Rural Ireland's dead and gone, The outlook here is stark, The place deserted as my old home, A village that once sparked Electric in its industry, Its pubs are closing down Which lately rang with jollity, Its shops too, and the sound Of farmers at the creamery Every morning will be son Nothing but a memory; Houses in a ruin, Their families in exile, Spoil the Tidy Town, Paint and varnish flaking while Their lawns are overgrown. No guards in rural Ireland, No priest in every church, No youth now to work the land, Useless to search For comely lads and lassies Dancing at crossroads, We're in a state of chassis And children and the old are all that's left in my old home, The place has lost its spark, Rural Ireland's dead and gone Abandoned to the dark.
Gabriel Fitzmaurice has consolidated his golden work into a collection which spans his years as a poet. A Farewell to Poetry is a testimony to his mastery of the craft. It is a selection of poems for both adults and children, poems in the Irish language and poems translated from Irish.
