Monday, March 10, 2014

Ireland

Resharing this early poem, 'tis the season! Newly added reading at the bottom.



My heart belongs to Ireland, green isle across the sea--
oh Ireland, dear Ireland, why do you call to me?
Oh lovely land of ancient ruin and mystic Celtic lore,
of leprechauns, and fairies, and swans along the shore;
of northern causeways made of stone where giants once did roam,
of poets and of famous saints who called this island ‘home;'
of thund’ring waves against the cliffs, and wind upon the strand--
even non-believers must surely see God’s hand.
White sheep dot the patchwork fields along the winding road,
rainbows sail ’cross dampened skies and promise hidden gold.
‘Tis here the gift of eloquence is but a kiss away,
and there’s naught quite so lovely as sunset on Galway Bay.
But sure’n it’s the people so warm and filled with grace,
with lilting voice and open heart, that makes one love this place.
Oh Ireland, dear Ireland, green isle across the sea…
you took a piece of my heart, and now are part of me.

This poem comprises everything that I love about this country.
© Ginny Brannan 2010
Photos: Ginny Brannan - Above: lace stone walls near village of Cong, County Mayo, Ireland
Below: O'Brien's Tower, Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland, 2006

8 comments:

  1. Beautiful. So much to love in this piece..I long to go to Ireland. My mother's maiden name was McCleary.

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  2. Ginny! Awesome rhyming verse- capturing for sure all of the Celtic mystery of the emerald isle! Being a 'mcpherson'- the Irish clan- this totally appealed to my celtic roots. And perfect for st paddys day as well. Makes me feel grateful have all the wonderful countryside that we do over in this part of the world!

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  3. Ginny~ Absolutely beautiful... this should be on a plaque hanging on the wall, or in a card... I hope to go to Ireland someday as I have Irish blood in me (Sullivan was my mom's maiden name).

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  4. Ginny,
    My ancestral (but not so distant) name is Foley, from Cork. This 'feels' Irish in every line and every reference. I hope to get there soon myself.

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  5. As I was reading this, I just knew you had been there! I'v been away from blog-land for three weeks and I can't wait to catch up on your poetry... I really love the seemingly effortless way your write. :)

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  7. The flow of rhymes is just amazing...powerful use of words creating vivid pictures of Ireland's splendor...true poetry...truly poetic!

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  8. hey you...this didnt pop up on my dashboard earlier this week...its lovely...i hope to one day visit ireland myself...a bit envious...smiles

    thanks for asking on dad...he is home. doing well. probably more than he needs to be doing, but...smiles.

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Thank you for reading my poetry and sharing your thoughts.