"The Gathering" Poem by Denis Lane

Denis Lane (Kathleen's father) composed this poem for the dedication of our project, and recited it at the ceremonies:

The Gathering

Inishturk, Co. Mayo

I

Tongs exchanged by loved ones

before leaving their island homes

with coals from the hearth to keep the home fires burning

keep the faith that family members will return.

Like the sun that rises daily,

like the seasons that return,

their hearts would rise as they remembered

the family left behind in West Mayo.

II

All the Immigration Songs

record the sadness of the parting

and the joy of those who made it back

to the green clad Irish shores.

But those who traveled far away

in search of food or work and freedom

and never saw their home again,

they still returned in their hearts to Mayo.

III

Ah, the Wild Geese they scattered

to new lands across the sea,

and they took the homeland with them

in the tongs of memory.

They kept the faith and spirit,

untamed as they’ll always be,

for the time when they will migrate back

to ancestral homes and family.

IV

June 21, 2013

At the rising of the solstice moon

a flame burns bright above Inishturk,

kindled by coals carried in tongs

to keep the Irish spirit alive.

in a shrine that stands as a beacon

it beckons the clans to come home--

to gather together here in this beautiful land;

to enjoy the people, their stories, our songs.

By Denis Kennedy Lane, Jr.