The Night of the Re-Enactment

by Mary Mahon Taylor

On the 19th of March 2023, people came from far and near to hear
the story of the murder of a young Mohill doctor
Who lost his life on this night one hundred years ago
Doctor Paddy Muldoon was known for his kindness to the poor folks
of the town and countryside as well as for his Sunday night
card playing in the parochial house
On a starry March night
The click and clomp of his footsteps as he and his friend made their way home
echoed through the silent street
From the shadows the sound of a gunshot shattered the silence
The doctor lay still on the ground
With the last beat of his heart
and the breath from his lips no more
They carried him home on an old door
A young widow with three children and one yet unborn
was left to fight Church and State for Justice.

Reproduced with kind permission of the author. Mary Mahon Taylor participated in Poetry as Commemoration workshops in Leitrim County Library, Ballinamore, facilitated by Mary Melvin Geoghegan in October and November 2023.