Castle Lacken far away
Forlorn and overgrown
Grey stone walled perimeter
Once a fine fair home
Set upon a rise of ground
A lookout on the sea
And lands galore to comfort you
What is your history?
Sherriff of Mayo in your time
Landlord of the plain
Roger Palmer the fateful lord
Cruelty your game
Drove the peasants off the land
If they could not pay
Your house is left a ruin now
Landlords have had their day
Haunting beauty found one day
Fifty years ago
Stopped the car and looked around
Fine estate I know
1912 is up for sale
Nothing came of that
1925 revealed
Every stone laid flat
The birth of the Republic
Laid these mansions low
Moore Hall put to flames
Sad to see that go
For Moore himself was fair to all
A help when times were hard
But Palmer and his like were cruel
Their home a house of card
The fields of Lacken quiet now
And gently rolls the sea
The beauty of this countryside
A special joy to me
But ruins now remind me
How humans spoil the day
When greed eats up all kindness
And turns beauty to decay
Brian Fahy
26 March 2022
Erris Poetry 