Dedicated To The Memory Of Irene Mccormack Poem by Francis Duggan

They dragged Sister Irene and four local men to the Mountain Village Square
And after a brief sham trial the five were murdered there
Found guilty by 'The Shining Path' of helping those in poverty
Another shameful episode in human history.

On behalf of the Sisters of St Joseph such a fine job she did do
For the poor of Huasahuasi in the mountains of Peru
She gave alms to the needy and taught their children how to read and write
But the dark forces of evil took her life just out of spite.

In ninety one when she was in her early fifties on the twenty first of May
The terrorists came to Huasahuasi at the twilight of the day
And on Irene McCormack and her co missionaries they shed some of their hate
How come such good and caring people met with such an awful fate? .

Far from her childhood home in Kununoppin Western Australia more than half a World away
Amongst her beloved people the bones of Irene lay
Her dying wish to be buried where such great happiness she'd known
Near her beloved people who now claim her as their own.

To her corporal works of mercy to the end she remained true
And her soul will live forever in Huasahuasi in Peru
She did not seek power and glory and she did not crave pomp or fame
Just to help the poor and needy in life was her only aim.