St Patrick's Day is approaching, when I, an old Galway boy marooned in the land of heresy and humbug, shall be hiding from the humiliating maelstorm of 'Stooge Paddy' hats, Guinnes and daft green gobshyte goblins. A bit of doggerel here to celebrate the passing of a spirit from the soul of the real Ireland, the Seanchai, vanishing before our eyes like the Cheshire Cat, leaving only laughter behind. Incidentally the Seanchai has been killed off not, as myth would have it, by the waning of the Gaeltacht, but by the increasingly sophistocated and intrusive policies of the Internal Revenue Services of The Irish Republic.
' Here's health to the Seanchai, our wonderful Gob,
When it comes to the tale yous the man f' the job.
God Bless our sweet Seanchai, we love you the best.
Let the Chieftains of Erin watch over your rest.
I heard the Seanchai, the Wizard with Words,
An' though sat on my arse, I flew with the birds.
For none save the Seanchai could conjure up flight
For a boy with a schoolbook full of English gobshyte.
Fintan Feillhan O' Rourcha; Thomas ' Talkin' Man' Toombes;
Liam Lip O' Limerick an' The Galway Boy, Brooms.
Whisper thunder you Seanchai, your tongues never fail
To summon proud ghosts from the heart of the Gael.
Now the Chieftains of Erin summon you from The Green,
To meet with them down at the Devil's Shebheen.
Go to them our Seanchai. Wear the Collar of Gold!
Feast in Tir na Nog, and never grow old.
READING TIP It sounds better after 32 pints o' powerful Galway treacle Plain.
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Written by neh205 (23 comments posted) 23rd February 2006 |
 very good.
great rythm
Funny but i also sense some true emotion in there too.
will re-read after iv had a few and see wot its like then too! |
Ta
Written by gerardconnolly (1186 comments posted) 23rd February 2006 |
My compliments to you. Yourself is most kind.
Slainte! |
Written by amboline (183 comments posted) 28th February 2006 |
I like this a lot - a great combination of nostalgia and defiance, and with a wonderful sing-song lilt to it (I'll just have to imagine the effect after 32 pints though!  ). My only minor criticism is that the rhythm stumbles in the last line of stanza 2: "a schoolbook" just seems like one syllable too many. Apart from that, good one, and your very good health sir! |
BUIOCHAS!
Written by gerardconnolly (1186 comments posted) 1st March 2006 |
Thanks for your time and kind words. You are of course right about the extra syllable, but I have to confess I rarely write or read poetry and this was literally thrown together while waiting for my wife to put on her warpaint! It was spontaneos and I deemed it inappropriate to alter it. I had been exercised somewhat by seeing a TV advert featuring the very worst kind of leprechaun offence. Worse. TEN TIMES WORSE! IT WAS FOR THE IRISH TOURIST BOARD!!! [Bord Failte].
Thanks again and I will try to return the compliment to yourself, though my comments on any poetry come with a health warning.
Slainte |
Read It Drunk
Written by IPFaulkner (83 comments posted) 26th May 2006 |
Took your advice and read it after a bottle of red wine. No idea whats going on but, hey, I can nearly see bits of Ireland from Ayr and tomorrow we have a free Burns festival in town so tonights just a practice.
(Know what you mean about the plastic paddy stuff - Scotland has more than its fair share.)
Promise to read this with more care when a little more sober.
IPF |
Take a sclog...[Medicinal]
Written by gerardconnolly (1186 comments posted) 27th May 2006 |
Many thanks. I'd forgotten this. Do enjoy the Burns Festival. And don't go doing anything silly like trying to swim to Ireland. The Guardai have been issued with rubber boots to assist them in dealing with illegal immigrants. [True]. Irishmen in wellies eh. Who would have thought it.
Slan! |
Written by Fledermaus (3506 comments posted) 10th September 2006 |
A nice poem. I'm not realy familiar to poetry, but since most of your works I read so far are about these seanchai I wonder:
Is there an Irish poetic sytem behind this English poem? |
SEANCHAI!?
Written by gerardconnolly (1186 comments posted) 10th September 2006 |
Bit part, Ol' Mouse.
I'm suprised you seem not to have head of the Seanchai. You English!!! Typical!!! No view beyond Bournmouth. [If you are English]. Only joking.
Slan! |
Terrible isn't it?
Written by Fledermaus (3506 comments posted) 10th September 2006 |
Quote:
I'm suprised you seem not to have head of the Seanchai. You English!!! Typical!!! No view beyond Bournmouth. [If you are English]. Only joking.
Worse even... I'm trying to learn some Irish!
I'm shocked: My dictionary (a small paperback, but still...) lists nothing between 'seanbhailéad' and 'seanchailín'! And that while, I gather from your stories, they're such an important part of Irish culture 
What I meant by my post though was if you applied an Irish rhyming system for this poem. I'm certainly not an expert in poetry, but from what I have seen, most Irish poems apply pretty complicated systems. |
Slainte!
Written by Talisker (1336 comments posted) 27th November 2006 |
Terry Wogan, Eamonn Holmes, Dermot O'leary...They slew the Seanchai as sure as if they had put Polonium 210 in the stout.
Oli |
The Bard of Ireland
Written by Marybarry (237 comments posted) 29th January 2007 |
The Seanchai is not extinct as long as Irishmen like yourself live and write. Its the new form of oral story telling is it not??
Ta gra mor agam duit.Gerardconnelly.
The internet Seanchai, is yourself.
Marybarry |
nil a bhuiochas ort...
Written by gerardconnolly (1186 comments posted) 6th February 2007 |
Just caught this.
Thank you Mary.
My compliments to you and your kind.
Slainte!! |
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