Mountain Fire Heroes Poem by Francis Duggan

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.

On a bleak night in March in the dark and the cold
The line by the State wood they bravely did hold
They fought with the fire in het up to their knees
And saved sixty acres of forestry trees.

They risked life and limb for wood owned by the State
And in the mouth of danger their courage was great
And they saved the State coffers many thousand quid
But will the state thank these men for what they did? .

I was talking to one man Con Sullivan by name
And he played a big part in the fight with the flame
A courageous fellow and shy of renown
There's brave men in Clara west of Millstreet Town.

He told me how the fire swept into the wood
And how he and his comrades their ground bravely stood
One acre of timber burned blacker than coal
But somehow they brought the fire under control.

Their hands and their faces from smoke burned black
But they came out winning and beat the flames back
They displayed true courage and a steady nerve
And a medal for bravery these men deserve.

Jer Mahony has cause to remember the fire
He dropped a few thousand in valuable wire
And all due to carelessness of one burning gorse
With fire deal with caution no need for remorse.

Of singing their praises I cannot resist
Those men who come top of unsung heroes list
At Claramore wood on a bleak night in March
They saved sixty acres of spruce, pine and larch.