Beneath Cnoc Daod

Cherry

By Turlough

Wed, 27 Sep 2023
  • 1405 reads
17 comments
 

 

Goose feather pillows fly on high

In countless shades grey, white and black

They fill the most colossal sky

Obscure a maze of time-worn tracks

Play hide and seek

With barren peaks

Caress the hillsides

Drench the land

Perchance the púca lends a hand

 

It's a soft day in Glenlough

Spikes of brilliance

Pierce the rain

There's a glow in the fields

Green becomes greener

 

A rainbow paints its mystic tones

On jagged teeth of ancient stone

Adorned with roaring wild cascades

The Mare's Tail's enchantment never fades

The tears of Ireland’s Highest Kings

Gush past wee fellows' magic rings

As corncrake croaks and linnet sings

A myriad of frantic insects brings

Sweet airs performed on buzzing wings

 

A home these days

To a hardy few with farming ways

And foreign types on holidays

And tribes of sheep

Who stand all day

In bog and peat

To eat and bleat

And stare and sleep

 

Two Celts came, hand in hand

From far away, an eastern land

Breton woman, Ulster man

Left their Balkan home a while

Crossed all Europe, a fair few miles

To replenish wild Atlantic blood

To breath wild air and chew wild cud

From uilleann pipes a welcome tune

The wail of the Banshee's lonesome croon

Laughter, songs and local craic

They'd missed the place

Grand to be back

The wind in the trees

The birds' refrain

These sounds all balm

For heart and brain

 

Turf burns

Moving closer to the hearth

Smoke fills the room

Fills my head

The purest toke

Nostalgic patriotic smoke

Stories of the faerie folk

Dónal grins and tells a joke

A Beara moon lights up the glen

And that's the time exactly when

My Irish tongue is loose and fast

From all the Power's in my glass

Swearing on the blood and bones

Of long departed Ma and Da

This heart of mine won't wander far

From Adrigole or Healy Pass

Sad our stay has flown so fast

We wrote a promise, nailed to our mast

This night in Glenlough won't be our last

 

Image:

Every image I use is from a photograph I have taken myself. 

On this occasion – The view from the kitchen window at Glenlough House near Adrigole, where Priyatelkata and I stayed for a most wonderful week.

Certificate U
Poem
Poetry in Commotion
Travel
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Much to set the scene. I had to look up some words!

As we've just had a few days in west Pembrokeshire, that we hadn't been able to visit for about 4 years, there was much with which I empathised. And we had wild weather, but then beautiful weather, very windy, to explore. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Turlough on

We thought we had all the rain but I suppose it's nice ot share.

I hope you enjoyed your stay. I'm sure you did. 

Turlough

Submitted by Turlough on

Dear ABC Eds... thank you very much!

Turlough

Submitted by marandina on

"A rainbow paints its mystic tones

On jagged teeth of ancient stone.."

A sweeping journey back to roots brought to life with great evocation. I could feel the lore running through the words. Glenlough sounds stunning.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Thanks very much Paul. 

But the best thing about Glenlough, that I forgot to mention, was total absence of wifi or mobile phone reception. Words cannot describe the beauty of the serenity that comes with being in such a situation.

Turlough

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

You've managed to catch the enchantment of your visit, and the mysterious legends in that third stanza which was magical to read.

I've never been to Ireland, but you've created such a beautiful memory in your poem that was fascinating to follow.. 

Thank you for sharing Turlough.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

They used to teach us Irish mythology at school but my school days were so long ago that they border on being mythology themselves so I've forgotten loads of it. But in a beautiful bookshop in Dingle I bought a a big fat hardback book of ancient Irish myths and legends which I am currently immersing myself in. 

Thank you Jenny for reading and commenting.

Turlough

Submitted by lenchenelf on

and quite lovely, what a super memory to have.

I'll bet the Irish tourist board would love this. it's now on my wish list of places to visit :)

best

L x

 

Submitted by Turlough on

The Irish Tourist Board are quite welcome to it. The just need to sign up to ABC Tales and it's all theirs.

Thanks very much for your comment. It's greatly appreciated.

 

Turlough

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

it sounds so wonderful Turlough - and all the photos elsewhere too. I have a friend from the South of France who visited Ireland in July. Every photo (and there were many) that she posted on social media involved pouring, sometimes driving rain and an expression on her face which is hard to describe

 

Submitted by Turlough on

It is indeed a wonderful place with wonderful people and atrocious weather. Nevertheless, we enjoyed every minute of our trip.

Now we are back home in Bulgaria. The weather is warm and sunny. All our jumpers, socks and long trousers are in the wash. We are enjoying every minute of this too.

Turlough

Submitted by celticman on

may the irish be in you. 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Aye, just a drop.

Turlough

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Dingle! That is near where we went on holiday when I was 5 or so :0) Everywhere, even where I am now, is tame by comparison. I do not remember the rain, only the brightness of the colours outside (probably rain washed!) and I do not even have any roots or rights of belonging there, but felt I was a needle found the magnet. Thankyou so much for refreshing my memory with your beautiful poem!

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Ah we were in Dingle about a week after we left Glenlough / Adrigole in Cork. All those rocky peninisulas down there in the south west are special places. However, we still prefer Mayo which is where we'll be going next year.

Thank you for your comment and thank you for liking Dingle.

Turlough

Submitted by seashore on

Lovely poem - can't believe you wrote that so soon after your return. How do you do it? I paint quickly but writing is a chore, draft after draft...

I'm still surprised you didn't bump into my ancestor- statues in Cork,Tipperary and Dublin...and possibly standing still in a field, sheep-like...in the middle of nowhere.

Submitted by Turlough on

Thank you very much dear Coral.

I wrote the poem on a piece of paper (I usually need electronics of some description) while we were staying in the cottage in Adrigole on the Beara Peninsula. It was a very wet day so it seemed the right thing to do. I copied it into the cottage's visitors' book before we left the place in the hope that future visitors will read it.

We may have seen your ancestor in a field but we didn't go to any big towns. Even in Dublin we only went to the airport which is a long way from the city centre and not the sort of place where you could even enjoy a walk. I'll try harder to find him next time.

 

Turlough