29 10 322 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Traditional Songs, poems, and stories Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource First Mass Author: Martin Power Subject The topic of the resource Those frosty morns from long ago When I'd go to serve first mass Are as vivid in my memory Though many years have passed. I still can feel the bite of cold When my feet would hit the floor As I leave behind the warm bed And the old post office coat. And heavily buttered homemade bread And sweetened cups of tea Upon the kitchen table Would be waiting there for me, With my mother ever smiling As she buttoned up my duffel coat And sprinkled me with water From the font beside the door. I'd scare away the crafty crows That were picking at the cream, Then out the gate and down the street As I'd hear the church bell ring. The roofs are covered white with frost, The morn is crisp and clear As columns of smoke from early fires Rise straight into the air. I'd make my way down Pearse Road And along the slippy path I greet the early morning risers On their way to work or mass. A sweet smell from the sugar plant Drifts across the morning air As I hurry by the Croppy Graves And on towards St. Clare's. With my hands tucked deep inside my coat And my chin tucked in as well I hear the dogs along the Terrace Howl in rhythm with the bell. I hear the murmuring of the Rosary As through the chapel door I pass And I start to set the altar In time for early mass. Description An account of the resource In this poem Martin remembers some of the sounds, smells and sights of early winter mornings as he walked Graigue (cullen) to serve at first mass. Carlow Town Pride in Place Religion Social Comment Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Songs written to old Celtic Melodies Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Carlow's Hallowed Grave Author: Martin Power Melody: The Caramagnole Subject The topic of the resource In Carlow town there is a grave That lies beyond the bridge at Graigue; It's the resting place of Carlow's sons That fell before the Saxon guns. CHORUS And hallowed ground this grave it be Where once there grew three mighty trees Planted there for remembrance sake For the sons that fell in ninety-eight. In Carlow town that fateful morn The men assembled at the dawn And marched as one through Carlow's streets To fight and set their country free. But their daring plan had been revealed And the foe, they had themselves concealed. And as the men marched bravely on The order rang, the trap was sprung. 'Twas the Cork militia began the slaughter Caused by Yellow Jim the traitor For he sold the lives of those brave men And the Judas coin his only gain. CHORUS And hallowed ground this grave it be Where once there grew three mighty trees Planted there for remembrance sake For sons that fell in ninety-eight. The yeomen set the town alight And murdered all who dare take flight, No quarter give the Croppy Boy We'll kill them all the Saxon cried. And when that terrible time had passed The dead collected and on carts were cast And brought across the bridge at Graigue And tossed into this lonely grave. Men and boys, six hundred all, In that dreadful time did fall. Their lives they gave for God and Land, Their resting place a pit of sand. CHORUS And hallowed ground this grave it be Where once there grew three mighty trees Planted there for remembrance sake For sons that fell in ninety-eight. Description An account of the resource The song remembers the massacre that took place inn Carlow town in 1798. It uses the melody of the Caramagnole, from the time of the French Revolution, and event that inspired the struggle for Republicanism in Ireland. Carlow Town Liberty Social Comment Social Event Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Traditional Songs, poems, and stories Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource St. Brigid's Day Author: Martin Power Subject The topic of the resource You've spread your cloak upon the earth And brought about rebirth. Now from beneath the frosted soil The snowdrop peeps its head, The linnet and the lark announce Your arrival with their song And tell us all that winter's over: Here comes the springtime sun. And snug within its winter nest The hedgehog starts to stir; It feels the heat of that springtime sun Warming up the earth. The woodland and the hedgerow The daffodils now dress As Nature fills the poet's pen With endless word and verse. The robin who has sung alone Throughout the winter months Is perched upon the garden wall And sings a different song. The others know of what he sings For they too are so inclined To seek a kindred heart as theirs With whom to share their time. You've brought with you a promise And a hope of better times, It's there amongst the budding trees And in the poet's lines, It's with the farmers in their fields And without across our land Upon the springtime breeze. Description An account of the resource The poem carries on the ancient Celtic festival of imbolg, marking the rebirth of the year. Before the Church imposed the feast of St. Brigid the imbolg festival marked the rebirth of nature, under the mantle of the goddess Brigid, of Danú. County Carlow Nature Religion Social Comment Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Traditional Songs, poems, and stories Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource St. Fiacc of Sleaty Author: Martin Power Subject The topic of the resource A bishop blessed by Patrick Apostle of Our Lord, You built your church amongst us And brought to us God's Word. In your penitent cave you knelt and prayed For forty days and nights That God would help us leave behind Our ancient pagan ways. With your brothers you preached the Gospel And spoke of God's great love, And how He gave His only son Who bled and died for us. You lit in us a Pascal flame That burns within our hearts; It's the Risen Christ, He guides us And keeps us on the Path. And still today we gather Beside that ancient cross And pray for those that have gone before Who carried on your work, And kept alight that Pascal flame You lit so long ago When you spread the seed of God's great love And nourished it to grow. That little church that you had built No longer stands today, But the message that you brought us Still lights and guides our way. O holy saint Fiacc of Sleaty Enthroned on high above We pray, and bless and thank you For bringing us God's love. Description An account of the resource The poem is a prayer to St. Fiacc who is remembered reverently as the bringer of Christianity to the Sleaty and Graigue region. Carlow West Religion Social Comment Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Traditional Songs, poems, and stories Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Maple's Limb Author: Martin Power Subject The topic of the resource A small cup of moss and lichen, Tucked away on a maple's limb, And five white eggs with speckles brown Are laying warm and safe within. And on that cup of moss and lichen Sits a goldfinch with colours bright, Keeping warm and ever protecting Her eggs of speckled brown and white. And why she chose to build her nest there Out on the maple's limb, For all around are children playing, Running, jumping, causing din. The maple grows within the schoolyard, It's not the safest place to be And I hope they haven't noticed That goldfinch nest up in the tree. For surely if they spot her sitting Up among the maple's limbs, Curiosity itself will cause them To climb up there and search within. And for a moment, tiny goldfinch, Your little secret's safe, it seems, But soon that nest will house a family Up there amongst the maple's limbs. Description An account of the resource The poem is a snapshot in time, noticing the small nest in a less than secure setting. Carlow County Nature Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Songs written to old Celtic Melodies Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Stones Keep Turning Author: Martin Power Melody: Biddy Mulligan Subject The topic of the resource The stones have turned in the rivers and streams and Patrick's Day now it has passed, The tinker has loaded his pots and his pans and his donkey he's yolked to his cart; He'll turn to the road with his family in tow in search of some work to be found And he'll wander the country to markets and they'll pitch their old tent on the ground. The sweep too has gathered the tools of his trade and bundled them into his pack, His brushes, his rods, his scrapers and cloths, and he carries them all on his back. He knows all the homes and the chimneys he'll sweep and the people all know him by name, For his father and his grandfather swept the same pots when he was but a wain. CHORUS So here's to men, those travelling people of old that help keep our culture alive, They carried our music, our songs and our tales and spread them the whole country wide. There were labouring men who travelled the road to work on the farms of the day, They helped milk the cows, they fixed harness and plough and worked in the fields saving hay; They gathered in turf for the long winter nights, brought stock to be sold at the fair And often they worked for the food that they ate and the price of a drink at the fair. They were fiddlers and poets and singers to boot and those who a story could tell, They brightened the lives in the homes where they played and brought news to the people as well. Their songs told the stories of legends of old, of heroes from Ireland, long passed, And without them our songs and music for sure would be lost in the far distant past. Oh, these were the travelling people of old that wandered the roads far and wide, They carried and shared our pure Gaelic ways and helped keep our culture alive. Their ways now are gone like the druids of old and progress has stolen their trades But we owe a great debt for the legacy left and our culture that still lives today. CHORUS Description An account of the resource The text, to the melody of Biddy Mulligan, is a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the people and ways of the past, and, to cultural practices now gone. Carlow County Social Comment Social Event Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Songs written to old Celtic Melodies Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Polishing Author: Martin Power Melody: The Garden Where the Praties Grow. Subject The topic of the resource Two sheets of old newspaper he would lay upon the floor, Then all the shoes he'd gather from the corner by the door And out would come the biscuit tin from underneath the sink, With the radio on and in his chair, the ritual would begin. He would first take out the laces and check the shoes for wear, He'd check the soles for any cracks, and the stitching for a tear, Then he'd tuck the laces inside the shoe for fear they get mixed up And he'd place them down from left to right, from the smallest right on up. He would pop the lid from the biscuit tin, take the contents from within, He would spread them out beside him in order to begin; A welt brush and a soft brush, some cloths for wiping down, Two tins of KIWI polish, one of black and one of brown. He might turn up the radio to hear the evening news And, starting with the smallest, he'd begin the clean the shoes; A good, stiff rub with welt brush to remove the dirt and dust And, if you want the polish to take, this process is a must. Then he'd wrap two fingers in a cloth and wipe some polish from the tin And round and round all o'er the shoe he'd rub the polish in, Making sure he got the polish deep inside the pores, Then he'd place them down for half an hour to dry upon the floor. Now, when they dried he'd take them and wipe the shoes again To remove the excess polish before the buffing could begin; He would always use a horsehair brush for bringing up the shine As back and forth he'd strike the shoe like a pendulum keeping time. And when the shoes were shining and all had been relaced He would sit back in the armchair with a smile upon his face, And then he'd say 'if the great flood comes and the Lord decrees we die At least when we get to Heaven our feet, they will be dry'. Description An account of the resource The Saturday night ritual of shoe polishing is described in detail in this memory of a family weekly event. Carlow County Social Comment Social Event Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Traditional Songs, poems, and stories Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Untold Joys Author: Martin Power Subject The topic of the resource To drink once more from Sleaty pump That cool, clear water of an August day And walk the road with childhood friends Past Sleaty church to Knockbeg weir And spend a carefree day again Without the weight of worldly woes And live again those happy days When youthful ways were to the fore Or to swing a club for eighteen holes In St. Fiacc's pitch and putt Upon a warm summer's day And smell the grass so freshly cut Or cast a rod at Webster's Lock And wait to see the rod tip twitch And hear the bell of St. Clare's church Ring out the angelus at six. To hear once more my mother's voice Say 'Well, how are you son?' Or Sunday drives in my father's car And hear him sing his songs, To watch my grandfather large as life From a saucer sup his tea Or gather in the family home And pray the Rosary on our knees. But these are childhood memories And precious though they be Are left back on the tracks of time And never more can be. But the train of life keeps rolling on And new people have come on board And creating memories now with them Brings joys that are untold. Description An account of the resource The poem is a collection of snapshots from times past, places and people now gone; but, we must continue to make new memories for ourselves and our loved ones. Carlow West Social Comment Social Event Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Traditional Songs, poems, and stories Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Those Fields Author: Martin Power Subject The topic of the resource Where I live now was once a field, Three fields away from where I grew up, And those fields to myself and my childhood friends Held a world of adventure for us. Those fields would be planted with barley, With beet , and turnips and hay, And it's there we played and we hunted And spent many a memorable day. We'd search the hedges for birds' nests, Make camps out hay and of straw, And we'd forage in Autumn for berries, Crabapples, for nuts and the sloe. With our faithful dogs we'd go ratting In the beet fields and hedges all day, And still to this day with fondness I recall The dogs from my childhood days. We'd set snares in the evenings for rabbits, In the mornings we'd go check our lines, And in the winter we'd go trapping finches With our calling bird, cage and our lime. In those fields we learned about Nature, We grew up with respect for the land; They were such a big part of our life back then As I grew from boy into man. Now, those fields are planted with houses, With garages, hotels and with stores; There's a road running right through the middle On which cars and lorries now roll. That life has changed is unquestioned And I'm not sure that's good or it's bad, But, given the choice to grow up now or then, I'd rather the childhood I had. Description An account of the resource The poem is a nostalgic memory of childhood activity in land now urbanised and modernised. Carlow West Social Comment Social Event Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Traditional Songs, poems, and stories Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Bombardier 37063 Author: Martin Power Subject The topic of the resource A warm, gentle breeze bends the bearded stalks of the barley That line the walkway to the cemetery, Inside the dry stone wall with its granite stone capping Yew trees stand among the headstones; Inscribed on those headstones are family names That have been spoken here for generations While others , their inscriptions have been lost to the ages; In the southwest corner stands a small, white headstone, Its inscription reads 37063 Bombardier P Nolan Royal Garrison Artillery 30th July 1917 Aged 30 RIP As I gaze upon that headstone, one hundred years to the day, I can't but wonder how he died or where he fell; Did he die upon the battlefield? Did he fall in no-mans-land? Was he killed alongside his comrades fighting for a cause they did not understand/ I wonder what brought him there, was he seeking glory or adventure? Or, was it poverty that caused him to join up to fight in a war to end all wars? That night we prayed for all poor souls, and the priest he blessed the graves, And we walked back through the barley field and went upon our way. But curiosity is a funny thing and it got hold of me that night For I could not forget the soldier lad till I learned of his sad plight. It wasn't bomb or bullet, or bayonet that brought him to his knees, But the deadly fear of fighting men, that incurable disease, The dreadful tuberculosis was the cause of his demise; It was the terror of the trenches for it took so many lives. 'Discharged, unfit for service' is what the army said, they sent him home to Ireland, his own war to fight instead. This was not a glorious battle, there was no medal to be won, But rather a slow and painful fight was to be his setting sun And in the Carlow workhouse on that beautiful July morn He gave his soul to God above, his battle bravely won. Description An account of the resource The reflection could be applied to thousands of wasted lives, in thousands of wars. In this case the 'casualty' was a young local man, another victim of wars made by others. The grave is situated in Leagh cemetery, not far from Graigue, Carlow. Carlow County Local Hero Social Comment Social Event