Ode to John Devoy, a Forgotten Hero
by Kyra Fitzpatrick
A forgotten hero it has been said
Was born in Kill at a time many tears in this country were shed
Just before the Great Hunger this child did arrive
And lucky for us Irish he was one who would survive
An immense grá for Irish freedom he held in his heart
And it was when he was young that he first made a start
In his quest to release us Irish from beneath British rule
He was beaten for not singing “God Save the Queen” in his school
Involved in three wars he was one of a few
To take part in all conflicts and see their goal through
A Republic in their beloved homeland they could agree
Was progress for the Irish to not have to bend the knee
Unfortunately for the crime of treason he was tried
And he served three years before he was exiled
Along with four other Fenians on The Cuba he went
And the rest of his life in America he spent
While exiled in America his work did not cease
For his homeland and kin still had no peace
To the Irish diaspora he sent a patriotic plea
To aid their beloved country and finally be free
The money he raised all went to the cause
And even though exiled he still came home without pause
To deliver some money into a Fenian brothers hand
Which would aid the boys in freeing their land
In 1876 he came up with a plan
To rescue six Fenians who were part of his clan
He sent the Catalpa to the Australian shore
To bring the men back to America, oh the British did roar
This man also played a role in funding the first sub
Which was to be used to deliver the Brits a good drub J.P. Holland had invented the Fenian Ram submarine
The intention to attack the UK with this mighty machine
Sadly for John he never did marry
But a love for a woman in his heart he did carry
In later years when he returned to his land
He met with this woman and again held her hand
Alas time had passed and they were both of an age
Where a marriage was not possible at this late stage
But they spent time together reminiscing the past
And talking about a possible peace in Ireland at last
In 1928 this Fenian passed on
And there was huge sadness in Ireland a hero was gone
In June ‘29 aboard the SS Harding he returned one last time
To his homeland that had shifted to a new paradigm
That John Devoy is a hero is without doubt
A man of immense standing with incredible clout
His whole life was dedicated to help us be free
And as a result in this Republic we no longer bend a knee.
Reproduced with kind permission of the author. Kyra Fitzpatrick participated in Poetry as Commemoration workshops in Leitrim County Library, Ballinamore, facilitated by Mary Melvin Geoghegan in October and November 2023.
This poem was inspired by a meeting with a descendant of John Devoy.