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Gillygooly vs Ballyhooley.

HUGH MORRIS

Tuesday, December 30th, 2003

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 T’ere was great excitemen’
‘Cause t’ Town o’ Gillygooly,
Were in t’ Shamrock Football Cup
At home t’ Ballyhooley,
“Le’ me tell y’ wha’ we’ll do,”
Said t’ club secret’ry,
“We’ll set up speakers at t’ groun’,
An’ have a runnin’ comment’ry…”

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Ol’ time radio’s Pat O’Gurk
Would man t’ microphone,
Keepin’ ev’ryone informed
‘Bout how t’ game was goin’,
Now Pat felt apprehensive
‘Cause he was gettin’ on in years,
So on t’ mornin’ o’ t’ match
Drank half a dozen beers…

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 T’en shortly before kick-off time
Quaff’d Guinness f’ his health,
Chas’d down wi’ Irish whiskey
T’ fortify himself,
By t’ time t’ teams ran on t’ field
Pat’s sight was squint an’ blurr’d,
An’ his tongue was slightly numb,
So his speech was shomewhat shlurr’d…

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 When it came t’ sayin’ players’ names,
He’d forgotten most o’ t’em,
Excep’ f’ Bob McManus,
Which he pronounc’d wit’ a silent M,
T’en Pat began t’ commentate
An’ he was doin’ fine,
‘Til he said t’ Pheasant Pluckers group
Would be singin’ at half-time…

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 T’ priest was so offended
By what he heard Pat say,
T’at he climb’d up on t’ platform
An’ took t’ microphone away,
But Pat was not t’ be denied
By Father Mick Malone,
He grabb’d a roll’d up newspaper
An’ used it as a megaphone…

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 T’ey were shovin’ an’ a-shoutin’,
‘Til t’ local chief o’ police
Put ’em in t’ paddy wagon
F’ disturbance o’ t’ peace,
Meanwhile t’ home team won t’ game
Agains’ t’ run o’ play,
But it’s Pat’s comment’ry t’ey remember
In Gillygooly t’ t’is day….

© Llew Beaton 30 December 2003.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/gillygooly-vs-ballyhooley/