The Redwings Return To Duhallow Poem by Francis Duggan

The redwings return to Duhallow when the trees and the hedgerows look bare
And the days they are wet and cold and windy with the nip of late Fall in the air
And the swallows to the warmer climes have gone they will be back by the mid Spring
When nesting birds on trees and hedgerows to defend their borders whistle and sing.

The redwings return to Duhallow when the rivers bank high are flowing
Through bare fields and by windswept hedgerows and cattle in the farm sheds for fodder are lowing
At a time of year when growth is dormant and the harsh cold of Winter is near
The chirpings of the redwings in the old fields are heard at this time of the year.

The redwings return to Duhallow when the salmon swim upstream to spawn
When the weather is getting much colder and few birds sing or whistle at dawn
Yet they come from a much colder climate where in Winter the fields and woods are covered in snow
And through the bleak northern Countries the icy winds from the Artic blow.

The redwings return to Duhallow in the cold and wet days of late Fall
When the blackbird with his feathers fluffed to keep the chill out sits silently on the garden wall
And the flooded stream from the high country is flowing rapidly down the hill
For to further swell the swollen river and the wind in it's breath has a chill.