Francis Duggan Poems

The mountain roads are so steep in New Zealand
For miles and miles they just wind up and down
You crawl down hill and labour up the steep slope
A sixty miles slow drive to nearest town.
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It's a long way from Australia more than twelve thousand miles away
From County Cork and Ireland and the fields of Claraghatlea
But Mick Kelleher made that air trip he returned on holiday
And though the journey proved quite tiring he enjoyed his three months stay.
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She had no chance of finding work in Bena so she left home when she had turned eighteen
The bigger world out there to her was calling and like they say the far off hills are green
She moved to Richmond close to busy Melbourne and she now works as a teller in a big City Bank
Only a year in her job and she has gained promotion and for her success she only has herself to thank.
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Willie Neenan from Millstreet
What a marvellous athlete
Twenty years in time have gone
Since he won a world silver medal in San Juan.
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Along the war Avenue of Honour a plaque to a dead soldier nailed to every tree
Brave young men who died in battle their reward for their bravery
They died in the war said to end all wars in the killing fields of World war one
But many wars since and far too many bloody battles and peace in the World not yet won.
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There are thousands of homeless children in Beijing in China though that is not suprising to hear
For where there is a huge population there is poverty too 'twould appear
And China to anywhere else is no different the rich getting richer they say
And just beyond the leafy suburb is the suburb of neglect and decay.
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He is just a lazy bugger one who sits on his easy chair
Whilst we have to work for our living and support one like him on welfare
And whilst we are working our butts off he sits at home every day
So the conservative minded people amongst themselves whisper and say.
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We only hear of war and terrorism and crimes against humanity
In the World news headlines every day on radio and t v
Systematic abuse by so called soldiers on their prisoners of such we hear and see
And history repeats itself or so 'twould seem to me.
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Her son Denjoe will be thirty four on the eve of St Patrick's Day
And it makes me feel that I am old his mother Noreen say
But Noreen Murphy got it wrong and with her I don't agree
As in a recently taken photograph she looks quite young to me.
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The Peace Women drum on their peace drums in hope that the war men may hear
The war men who wage war on others the influential bullies who live far from here
The bullies who wage their so called war on terror who themselves are responsible for brutal acts of shame
Yet the bombing and murdering continues despite the blame and counter blame.
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