All Of Those I Went To School With Poem by Francis Duggan

All of those I went to school with now looking the worst for wear
And those of them who are not using hair dye must have much gray in their hair
And some gone to the Reaper and others from Millstreet live far away
Whilst others in Duhallow have chosen for to stay.

All of those I went to school with now long years beyond their prime
And whether we like it or not we must bow to father time
Their grandchildren near their prime of life and time ticks on and on
And since I was a young fellow many Seasons have come and gone.

Most of those I went to school with I have not seen for years
But for my fading memories I do not feel moved to tears
We went our separate ways in life perhaps never more to meet
And many of us live distant from Duhallow and Millstreet.

But the lark still carols above the rushy fields where the Finnow waters flow
Where I first fell in love with Nature far away and years ago
And the cock robin sing on a leafy tree with the sun on his red breast
And the female pheasant in the high grass is sitting on her eggs in her nest.

Many of those I went to school with are scattered far and wide
Far from the old fields far away and their home countryside
The wanderlust in their young hearts though the years have made them tame
And nothing lasts forever and nothing stays the same.