mind,
Yet seldom fatal.
A vehicle gliding by
With mileage big,
Where age is passing young
Yet playing well,
Like many things
We buy and sell,
A rotten egg
Can have a perfect shell.
I seek not from any man
A leg-up on a stile,
My hope is with
The wise fools,
The honest rank and file.
When you think
Everything is right,
Many things may be wrong,
For perfection
Keep struggling along.
The highest interest
Is interest paid by old age,
For time borrowed
From the bank of life.
Behold the lamp of Heaven,
Over mountain high,
At evening time
When day is done,
In the fullness of its glory
Mellowed, Song and Story,
The golden Harvest Moon.
It is a long hard race
The race of life,
With many an obstacle,
Happy in the knowledge
The last stretch home
May be down hill,
We hold the course.
The prosperity of honest men
A permanent fixture,
That of the dishonest
But a shooting star.
Oh, Could I have my youth again,
That joy of childhood play,
Mother singing her love to sleep,
Twilight fading away,
Furze in Bloom, A singing Bird,
The Ocean wild and grand,
Cloud at rest on Bulben Head,
Rain on Rosses Strand.
Wild Youth ever seeking fight,
Like a Pocket Battleship
Runs for shelter
When heavy armour is sighted.
All who serve the public
Serve a hard taskmaster,
Rights and wrongs
Watched by the unseen eye
Scathed by many a tongue.
Life can be a torture
Almost beyond endurance,
Far and few are they
Who wish to give it up.
I wish that I could speak
My thoughts of love
To her alone,
Sweet evening light
Grow dim and fade,
I wish that I could rest
Alone for ever
By some lake shore,
To dream of love
And wake no more.
Nothing has yet been discovered
To cleanse a tongue
That has been coated
With Obscene Language.
If you observe a Crow
Perched upon a tree
In your garden,
Perhaps there is an Egg
Upon the grass.
If something on your mind
Warns you are not going straight,
Change direction at once,
You could hit a Rock
And Flounder.
A lonely man is he
Who never tasted wine,
The greatest ever known
Could Drink, Rest and Think,
Their secret, Moderation.
There is no bad day,
Every day you are alive
Is a good day,
Only yourself and the weather
Can make it unpleasant.
All are born equal,
All Die equal,
It is during life
The germ of inequality
Breeds within you.
Fools lend good books
To the wise,
Who in their wisdom
Never think to return them.
Active youth reclining in a pew,
In a summer crowded church,
A Senior Citizen stands
Leaning upon a stick,
In this selfish age.
There is nothing to be gained
Minding the business of others,
While your own
Is being neglected.
You will never get all
That you wish for,
You will get most things that
You work for,
The choice is yours.
My flesh is weak,
Yet weakness gives
Strength that ever shall endure,
The hardest task
Is filled with joy,
The spirit nothing can destroy
Or break a heart that lives.
If you think you have
Acquired much learning
Hold your horses,
Soon you shall discover
What you know is but a fraction
Of what you thought you knew.
Are you doing the right thing,
Stand a minute and think,
Something may warn you
That what you are doing
Is the wrong thing to do.
A dog wagging its tail
Is not always
A gesture of friendship,
You eat and drink too much
Then you have to suffer,
Try moderation,
The best pill you ever swallowed.
I will sit and rest me
When my task is done,
Smoke my pipe for peace,
What is work but fun,
I shall take my trusty spade
Shoulder it and sing
The blessing of contentment,
Hail, Welcome Spring.
If you cannot do anything to help,
Then never do anything to hinder.
On every Continent
In every sphere,
With every race
In every land,
The honest working man
A tower of strength
Shall Stand.
Every living thing
Upon this earth,
Has a right to exist,
Even a Rat,
Each has a task to do
Nature planned it so.
Times have changed
Since boyhood days,
In the rush
To build and plan,
The Barber still
Has his pound of flesh
From the poor
Bald headed man.
Youth tread with care
The path of life,
High passion and low moral
Can bind you in a net
Of your own spinning.
Obscene language can add nothing
To the power of conversation,
Yet it can subtract much
From the speaker.
Be wise as others
Think you are,
Yet act the fool
Talk and shout all day long
Yet nothing say.
Every moment idle spent
Is a moment lost,
There is no market for used time
Age has a short day,
The day of youth is long.
Poverty and health
Are good company,
Poor health and riches
Never pull together.
Never go out of your way
To do an injury
To your neighbour,
There are those
Who do just that,
One may wonder why.
Far better toil all day,
A fool will kill time,
Much has to be done
So little time to do it.
Respect and Understanding
Between man and man,
In this age
Is sadly out of tune.
What a heavy pack to carry,
This burden of laziness,
Cast it from you now,
Some other fool
May take it up.
The seed of hate when sown
Keep spreading ever on,
Sow Justice, Peace and love
In every land and clime.
Take heed of the word
From the herald of peace,
Walk in his footsteps,
First in our land
To bless and pray,
For all who pass
But once this way.
Our hope is in the future,
The past is gone forever
Where only memory can see
Through the dim light.
Youthful days my child
Are sweet,
With a loving smile to greet,
Wonders of the world to meet
In Autumn time.
Whatever you do,
Wherever you do it,
The unseen eye is upon you,
Man is never alone.
Men of my day
Who laboured well,
Now dim by mildew of age,
Threshing Flail, Iron Spade
By which the lives of men
Are made,
Pass on to rest
Die, Rust and Fade.
Lay me to sleep
In The Rosses
With friends I loved and knew,
Far from my lonely birth place,
Where comrades now are few.
There is but one road
Long and straight,
For all to tread,
Every step is honest
Every milestone true.
Truth is something good,
A lie is distortion
An evil thing,
That never should be spoken.
A dark and empty grate,
A cold hearth stone,
Oh, many a maid is loved
Then left alone,
From days of joy
To nights of sorrow,
When love has vanished.
Not now but always,
The whole year through,
Respect a good friend
Steadfast and true.
Keep on sweeping,
When dust is gathered
Sift with care,
There you find your diamond.
Time came with a sickle
At dead of night,
Mist from the depth of age
To strangle a dying year,
then cast it away
On eternal wing,
Through measureless time,
A journey of no return.
Life is full of lame ducks,
Help where help is needed
Not all who seek are lame
And journey on
Under their own power.
When health is good,
Though your barrel be empty
And your wallet slim,
You are rich,
When health is gone
And your barrel full
Your wallet stuffed,
You are poor indeed.
Let a ticking clock remind you,
Life is but a one way road,
Time keeps rushing ever on
Shortening every step upon.
The greatest battle of life
The battle of old age,
Never a hope for victory,
Retreating in good order
To unconditional surrender.
Eighty years of wandering
Along the road of life,
Many miles between,
Shelter by a Mile stone
Neath a thorn bush,
Watching the world pass
Begging for extension.
When you are young
You long for old age,
Think you are missing something,
Think again, A day comes
When you wish to be young.
You never missed a thing.
Every day that God
Gives you life,
Do something good in return
For such a gift.
Turn ever to your place of birth,
In trouble, strife and fear,
Seek a blessing from the Lord
For home and kindred dear,
All good is born in honesty
Be upright, straight and true,
In all things a fair return,
Then all shall give to you.
Society is poluted
By the begrudger
Whose vision is so poor,
He cannot read his own mind.
Now in the cool of evening shade,
When the flood of time is full,
May I upon a bridge of gold,
Repose when all are still,
Where silver salmon sport and play
And glide the swans of yore,
When all that once was life to me
Is gone and lives no more.
Granny like an old worn broom,
Still sweeping tidy and clean,
Giving good example to all,
By word and deed.
Grandfather old and worn,
A machine beyond repair,
Vast knowledge of what to do
And how it should be done.
What you think is a friend
Can become an enemy,
Your blood relations
Turned sour are desperate.
Life is a long trail
With many a turn,
Many a hill and hollow,
Danger lurks at every step
Yet we live it
And regret our departure
Even for promised joy.
They who seek a loan
From you and get it,
Seldom wear your carpet
Or speak well of you
In conversation.
Many a Maid has fallen
By the wayside
For many a promise made,
What are passion promises?
But tender flowers that fade.
Memory is never bad
It is painted that way,
But only when you have
No wish to remember.
Give me the restless sea,
A long shore and seaweed.
Sand Dunes and grass green,
Rest and dream of love
I shall never ask for more.
If you cannot keep
Your conversation clean,
Keep your mouth shut -
Only then you command respect.
Where there is no joy
There is sorrow,
Where there is no love
There is nothing.
Time stole away
My love from me,
By day so bright
With naught to leave
But dark Bleak Night.
When you are in love
Respect your position
Honour every promise made
Outside the bond of marriage
There is no Right-Of-Way,
You are a Trespasser.
Give me the girl I love
Bind her to me forever,
Give us truth, A Home,
Children, Health and Work,
Then all the hunger
In my heart shall vanish.
Forgive and forget every ill
That may have befallen you,
Thank the good Lord
Who gave you life to live
And numbered you
As a child of His.
A grand clock perched
On a steeple high,
Never works fast or slow,
Guiding its people
Honest and good,
In the historic town of Raphoe.
Let all the human race
Put on the armour of patience,
It is a virtue
Never let it pass from you,
A gift that is priceless.
If you have no shooting rights
It is wise not to trespass
On the property of another,
For hares or any other game.
A cruel heartless man is he
Who deserts a girl once loved,
Leaving her to rust
On the scrap-heap of life.
A lie must be decorated
Well told and polished,
Truth is plain talk
With no artificial touch.
When we pass from this life
Let us be rich or poor,
We take nothing with us,
Leaving behind only a memory.
The time you spend
Doing good to others
Is time well spent,
What was a poor reward in life
Is a gem in a crown
That one day shall be yours,
In a life that shall never end.
It is the company you keep
Not the clothes you wear,
That mark you as a light
In the community you serve.
The kindly honest working man
With wife and children,
A happy home and health,
No King could ask for more.
Golf - When shall we have a local star?
Champion of the west,
Someone charged with stamina
And talent for the test,
One may shine in future years
No way there is of knowing,
Or has ambition vanished?
While winds of death were blowing.
Primitive man polluted not,
His life, Wild and Free,
Nature in supreme command
Told him how things should be.
It is easy to read,
It is pleasure to write,
Be careful when you speak
Lest you utter slander,
An illness hard to cure
could last a lifetime.
What makes an Alcoholic Sick?
The consumption of Alcohol
Not taken in moderation.
First you court it,
Then you become engaged,
Then you marry, Take it to bed,
Then you hate it and find
Desperation without hope.
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