School: Clochar na Trócaire, Cinn Mhara

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1. Local Poets (continued)

   

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   keep out the water. He pressed the coat firmly with his heel but alas! he shoved the whole plank out of the boat. Then the occupants of the boat were swimming for their lives. Some of them swam ashore, but there were nineteen of them drowned - eleven men and eight women.

   Raftery composed his songs and poetry in Irish. He belonged to a poor family, and in order to provide for his parents, and in order to provide for his parents he went around the county playing on a violan and singing.

   The local people of the county looked upon him as wonderful because long ago there were very few poets in the county. On winter nights Raftery visited some of the houses in the vicinity of Kileenen and he recited for the people. The people loved to listen to him as he recited and sang Irish songs. When the days of Summer were long and bright he sat down on a large rock which is situated behind his own dwelling. It was there he wrote about the disaster of "Anac Cúan."

   There were many other songs and poems which Raftery made and which are still sung locally by the people. Never will the history of

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. genre
      1. poetry
         1. folk poetry (~9,504)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Mary Leary

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Kinvarra, Co. Galway

   Informant

   Patrick Leary

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   70

   Occupation

   Oibrí

   Address

   Kinvarra, Co. Galway