Born in poverty in the midst of the famine
Evicted from his home when four years old
Lost an arm working in a factory aged only ten
Turned his mind to reading and learning
Joined the IRB
A burning cause inside him
To set Ireland free
Who wouldn’t feel the cause of liberty?
When oppression like potato blight
Has withered all you want to be
A one-armed waif
Astray in Haslingden
Condemned to fourteen years
He served full seven
Often in isolation
Fed on gruel
Took up the cause of every impoverished man
South Africa and Scotland
Wherever man eats man
And then back home the Land League
Landlords be gone!
Remembered now in Mayo
A proud Mayo son
And then he tells the painter
Do not take a side
After all his energy
Fighting far and wide
The old man saw a wisdom
Do not attack the foe
It only provokes rebuttal
Not the way to go
There was a wisdom that they found
Boycott is the name
If your opponent will not change
Have nothing to do with same
This the word of Jesus
Try to come to terms
If it fails withdraw your self
As if avoiding germs
Suppose now (here a hobby horse)
Suppose in ‘39
Instead of declaring war
We had bided our time
Have nothing to do with Hitler
But guard against his threat
And see what then becomes of him
When we stay out of it
Brian Fahy
20 September 2022
+ The teaching of Jesus is to seek agreements and peace, and if the other refuses, then have nothing more to do with him. Britain declared war on Germany when we were in no position to do anything about it, except be at war. We painted ourselves into a corner.
Erris Poetry 