The Christian Man's Perspective at the Confluence of Religion & Politics

What Can Be Said About The Irish ?

A Poem

By Al Flanagan

The utterly impractical,

Ever predictable,

Sometimes irascible,

Quite inexplicable...Irish?

He is a strange blend of shyness, pride, and conceit,

With stubborn refusal to bow in defeat.

He always stands ready to argue or fight,

Yet the smile of a child can melt all his might.

His eyes are the quickest to fill up with tears,

Yet his strength is sufficient to banish all fears.

His faith is as fierce as his devotion is grand,

And there is no middle ground in which he will stand.

But he always stands ready, to sing and to dance.

Life is a game that he plays every day,

And God help the reformer who stands in his way.

He is wild and he is gentle,

He is good and he is bad;

He is proud and he is humble;

He is happy and sad.

He is in love with the ocean, the earth, and the skies;

He is enamored with beauty wherever it lies.

He is victor and victim,

A star and a clod;

But mostly he is Irish,

In love with his God.