Fae Cowie’s Craig

Stud thonner, oan tha leevin roak

O Cowie’s Craig — grun alow banefire bleck —

Pit me in mine o Ninetie-Echt,

Tha nicht lift rid fur simmer sodjers’ trysts.

Drumhirk an Gransha fairmers’ sins,

Cottown chiels, Green Boys o Greba, Hairts o Doon

Turn’t oot tae richt sim wrangs, an

Hunners deed, at Sanfiel an Ba’nahinch.

An, doon tha Lough, thon’s Chapel Isle,

Raxin owre, tha oul yins road, tae Nendrum.

Nearhaun bes Cummer, ticht wee toon,

Aye weel-kent fur her whuskey — an early

Prittas. Aa’s quate noo, nae millies

Doon at Andras’, whaur weel-aff fowk noo bide,

Titanic Tam’s mindit wi a

Haa, an “Yin mair shot” G’lespie stauns in stane.

Luk — thon’s Tha Dee, whaur oor yins cum

Fae Gallowa, fower hunnert yeir syne noo.

Fowkgates, thrift, kirk an tung the’ brocht,

An turn’t tha wastit lan tae mak it guid.

Here, Innismurray brocht tha guns

Bak in Fowerteen, tae fecht agin Hame Rule.

An thonner’s Bellycopeland mill,

Thrang nae mair, waas lichtit wi simmer sin.

‘Whitespots’ bes whut we caa this lann

Whaur yince fowk hoked fur lead (the’ caa’d it “whites”)

Doon coul wat mirky pots, tae fill

Their childer’s wames whun prittas haed tha blicht.

Abune tha plantin, Helen’s Toor,

Whaur Carson’s men camp’t fornent Bleckwood’s place,

Bellyleidy, o Clan Hugh Boy,

Afore tha Somme left Ulster fowk hairt-scaudit.

Noo scrammlers swairm owre whunnie knowes,

Fowk oot a danner deaved wi thar bizzin

Yeir roon, forbye laired in slonks an gutters,

Breeks clabbert wi glar tha wuntèr days.

Aa’s quate noo, an twathie deer’s pit up wi

Snokin dugs, ir sim siclike, an

Far awa, tha soon o lambegs

Dunnerin owre Conlig hill at dayligan.

An, unner Scraba, Newtown bes,

Braw bowle whaur Ah wus bakit — thar’s nane her make.

Her Meer’s chain o gowden floors

Wrocht, that skeelie Granda Dickson growed. Here

Boul Colonel Paddy caa’d his hame,

An Lyttle spun his cantie wabs o

Ards an Tullynagardy Glen, whaur

Daft Eddie foon McFadden, by tha Forkins.

By Movilla’s green hill thonner

Bes tha last lang road A’ll tak,

Life’s travels irnae daen, but, noo,

Ma ticket no yet clip’t, A mak fur hame.

Sauf yince mair, A staun lukkin oot

Ma gavel windae, owre oul reuch fiels o

Yella-floor’t whuns, drochtit gress, an

Tummelt doon stane dykes, tae Cowie’s Craig.