In Memory I Never Left Poem by Francis Duggan

In memory i never left west of Millstreet
And the green rushy fields where the waterways meet
And in fancy i often does hear the birds sing
In a leafy grove in the prime of the Spring

The great gift of memory is such a wonderful thing
And Nature's scenes from my younger years such joy to me does bring
It is with me today beauty that i have seen
Like bluebells in bloom on the ditch of a bohreen

In Claraghatlea where i first saw light of day
And where i used to live when my hair was not gray
Today many there would not recognize me
Some may even wonder who the stranger might be

Physically i have not been in Duhallow for thirty two years
And for my younger years i have shed my last tears
But Nature's beauty i have known in me does remain
And often in fancy i walk in the old fields again

In Claraghatlea i am one who did not stay
And who knows where i will live my last night and day
But i brought them with me the fields near Millstreet
Of the green countryside where the waterways meet.