n our home in Aughagreagh we used to have our share of the local sessions, where neighbours met up to party, tonight in one house, next night in someone else’s. This tells of a local house where the wife had a short tolerance after a certain hour and wanted the house cleared. The locals, out of a sense of fun and divilment, were not for moving… I wrote a version of this before and lost the words of it… so here’s the second draft!

Our family in front of the home house at Aughagreagh

All were in for the session
Or had called by for tea
The man of the house was merry
The housewife tired and sleepy
The bucks and nyeucks were not for moving
The damsels and dawsies were wild and free
The housewife would shout to clear the house:
“Out dogs, and more along with ye!”

No one moved: this being Longford
To be an annoyance was an achievement, not to be fair
To see the housewife tired, her anger rising
Was a source of fun for all those there…
Someone would strike up a song
The dogs shivering outside the door
The song would finish, the housewife would sigh
The husband would call for more…

Simple fun of a humble people
All taken in good spirits, though it drove her demented
Some night the session would be in another’s house
She would be the wall to dally and be contented…
A simple phrase to be remembered
And told of years later was a “grate spake”
Entertained a child told of when his parents were young
Such things great memories make.

Glossary:
“grate spake” – great speak / saying (Hiberno English / phonetic spelling)
“bucks” – young strong men (Hiberno English, positive)
“nyeucks” – pranksters, sniggerers, (Ulster Scots, generally negative)
“damsel” – an innocent looking girl who was anything but (Eng archaic, negative)
“dawsie” – wild girl, prankster, too open or her own good (Ulster Scots, generally positive)

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