It always was a wonder
Magical for a child
To ride a train in darkness
To enter Wales so wild
To come into a station
Harbour right beside
Everything in darkness
Dark the water wide
Chalk upon our cases
Walk the gangplank high
Come into a world of light
Lounge and bar to try
Steep steps up and down here
Cabins there below
Narrow beds to sleep in
Soon to dreamland go
Sometime in the night time
Engines start to bowl
Backing from the solid pier
Now the waves will roll
Sweeping through the Irish Sea
Ploughing through the night
Till that magic waking time
And a wonder sight
Up on deck and by the rail
Fresh air in our face
And there the hills of Ireland
In their majestic grace
And after breakfast nourishing
Out again to see
The harbour arms that welcome us
Familiar Dun Laoghaire
This for us not going away
This is going home
Back to where we came from
Time and time again
My father loved that yearly trip
To land upon that shore
And in old age he voiced his heart
I’d love to go once more
Anglo-Irish is the game
All my life I’ve played
Perhaps I’ll go again this year
It’s been too long delayed
Brian Fahy
9 January 2022
Erris Poetry 