Mourne men on song as Kingdom hoodoo unbroken
Ye know the air already.
Mourne men can sing it with joy tonight.
Kerrymen never will. Grateful Corkmen, of they are brave enough, can sing it in Tralee.
It has a relevance to the Curragh of Kildare as well. It will make me a fortune in royalties.
It deals with an unbroken hoodoo in the football championship down the decades. It is deliberately entitled THE MOUNTAINS OF MOURN!
“Oh Mary this Dublin is a wonderful sight,
We’re cheering all day and we’re drinking all night,
O’er the Kingdom we still have the Indian Sign,
No matter what plans and what plots they design,
We won by six points and it could have been 10,
It will be a long time ere we see them again,
They’ve retreated to Kerry but no Reeks will they see,
Just their Mountains of Mourn weeping into the sea.
“They may be the Kingdom when it comes to the rest,
But they just can’t match us in a championship test,
They’ve tried and they’ve tried and no doubt will again,
But our Indian Sign works in both sunshine and rain,
They come up from their Reeks in their green and their gold,
But we send them back home feeling empty and old,
And as it always has been so it always will be,
As their Mountains of Mourn weep into the sea.
“Over 50 years pass and they can’t break the jinx,
We’re inside their heads now with MacCartans the links,
With victories past and with victories new,
Five times we’ve met and their five teams we slew,
They must fear our black knicks and our chests of maroon,
As their nightmares made flesh and the end coming soon,
Though they conquer the Liffey and the banks of the Lee,
Still their mountains of Mourn weep into the sea.
“Mick O’Connell, O’Dwyer, hardy Páidí Ó Sé,
They all took us on in the teams of their day,
But the brave Kevin Mussen established it all,
Bursting out from the back with big armloads of ball,
Lennon shackled O’Connell, tough old Micko was quiet,
At the old Railway End James McCartan ran riot,
Paddy Doherty, our hero, was a thorn in their side,
As the great Tony Hadden through their backs he did glide,
Little wonder when Down came in decades to be,
That their Mountains of Mourn wept into the sea.
“Seamus Moynihan came and Seamus Moynihan went,
A whole raft of Sheehys their energies spent,
A clan of Ó Sé’s and O’Sullivans bold,
Yet all down the decades our hoodoo still holds,
They can win in the League and can win at their ease,
But in championship clashes they’re brought to their knees,
They are often the champions and kings of the town,
But when they meet us they are always torn down,
Little wonder the Reeks under thick mists will be,
As their Mountains of Mourn weep into the sea.
“They’ve sent out great teams now never you mind,
Shaped by Micko and Páid in every design,
Some strong down the middle and fleet down the wings,
Fitzgeralds like young eagles and Sheehys with stings,
They have forwards like Cooper with goals in their eyes,
Giants like Donaghy with four-foot long thighs,
They have Walshs, McCarthys and Sheehans with style,
They have full-backs who can kick a wet ball half a mile,
But when in old Croke Park our black knicks run free,
Their own Mountains of Mourn weep into the sea.
“We now have a team that can go all the way,
Kerry once more dispatched and placed in the “Out” tray,
A MacCartan afield in his youth and his prime,
And another as coach on a skilful sideline,
If O’Neill was a gem then Benny Coulter we’re told,
Is now worth at least five times his own weight in gold,
We’ve a Gordon, a Clarke of great promise and pride,
A Rooney,a Poland who is just a blur in full stride,
We have even a King for the throne yet to be,
As the Mountains of Mourn weep into the sea.
“Goodbye to you Kerry you’ve a great reign,
No doubt at all but you’ll be back again,
It’s an honour to beat ye for that’s the big test,
Apart from ourselves sure ye beat all of the rest,
Now have a good rest and enjoy an odd jar,
Without looking behind when going into the bar!
Ourselves now we’re training to vanquish Kildare,
They’re delighted we hear that its not ye that’s there,
Sure all Ireland is pleased that new champions will be,
Since the Mountains of Mourn weep into the sea.”
* Contact: cormac66@hotmail.com
