Son Of Ireland

[ARTHUR KELLY]

“…Oró, sé do bheatha abhaile,
Oró, sé do bheatha abhaile,
Oró, sé do bheatha abhaile
Anois ar theacht an tsamhraidh.”

Padraig Pearse 1879 - 1916

Fool am I, to consider your words with mine,
But compelled by gratitude to voice credit;
My Ireland’s soil, warmed by your red wine,
So I may practice with this poetic merit.

Greater men than I, have written your name,
I do nothing more than what was said before;
Of martyrs made, when British cannons came,
And command of Irelands voice, you bore.

Easter 1916 you volunteers defied the crown,
On the GPO steps, declared Ireland a nation;
So many men, in six days, gunned down,
Forced you to rescind your proclamation.

It matters not, my ponders and wondering,
On how for your cause, you died alone;
Or how rebels since sing that summers coming,
For my Ireland has you set in stone.

A layman, not teacher or barrister, me,
Nor schooled in languages or political will;
But here I stand on English soil, free,
Equal in privilege and an Irishman still.

[Artemis]

Exalt! A beautiful tribute and it's great to know you have strong rootsand a sense of home still ..... lovely lilting lines just like I imagine your accent to be. There is no accent nicer than the Irish ..... I intend to go to County Kerry one day to visit the place of my family going back a couple of generations.

I really loved this poetry Arthur. As always it flows so easily with you and was educational and interesting. Hugs, Kerry xx

[Jamie~poetshare.forumotion.com]

More than a tribute, Kerry, this is an Anthem!

A layman, not teacher or barrister, me,
Nor schooled in languages or political will;
But here I stand on English soil, free,
Equal in privilege and an Irishman still.

That's just damned fined poetry, lad! (Got a little Irish in meself, too.)

*exalt!* The humble reverence you have comes through without sacrificing your spirit or pride. Outstanding.

[Harklight]

Fantastic story/history, Arthur. This, effortlessly, maintains flow and rhyme while building your glowing esteem line by line. The final stanza is a triumph! Thanks for including the Gaelic intro: though I don't recall seeing it written as such, it brought smiles from several Irishmen who tried to teach me the language. Nothing is more moving than the national anthem, sung in natural voices. Beautifully written piece. H x

[Jim]

I have thoroughly enjoyed this educational piece of fine poetry. there is a lesson for us all here
whether Irish or not. my mom was Irish. rhythm and rhyme here is highly appealing.


peace

[apocalypticjay]

What a brilliant poem, so filled with patriotism that it should be posted in every town of Ireland! In my opinion hehe, truly inspiring write, such depth and heart in this piece makes it a joy to read! I would like to nominate this for spotlight, absoulte brilliant writting!

I owe you an Exalt!