Francis Duggan Heroes Poems

Though talk of war and death and such I do not wish to hear
To glorify war heroes we have the balladeer
The old men displaying their medals march on war memorial day
Though they look tired and weary now and they are old and gray.
...

If you have your own heroes well that suits me fine
But your sort of heroes will never be mine
For you sort of heroes they chase a football
And stories of their greatness you often recall.
...

The general public the legends create
The heroes or heroines we do celebrate
And if you wish to know what constitutes a hero or heroine ask someone other than me
For we all look at life one might say differently.
...

Our ordinary heroes wave their National flag
And of their patriotism so proudly they brag
By their type so often dreams of peace are destroyed
So much for the fervour of Nationalistic pride.
...

Our heroes and heroines we may love to recall
But do they believe in a fair go for all
If they are xenophobic or racist even in a small way
Any respect to them I for one never will pay.
...

True heroes are not sportsmen or sportswomen though some with that would not agree
And true heroes are not wealthy power brokers with a strong sense of I, myself and me,
'No' true heroes are the under class battlers whose battle is against the odds
The poor and the forgotten fringe dwellers and the people frowned on by the Gods.
...

Of war heroes so much is written and said
But for every living war hero there are a thousand war dead
And dead heroes and dead villians they all are the same
They will not hear you speak when you mention them by name.
...

Where many the mother did grieve for her dead son
The heroes of long gone battles that were lost or won
They believed they were fighting for freedom and National pride
But was it for freedom that they fought and they died
...

My heroes or heroines aggression they never do show
For their acts of kindness them we only know
For to help others out they go out of their way
They are the unsung of the World of today
...

For them in their Homeland no memorial or last post is ever played
And in their honour there never was a parade
The brave young Irishmen who fought in World war one
In their Homeland ignored as if wrong they had done.
...

Don't sing us another song tonight of soldiers in wars who died young
We need to hear something quite different of them you already have sung
The war supposed to end all wars long over though many wars have been fought since
That people die whilst shooting at each other hardly makes for good human sense.
...

I've never been a soldier or fought in war and I've been called a coward
Yet I would not bow to Australia's Queen or salute Johnny Howard
And if George W Bush or Tony Blair were driven down my street I would look the other way
Do not tell me who I should respect that is for me to say.
...

To have inflated egos their claim to renown
The macho male heroes of every town
They brag to their mates of their sexual prowess in the local pub
And are members of the young womanizers exclusive club
...

Of talk of celebrity multi millionaires and billionaires i quickly does tire
Since they are not the type of people that i do admire
For my heroines and heroes there is never a street parade
Though to the lives of the marginalized a huge difference they have made
...

In their young years they were fearless and proved themselves brave
But old heroes will only find peace in the grave
They still bear their old grudges against the old foe
That they carry from battles they fought in many decades ago
...

Sad to think that brave men and women are now serving time
In Countries where to speak against the government is seen as a crime
Such people are so brave as brave as can be
They have far more courage than not so brave me
...

My heroes and heroines are not celebrated yet they are compassionate and caring and kind
Their type are rare and getting rarer since to selflessness they are inclined
They work to help the poorest of people for love of humanity not pay
Yet for their work they are taken for granted and this does seem a sad thing to say
...

The celebrities and sporting champions and winners of Olympic Gold
And the World famed identities and entertainers whose stories in book form are told
Admired by the gullible masses and looked up to as great
But many of them more flawed than most are the people we do celebrate
...

Macaulay who wrote The Lays Of Ancient Rome
For his heroes did go a long way from home
For Horatius Cocles his hero huge odds not afraid to face
Was a legendary warrior of Roman Race
...

Of the praises of the heroes of war the patriots may sing
But war in itself is a terrible thing
And even victory in war comes at a huge cost
In injury to many for life and in lives that are lost
...

You never turn your back on the financially down
But you will never become a hero for helping the poor of the town
They make heroes out of soldiers and those who excel at football
But the names of good samaritans are never on any memorial wall
...

You never turn your back on the financially down
But you will never become a hero for helping the poor of the town
They make heroes out of soldiers and those who excel at football
But the names of good samaritans are never on any memorial wall
...

You never turn your back on the financially down
But you will never become a hero for helping the poor of the town
They make heroes out of soldiers and those who excel at football
But the names of good samaritans are never on any memorial wall
...

You never turn your back on the financially down
But you will never become a hero for helping the poor of the town
They make heroes out of soldiers and those who excel at football
But the names of good samaritans are never on any memorial wall
...

Your heroes are famous and wealthy and known Worldwide
And your feelings of admiration for them from anyone you never hide
On who you look up to with me is quite fine
But your sort of heroes will never be heroes of mine
...

They are not the type of people historians do recall
And their names will never be inscribed on any memorial wall
The women and men who work hard and live in the honest way
It can be truly said of them that they earn their every pay
...

To help others she does go out of her way
And she performs a good deed sometimes two every day
Without seeking recognition or reward in monetary pay
Yet not everyone of her has kind things to say
...

Of those who died brave so much written and said
But the cowards they are living and the heroes are dead
Equality only where dead people lay
And the cowards they have their gift of life today
...

Far beyond their home towns and their home countryside
The heroes to many are known far and wide
But the hero to many is not everyone's hero in truth one can say
Everyone does not love you life works in this way
...

Some ageing war heroes like to talk of wars they have fought in
Though many young men die for every war win
They wear their war medals on war memorial day
To honor their fallen comrades in lands far away
...

Of aging macho heroes many stories are told
But it is not a nice feeling to be getting old
You may wear a hairpiece or use hair dye to hide your gray
And you may use anti aging creams to hide time's decay
...

To see self professed local young male heroes you need not travel far
If you live nearby you need not take your car
On Saturday evening at the local public bar
Is where the macho young men of the town always are
...

Local sporting heroes are many they are not or were never rare
The cricketer and local tennis star and the town's best football player
They share one thing in common they know of local fame
Though they all do aspire to a far greater name
...

The winners are always the heroes in life it is always this way
The losers are quickly forgotten though a fine and sporting
game they did play
'Tis only a sport it may well seem where people chase after a ball
...

Broadminded in thinking and in their ways nothing small
My heroes and heroines believe on a fair go for all
Though not among the celebrated on their side of the town
You never do hear them put anyone down
...

Though theological reasoning is way over my head
The Pope is infallible on church matters 'tis said
But no such a thing as infallible when it comes to humanity
At least that's how it does seem to a cynic like me.
...

In times of pre history many centuries ago
What century or date none alive seem to know
Ferdi the top warrior of Maeve Queen of Connacht battled with Fionn Mcool
A legend we learned of in our days in school
...

I never was a Millstreet sporting icon or in any field of sport knew of renown
But I'm the one who is left to sing the praises of the sporting greats of Millstreet my Hometown
Many of Duhallow's finest sports people are from Millstreet they did the green and gold of their Club proud
In every Public Bar around Duhallow the poets and singers sung their praises loud
...

Only fools do sunbathe in the hot mid-day sun
But a wise one will say sir to the one with the gun
With a gun pointed at you under such circumstance
To be brave with your life would be taking a chance.
...

From Victoria's bushfires great stories we hear
Stories of great courage in the face of fear
Stories of generosity and selflessness of the catastrophe abound
When heroes and heroines are needed they are to be found
...

For people doing it tough they do feel sympathy
So blessed are they who possess empathy
For how others feel they do genuinely care
But sad to say their sort as ever seem rare
...

'Tis part of Duhallow and Sliabh Luacra history now how Sean Moylan and his men
Ambushed and inflicted heavy losses on the Black and Tans at Tureengarriffe Glen
Almost three decades before I was even born and all but nine decades ago
Since the heroes of North Cork and East kerry into the status of legends did grow
...

You like to talk about war heroes I'll take you to meet one today
On warm days he sits on a park chair from here in distance a short walk away
In him you may feel disappointed he is frail and aged and gray
He has blocked out most of his war memories of war he has little to say.
...

In cemeteries far north of here thousands of miles away
The heroes of my school going days in eternal rest now lay
They were not famous as fame goes their's was a local fame
But they felt proud of who they were and proud of their good name.
...

'Tis of the unsung heroes I wish to hear
Their names in the newspapers never appear
They don't seek the praise and they don't seek the fame
They keep a low profile few know them by name.
...

For to make millions in money should not be what life's about
For in a World of big business the good at heart lose out
And that you may be a millionaire does not speak volumes of you
If to the higher human principles you don't happen to be true.
...

Of singing their praises could one ever tire
Those brave men who took on the big mountain fire
Armed with sticks and shovels the blaze they did kill
That blackened the green face of old Clara hill.
...

Norgay the Sherpa along with Hillary the first to conquer Everest and it has been conquered many times since then
The Sherpas of the Himalayas the hardiest of men
And without their knowledge of the mountains Everest may not have been conquered yet
They are the unsung heroes and their achievements we forget.
...

It's something you hear often very often the words you cannot keep a good man down
But some of those who say that too will also tell you that many losers live in every town,
To them success it goes with fame and money for their heroes they do not look too far
They judge you by the side of town you live in and they judge you by your home and motor car.
...

It shouldn't matter if you win or lose
And it should only matter how you play the game
Be fair to others and give all a fair go
And never call another out of name.
...