A Day on Clara Hill

A light cover of snow lay on the mountain and the air had a wintery chill
And the cold damp winds of Winter blew across Clara hill
As we climbed up towards the wooden cross Jerry and John Mahony, Donal Hickey and I
A memory to remember until the day I die.

The Mahonys had their working dog Sandy with them and Donal had Jerry his cattle dog
And the climb up through the snow clad bracken for Schoolboys a hard old slog
The dogs bored without a fox or hare to chase suddenly commenced to fight
For Jerry a bloodless victory though not a pretty sight.

We climbed to the cross on Clara hill overlooking Millstreet Town
The uphill journey it was tough though an easy journey down
To the home of Denny Mahony where from our uphill climb began
The memory of a Sunday adventure of a boy lives in the ageing man.

Jerry Mahony and Donal Hickey still live in Inchaleigh at home they will grow old
And John Mahony lives in England or so I have been told
I wonder do they still remember that Sunday long ago
When we climbed the hill of Clara blanketed in January snow?

One more adventure story from my boyhood in Millstreet
Though the years have left me weary and heavy are my feet
And though the past has gone forever we cannot bring back the past
Good memories of our childhood years into old age do last.

A day on Clara Hill is by Francis Duggan

The first snows of winter are on Clara this morning … brrrrrr