John Joe Daly

He lit his pipe by cottage gate and blew a little smoke Another story to be told and we listened as he spoke And he took us back way back in time to when he was a young man To Civil War and further back to days of Black and Tan. A small sized man with winning ways he had a great memory And he had a great knowledge of all local history And his story of the death of the hero Paddy McCarthy with me will long remain Gunned down by British soldiers one dark night at Mill View Lane. He lived all of his life in Millsreet and had great stories to tell And he knew the history of Duhallow and his memory served him well As a very good historian John Joe Daly won acclaim But his stories unrecorded and that really seems a shame. He was one of cultural value but which so often is the case His gifts were taken for granted by most in his own home place And he knew the history of Duhallow but his stories with him died And to the future generations some thing great has been denied He lit his pipe and blew some smoke outside his cottage gate And a story from his younger years to us he did relate And he took us back to Civil War and days of Black and Tan And we gave our full attention to the old pipe smoking man.