Thirty-Two

from island corner, big Antrim lad to Belfast city, a tiny pad shattered windows, tilted clocks Goliath had lost his socks gargantuan giant going mad Armagh apple girl, any topic she star-gazed past the misanthropic vantage point, two cathedrals Gullion top, polyhedrals planetarium, telescopic from county Carlow, wee caitlin girl one of three sisters, gave you a twirl ancient bridge, River Barrow very long, she was narrow her lordships' capital waters swirl our Cavan man was miles from the sea at the Shannon source, that's where he'd be soaking wet for goodness sake each day, a different lake the Breffni county had fish for free there was a wee girl from far-off Clare just like The Burren, she made you stare Shannon Airport, her homestead banner county, father Ted her turloughs flowed from Cliffs of Moher there was a wee man from county Cork culinary city, knife and fork stuffed his face, his Mizen head sorrow and hope he was fed around Kinsale, then, off to New York one from London, the other, Derry these two wee men were very hairy bendy bridge across the Foyle really worth the stress and toil? their Sperrin looks wet and scary there was an eejit from Donegal climbed up Muckish, had a great fall the scree slopes of Errigal still alive, it's a miracle his Malin head had no sense at all this Dublin girl, she lived all alone yes, you guessed, it's our Molly Malone from Howth to Dun Laoghaire she wobbled very weary pushed her wheel-barrow, skin and bone there was a wee man from county Down lost in the drumlins wearing a frown city edge, mountains of Mourne disappeared where he was born the Strangford Narrows, acting the clown Fermanagh woman, she had two men both called Erne, she was comedienne took off like flying-boat held aloft by petticoat Atlantic in sight, fell short again a pretty wee gal from Galway Bay such savage beauty she went astray whether Corrib, whether Mask Connemara man to ask to Inishbofin she played away bad-tempered Kerryman lost his ring by the Killarney Lakes he did fling butt of jokes, very cruel Dingle-berry, Carrantouhill his MacGillycuddys reek and sing a wee woman from Kildare, of course the equine county, she rode a horse the Curragh and Church of Oak Hill of Allen, met a bloke fell from her mount far into the gorse wee Ossory cat from Kilkenny he lived in a castle with many his marbles were off the grid on festival floors they slid lost them all, he couldn't find any wee lad from Laois, brains short of an ounce escaped from jail hard to pronounce he was nailed into a crate trickling blood betrayed his fate and the Garda were ready to pounce Leitrim lad took drink by the flagon very short coast, very short wagon went inland to buy a boat all-aboard, beer for his goat so raised a glass, Carrick-on-Shannon a Limerick lass, she made you think five lines she wrote, then, ran out of ink first, second and fifth must rhyme shorter third and fourth are fine but must keep their rhythm, all in 'sync' canny Longford girl made you shiver banjo playing by Camlin River she was 'trad' with bluegrass hair a fortress town, country fair tinkled and plucked, she did deliver talkative lad from wee county Louth he robbed a bank then, headed down south stopped at Dundalk to have a drink Garda grabbed him in a blink that Drogheda jail did shut his mouth wild west playboy from county Mayo did for his dad, very own say so he's a Westport dreaming star left the pub at Castlebar shoe hanging out his Ford Mondeo a wee Meath girl, she was very slim from Navan or Kells or was it Trim? crawled into a passage-grave all by herself, very brave one leg out, you can still see her limb! there was a wee lad, Monaghan boy sibling Virginia, she was his joy dressed up in his sister's clothes sexy Clones, no one knows 'cept over the border, Auchnacloy a Tullamore kid from Offaly he played around so awfully he zoomed right in on Zara next kissed his cousin Clara then cuddled Brosna unlawfully this Roscommon girl was very rare she came from Boyle, had very long hair web below her knobbly knee bank to bank across Lough Ree wrapped up her men, eight legs in the air this Sligo boy, no good at countin' he spied some girls down by the fountain one, two, three, how many more? his favourite to adore he chased her up Benbulben Mountain Tipperary lass, a long, long face then, she won the Grand National race cheered from Lough Derg to Cashel from Nenagh down to Clonmel loud bells were rung for her steeplechase a Tyrone joker queued for his tea Coalisland brew under a yew tree made a pole, whipped their asses fifteen balls, such big glasses all for his Ma and a tidy fee Waterford lass, many followers from crystal glass, many swallowers toast to the oldest city Viking girl, very pretty pelmet made from many polymers Westmeath chancer, at boot of his car some hooch for the folk of Mullingar also, Athlone, had some grog illegal still from the bog a smiling man who smoked a cigar wee Wexford lady was on the beach collecting pebbles within her reach the sea, then stole her ardour he left from Rosslare Harbour lifted her eyes and started to screech! a wild Wicklow wag went to play the Arklow shoreline and on to Bray Sugarloaf, Lugnaquilla Glendalough, wee tequila back to Greystones, he's had a good day