For Freedom

by Eoghan Ua Conaill

My grandfather carved
His canny words
In the Munster Cross
Which stands in Ypres

To the men of Munster
Who died for freedom

John A. O’Connell
Knew many a man of Munster
Who never saw Belgium
Yet died for freedom

Tomás Mac Curtain
Traolach Mac Suibhne

Which men of Ypres
Fought for freedom?
And who for warring brands
of imperialism?

Reproduced with kind permission of the author. This poem was composed in Poetry as Commemoration workshops held at the National Museum of Ireland — Country Life on the 8th & 9th of November 2022. The workshops were led by writer Terry McDonagh.