Many thanks to Patsy McAleavey for this gem of a poem by Ian Rice

Laurencetown

 If you take the road from Gilford

along towards Banbridge town,

at a crossroads called The Point,

have a stroll around.

 You’ll find a little hamlet

and yet, it’s called a town;

a place of charm and beauty

in the west of County Down.

 Visit the place called Hollymount,

with the massrock in the glen,

where wind blowing through the trees

sounds like ghosts of running men.

 Wander along the path

where the railway used to be.

No longer the sound of trains -

just the cricket or lonely bee.

Looking over at Glenbanna -

once a linen master’s home -

if this were your abode,

you would never want to roam.

Lean over that old stone bridge

where the crystal water flows

and watch the trout sport about

when the sunlight glows.

Then climb up to the summit

of that steep and peaceful hill

to gaze upon the Mournes

will give your heart a thrill.

If this were all my kingdom -

yet I know it never will,

it’s here I’d build my castle

on top of Chapel Hill.

Ian Rice