I Left Claraghatlea Poem by Francis Duggan

The roadways of life i have been up and down
Since i left Claragatlea west of Millstreet Town
And only the memories with me now remain
Of what used to be and will not be again

Time does not wait as the wise one does say
The girls and boys of the fifties have known of a better day
Those i went to school with four decades beyond their physical prime
And like me too have become the victims of time

I would be a stranger to many today where the waterways meet
In the green countryside by the Town of Millstreet
Where i was known to many three decades ago
Long before time it did become my foe

In my visualizations i now only hear
The male snipe oe'r the bog in the Spring of the year
Flying to and fro in a courtship display
After sundown on an evening in May

Other migrants are no different to me
On that they too have their memories of what used to be
Each have their own memories for to enjoy
Of their younger years as a girl or a boy.