19th December, 1923: My Father is Released from Tintown ‘2’
by Úna Crowe
I search through the train’s speed
for a glimpse of the Curragh
where you boarded,
your one-way ticket to Thurles
and Uncle Paddy’s suitcase
in your hand.
Gifts from jail –
silver shillings and half-crowns
pounded into brooches and rings –
Taras and Claddaghs.
Aunty Mary wore hers: 40 years
married to a Cause!
Home, for your mountain Christmas
knowing Freedom
is a state of mind.
Some had forgotten you,
and many who remembered
showed you
the back of their hand.
Reproduced with kind permission of the author. This poem was composed in Poetry as Commemoration workshops held at Tipperary Studies in March 2023. The workshops were led by writer David McLoghlin.