My father loved that easy Irish way
It made him smile and laugh on holiday
1950s Ireland smiling best
Away from war and fighting and the rest
He’d struggled all his life some place to find
Where life was good and people always kind
The dank and dark of pit life was his chore
The war brought stress he wanted something more
But going back to Ireland made him smile
He drove the roads of Mayo every mile
He loved their easy ways their take your time
How wonderful if this could just be mine
That yearly break was over all too soon
The bus to Ballina we had to take
The Dublin train was waiting there at noon
On our way we’re passing field and lake
At Mullingar we halted for a spell
And daddy stepped outside to have a smoke
Tow men were shaking hands to say farewell
One climbed up the other to him spoke
Clearly one was heading for the boat
For work in England like so many more
The other there emotion at his throat
Bid him farewell with words now family lore
‘Goodbye now da-cent man’ was what he said
My father heard while watching from afar
It touched his heart both comical and sad
The men he saw that day in Mullingar
Brian Fahy
14 April 2021
Erris Poetry 