Mayo Alive May
1998
Endowment
sometimes i still hear him talking
the sound resonant in his strong chest
and i feel so safe and warm there
wrapped in memories i could never forget
he would tell me of caves and fairies
of a land that was cool and green
a place of myths and legends
held together by poor men's dreams
he would talk of the struggles they shared
for the land that they held dear
of it's people who lived and died there
and of those who fled in fear
i would watch as his dark eyes became somber
and i would feel the deep ache in his soul
then a smile would replace his dark mood
and somehow i would know
no matter, the miles between them
to this land his heart was bound
and this his legacy
his birthright
to me he was passing down
now, i tell my son of a faraway place
that i have never seen
except through my father's eyes
and my childhood dreams.....
For my father and mother, Stephen Henahan and Catherine O'Brien, and all the wonderful stories of Ireland they told their children, of her sadness, of her laughter, of her strength, of her great beauty and for letting us know the history of our people~
Margaret Henahan-Romeyn
Amsterdam, NY 12010
Towns and villages in County Mayo, Ireland
