Autumn Night in Arva

by St. Mary's NS, Arva

The Autumn leaves were falling

In peaceful Arva town,

All the people in the barracks

Drinking, smoking, playing cards.

But all of a sudden

Bombs banged on the roof.

Sergeant Curran rushed out 

Wondering who was coming.

 

He couldn’t see anything

The night was as black as coal.

In the blink of an eye, 

He was taken prisoner

By the Irish Republican Army

Before the remaining surrendered.

The captured policemen

Were delivered a bottle of whiskey.

 

Inside the barracks

All broken to bits,

Arva in tears, 

The whole building in flames.

Arva became lawless, 

there were riots everywhere.

Sergeant Curran moved on 

To another Garda Station.

Written by Rían Garvey, Nathan Johnston, Jake Montgomery, Finn Mulligan and Rastislav Pokuta as part of Poetry as Commemoration workshops led by Frank Galligan in  St. Mary’s NS, Arva, Co. Cavan, in October 2022.