The Journey
- 5 days ago
- 1 min read
While the fledgling nation was stumbling
Nora and Robert boarded the Montnairn,
sailing into the oceans buffeting,
headlands fading but memories remain.
They had to leave the plain of the springs
on the old chariot road lined with willow,
the love from parents pulling heartstrings,
clasping hope like a crocus in snow.
Their ancestors had fought in the struggle
and thousands had memories of eviction,
with the civil war streets full of rubble
and the Great Famine still haunting the nation.
Born in a cottage with a handful of acres
their mothers lean over a half door, waving,
surrounded by stone walls and potato ridges,
while over their shoulders ancestors are weeping.
Leaving to build a life in a young country
where work and toil were never far away,
their noble values they nurtured tenderly,
were passed down and shine brightly today.
Gerard B Reidy