The dearest friends some time must part –
Though sad it is to sever;
‘Twas always so, ‘tis so to-day,
And so ‘twill be for ever.

Through life’s bright, rosy morn we lived
Together with each other,
No wonder that our parting made
Us sorrowful, my brother!

You went away from this sweet isle
Of your and my devotion;
Yet, as the rainbow spans the sky,
Our love can bridge the ocean.

Each day, each night, each changing year,
Hot June and cold December,
Still found us constant comrades here,
As long as I remember.

At Mass on Sundays, at our work
‘Mong green fields or brown heather
At school, at home, at youthful sports,
We two were still together.

These thoughts are saddening – then why
Wake up such recollections?
I wake them not; they never sleep,
These, my first fond affections

Michael Mullin ‘The Bard of Foremass’
Foremass Lower, Sixmilecross, Co Tyrone.