The Caherciveen Ratepayers 

The verses below were composed by Daniel O’Neill of Old Road, Cahersiveen sometime around 1954. He was encouraged by friends to commit his memories of Cahersiveen and its characters to paper. The result was a pamphlet published in 1958 titled “My Cahersiveen Memories” containing stories and verse with a foreword by Sigerson Clifford, cost three shillings. He wrote numerous witty and satirical verses. The one below is an example of many that didn’t appear in the publication mentioned above.

Good news, good news, asthore machree.

Has come to hand from sweet Tralee,

Don’t forget to pay your rate,

Watch the date, Pat and Kate.

Many indeed are wondering why,

The bill is soaring to the sky,

They only want a fair return,

Alas, they haven’t cash to burn.

The nettles grow in Reenrusheen,

And bring a hiesh to Caherciveen,

The ancient Rock of Bar-na-Srada,

Is as far away as Tara.

The footpaths there show many holes,

In spite of all the rates and doles,

And who will pay for broken bones?

What about the Old Camp Road?

On which they couldn’t spare a load,

Plenty of work for idle hands,

To keep them home from foreign lands.

So, cheerio and stop your Blarney,

Take a headline from Killarney,

We are fed up with “wait and see”

Awaiting better news from sweet Tralee.

D.O’Neill. Old Road Caherciveen.