Visionaries or Dreamers

by Catherine Lahiff

Visionaries or Dreamers? Were they brave or foolish, vain or humble?
In pursuit of an ideal or in search of glory, this lad they sought to free
But freedom won was freedom lost and they paid a heavy price.
And we, who owe them our liberty, how have we honoured their sacrifice
If they returned, how would they see the mess we’ve made of their legacy?

Reproduced with kind permission of the author. This poem was composed in Poetry as Commemoration workshops held at the Thomas MacDonagh Museum on 20th and 21st of September, 2023. The workshops were led by poet Thomas McCarthy.

Themes

1916 , 1916 Rising , 1917 , 1918 , 1919 , 1920 , 1921 , 1922 , 1923 , Civil War , English Language , War of Independence , Workshop Poem