Moylinney
by Rody Gorman
I’m in Moylinney tonight,
My stark-naked heart knows it,
I know the plain where my comrade
MacGonagall was once.
Once myself and the man from Clane
Were together on this plain,
Going to Drumlurgan at full speed
We had a little talk.
I said to the king,
Something something something something,
I want to go on a journey,
My wages aren’t worth a damn.
I took from him gratis
150 haltered steeds,
150 swords, stout and strong,
50 foreign cocks, 50 bondage maidens.
I took from him the best brown steed
That traversed terra firma,
I took his golden vest
And his girdle of chequered silk.
What plain is the equal of Moylinney
Except the plain in Meath,
Or Moyfevin with its network of crosses,
Or the plain in Argidross?
Or Moyfea, or Moylurg,
Or lovely Moynee on high,
Or Moyliffey, or Moylee,
Or the plain in Muirhevna?
Of all I’ve ever seen
Between the north, south and west,
I haven’t seen until this
The equal of this plain.
| Extract from forthcoming Sweeney: an intertonguing by Rody Gorman | |
|---|---|
Rody Gorman’s Sweeney, An Intertonguing is published this spring by Francis Boutle Publishers. The work is multilingual version of Buile Shuibhne, in English, Irish, Scottish and Manx Gaelic with lingua gadelica, phonemic pieces and round-trip translations. Pre-publication reactions to the work have been full of praise, with words such as ‘extraordinary’, ‘masterpiece’ and ‘magnificent’ used by more than one eminent commentator. Ed. | |
| Bás Gan Sagart | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Cuckoo! | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Curse | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Dear to me | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Fatal Shot | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Hag of the Mill | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| In Battle | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Madman of the Glen | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Moylinney | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| My Night In Kildervila | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Myself and Yourself | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| There | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Young Men | Poem by Rody Gorman |