The Beagles of old Cahersiveen

This song was composed by Stephen B Roche and first appeared in the weekly newspaper ‘The Kerryman’ on Saturday January 6th 1906. Mr Roche was a frequent contributor to the Kerryman, on matters connected with hunting. Many of the names of the dogs mentioned in this composition are still to be found in the area.

Come every good fellow or youthful or mellow;

And drink to the hounds and the huntsmen we’ve seen,

On the mountains and moorland of our much loved if poor land,

To the boys and the beagles of Caherciveen.

Here’s to Lily and Trueman to Comely and Blueman;

Here’s to Mahoney’s Cloudy and Freeman Tom Doyle,

They’re speedy and sweet tongued, they’re strong and they’re deep lunged,

They’re bred in South Kerry and smack of the soil.

O’Connell once led them, Old Morgon bred them;

And passed down the strain pure as mountain floods flow,

To Butler and Spottiswood, true judge of what is good,

With Primrose of Carhan, all gone long ago.

Here’s to Gamester and Towler , to sweet baby Bowler,

To Maginn’s sweet music that once led the show,

To Nimrod and Mover, to Finder and Rover,

To Sheehan’s black Juno and Shamrock also.

With Hassett and Barry the sport did not tarry

With Casey and Coffey and true men galore,

And Clifford, old Paddy, of sportsmen, the Daddy,

McCarthy and Murphy, and the boys from Foilmore:

Here’s to Murley’s old Foreman, our leader of yore man,

To Rocket and Banquet, to puppy Dido,

To Sheelah, Joe Moran, and the beauties she’s borne,

Nelly, Trumpet and Darling, all sweet ones to go

Old Dingle has true men, Tralee just a few men,

Kenmare ever proud of her sportsmen has been,

Lough Currane side knows something of fox and hare hunting,

But the hub of old Ireland is Caherciveen,

For they’ve Lily and Trueman, they’ve Comely and Blueman,

They’ve Mahoney’s Cloudy and Freeman, Tom Doyle.

They’ve Walsh’s fast mover, they’ve young and old Rover,

All true Kerry Beagles and pups of the soil.