YearsGoneBy©2021TonyFallon0303
On Sundays I rode my bicycle to Knockcroghery mass
From
my home in Barnacullen by the lake in Ballyglass
By Brehony's
Connaughtions and Coynes I rapidly wheeled
Then
madly on to Shrah through the Racecourse and Sandfield
At
Mattie Fallon's block factory corner there was a sign
Past
Healy's shop and Rogers Pharmacy
was a slight incline
On
by Curley's and O'Briens shops and Donaghue's forge
Partnered
by the Coyle brothers from Culleen Joe and George
I
passed by Jamesie's Pub
never thinking of a flat
And
gave a big salute to the popular Widow’s Pat
In
Gordon's you could use the phone or post a letter
And
stop often
too
in Flannigan's when weather was wetter
The
end of the trip was in sight as I passed the village Green
Where
I played some handball and football when I was a teen
I
never had to attend the school where Mister
Hoare ruled
Where
all the Knockcroghery and local children were schooled
You
would think from the priests sermons we all should be detained
For
he often sounded like our souls with mortal sins were stained
Heaven
was besieged each Sunday for favors by the devout
And
many a wayward young lad in the ear got a clout
According
to the priest there was no sitting on fences
And
if you should
die
in sin there were fierce consequences
Some
old folks nodded off like they were under hypnosis
On
the pulpit we were reminded of the laws of Moses
Of
course we heard the De Profundis which to us was unique
It was
read to us in Latin which might as well be Greek
The mass
itself wound up with a lot of bell ringing
And if there was
benediction we all wound up singing
This tradition was repeated
in Rahara and St John's
While the men dreamed of Guinness in the
local salons
As I sit here remembering I know I'm
reminiscing
When if you didn't show for mass you were classified
as missing
A simpler time for us before they put men on the
moon
And I don't think those simpler times will return to us
soon
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