3..Joe Mcdonnell (Post) - For All You Rebels Poem by Casual Diamond

My name is Joe McDonnell
From Belfast town I came
That city I shall never see again
For in that town of Belfast
I spent many a happy day
I loved that town in oh so many ways
For it's there I spent my childhood
And I found for me a wife
I ventured out to make for her a life
But all my young ambitions
Were met with bitterness and hate
I soon found myself inside a prison gate.

And you dare call me a terrorist
Whilst you look down your gun
When I think of all the deeds
That you have done
You have plundered many nations
Divided many lands
Terrorised their peoples
And ruled with an iron hand
Its you who brought this rein of terror
To my land.

Through those many months of internment
In the 'Maidstone' and the 'Kesh'
I thought about my land through out those days
Why my country is divided
Why I was now in jail
Imprisoned without a crime or without a trial
And although I love my country
I am not a bitter man
And I've seen cruelty and injustice
At first hand
Then one cold and fateful morning
I shook bold freedom's hand
For right or wrong
I tried to free my land

One cold October's morning
Trapped in the lion's den
I found myself in prison once again
I was committed to the H-blocks
For 14 years, or more
On the Blanket
The conditions they were poor
So a hunger strike we did commence
For the dignity of man
Though it seemed to me that no-one gave a damn
Now I am a saddened man
I've watched my comrades die
If only people cared or wondered why

May God shine on you Bobby Sands
For the courage you have shown
May your glory and your fame
Be widely known
Then young Francis Hughes and Ray McCreesh
Who died unselfishly
And Patsy O'hara, the next in line is me
And those that lie behind me
I know your your courage will be the same
I pray to God our lives are not in vain
Sad and bitter was the year
Of 1981
When I think of what I've lost
With nothing won.


(I'd recommend you listen to one of the song versions - Terry O'Neills my favourite) .