The Ballad Of The Roe Poem by Liam ó Comáin

It begins on a rugged old mountain
And down to Lough Foyle it does flow
It’s my own fair wee salmon river
And its known by the name of the Roe.

It’s the nourisher of the Roe Valley
And my home town lies on its banks
When I see the trout jump at the Cove
To the eternal God I pray thanks.

As it flows here and there on its journey
It runs here and there all amok,
I’ve fished in its waters by the Dogleap
And by the inlet at the foot of Kane’s Rock.

By Pelliper, Carrick, and Largy it gently
Meanders along to where I’ve paddled
In its waters by the Wee Rock while
Listening to the blackbird in song.

Oh there are many fair rivers in Ireland
The Foyle, the Liffey, and the Lee,
But there’s none like that river in Ulster-
A life long companion to me.