Oró sé do bheatha abhaile
My second time in Ireland
(of my fathers the land)
and the West coast
Quite a crowd we were,
and we got on well,
and I was young
and with a young woman I loved.
During the days, each to their own.
So a smaller bunch of us were set
to climb Croagh Patrick, the mount
(as tourists, not as pilgrims - let me be clear).
Our boots still comfortably on,
up and down we went,
happily I think; I think this is what we willed.
On descending, this happened:
behind us a couple of riper years
were speaking As Gaeilge to each other;
it was their language of intimacy, and they had things to say.
I hear them now as I heard them then and
think as I thought:
this, this is the language of heaven.
The language of heaven is this, just is.
That moment of heaven was there, is here.
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