Pat Mangan's Last Letter

by Mario Corrigan

Patrick Mangan wrote to his mother: “I am to be shot in the morning. I fought for Ireland and am sorry I could not do more… I have made my peace with God and was never so happy as tonight.”

I
The Chaplain called out ‘Mangan’, from Fair Green in Kildare Town
For tonight’s, my last night on earth, there’s thoughts to be wrote down
Loving Mother, don’t you cry, you raised me to be a man
And if I must die, I’ll gladly die, for dear old Ireland

II
When you read this letter, I’ll be dead, I’ll be shot tomorrow morn
I fought the fight for Ireland, I’m sorry I could not do more
Don’t worry about me, I tell you now, I’ve made my peace with God
I was never as happy, I’d rather die, than live in this bad world

Chorus
Sing-a-song for the men of Mooresbridge, the Rathbride Company
We could not betray the cause we loved, that all Ireland would be free
Mangan, Nolan, Bagnell, Moore, O’Connor, Johnston, White
And don’t forget our friend Tom Behan, comrades in the fight

III
Remember me, in your prayers, make sure the mass is said
Father Donnelly says, we’re heaven bound, the sacraments he gave
So Goodbye all, give my friends my love, tell them not to mourn
And ask the children to say a prayer, for us on Christmas morn

Middle 8
No songs of hope for Ireland, no gallant marching tunes
No glorious hymns for martyred dead, when a funeral dirge must do
For the truth is this, that hearts will break, when they sound the pipe’s last call
And volleys fired o’er Fenian graves, won’t ease the pain at all

IV
I love you father, dearest mother, Mary, sweet Maggie
Jane and Chick ‘n darling brothers, Mick, Bill and the bold Tommy
What’s done is done, I’ve no regrets, I hold no one to task
But think well of us and all who died, it’s the only thing we ask

Chorus
Sing-a-song for the men of Mooresbridge, the Rathbride Company
We could not betray the cause we loved, that all Ireland would be free
Mangan, Nolan, Bagnell, Moore, O’Connor, Johnston, White
And don’t forget our friend Tom Behan, comrades in the fight

[Last line strung out]
We pledged ourselves to Ireland, for this we gave our lives.

Reproduced with kind permission of the author. This poem was composed in Poetry as Commemoration workshops held at Newbridge Library in January 2023. The workshops were led by writer Debbie Thomas and archivist Karel Kiely using archival material from the Curragh Internment Camp.