The Paps Of Shrone Poem by Francis Duggan

Beyond Rathmore a few miles into kerry
Like sentinels they stand the Paps of Shrone
For countless centuries they've been together
And without each other they might seem alone.

I once asked old man why they called these peaks 'Paps'
His answer they look like woman's giant breasts
In Winter they look barren and deserted
But in Spring the skylarks on them build their nests.

From Spring to late Fall mountain sheep live on them
But they move inland when the chill winds blow
And by all living things the Paps deserted
Stand side by side in their white hats of snow.

The sheep farmers who lay claim to these mountains
Their fathers owned them in a bygone day
A legacy their sons too will inherit
And their daughters live in cities far away.

It has been said that the Paps are male and female
And that their children are the mountains all around
Too coarse and rough to live by inland meadow
They wear their bracken cloaks on higher ground.

They've been together through the timeless ages
And without each other they might seem alone
Beyond Rathmore a few miles into Kerry
Like sentinels they stand the Paps of Shrone.