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St Baithin's Hall

St Baithin's Hall - we see it now as it was in Harvest Nights of Yore,

With a country fiddler playing and Philip on the door.

The dancers came from many parts around St Johnston Town,

To shake a leg and dance a jig and swing a partner round.

 

The Herrons came from Carrigans, the McGlincheys from the Green,

The Gibsons came from Legnathraw, the Mitchells from Momeen:

There were Hendersons and Houstons and McGills from Classeygowan,

Lynchs, Blees and Bradleys and the Wards from Tullyowen.

 

There were toffy folk from Newtown and Maids from Tubberslane,

There were Dillons, McDaids and Sweeneys and Dohertys from Moness,

Coyles from Kinnycally and Mc Laughlins from Altaskin.

 

There were supplementary fiddlers from Binion and Porthall,

And Matrons watching debutantes seated by the wall.

We danced the country dances, we knew them everyone,

We sometimes followed fashion and danced the Charleston.

 

It is good to find some pleasures in our retrospective past,

For the years are mounting slowly and the hearses coming fast,

St Baithin's Hall has vanished, the dancers gone away,

Some of them are married; some moulder in the clay.

 

But when we meet in Heaven we'll go dancing there again,

And with a country fiddler playing and Philip on the door,

We'll skip through jigs and Lancers for ever more  ----------------- Amen

 

 

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