Many Years Ago

Many years ago, in the Celtic land of Ireland Limerick was my City and I called it My Land Alive was what we were in every sport we played They kept us fit and busy, not many of us strayed It was parish against parish and the lines were drawn On the day of a game, fans were ready at dawn Songs about the parish, could be heard for miles around And those that had passed on could feel the shaking ground There were plenty of characters, who told their stories well But kept them clean and funny, not wanting to go to hell With a lot of wait to game time, they would meet for a jar In the home away from home, in the local public bar Hurling and Gaelic football were the recognized national games Rugby and Soccer were foreign and had the GAA in flames But to the fans, all was right and they loved all sports indeed Each game was discussed in the bar, no matter what the creed There was a Rugby match played one day, held in Thomond Park A team from Limerick was pitted against, a team from down in Cork It was a hard fought battle, as the fans kept up their cheer One player from the Cork side left the field, with only one ear Bandaged up quite nicely, He went looking for the telegram place To let the home town know who won, he didn’t want to loose face He formed the worded message, so they would understand the ravage So he penned: “We won the match, but I was eaten by a savage” So the home team lost, but the bars were still open They became filled up again with many signs of emotion Closing time at the bar, just created that extra strife Married fans homeward bound, must now meet the wife There was Mary Ann’s store, on Old Clare Street Where lots of pig’s heads were sold and also pig’s feet Many a marriage was saved, by the sign on her window aglow With a few simple words that read: “Take Her Home a Toe” Michael Christopher Daly April 10th,2008