Bamba Fodla and Eire
In Ancient days..in splendid days
Before the men of wrath
There walked a Reigning Goddess Queen
Along the Sliamh Mis mountain paths
Swept by the mountain breeze
A warrior of life… a heroine
And calling to the wind she said..
My name is Bamba
A Matriarch am I
This is the Isle of Bamba
I am the Isle.
And it is me.
And yes the wind replied…and yes the curlew sang..
And then we walked a way along
Towards the lovely Sliabh Eibhlinne
High on the hill we saw her shadow stilled
And who are you we asked..and who are you ?
O handsome Goddess Queen ?
And calling to the wind she said..
My name is Fodla..I am she
A Carer of this land
This is the land of Fodla
I am the land
And it is me.
And yes the wind replied..and yes the curlew sang.
And we proceeded thus
Searching along our lonely way
And there she proudly stood
Old Eire Queen of Uisneach.
My name is Eire she whispered to the wind
I am the Goddess of these lovely hills
These are the hills of Eire
And all the valleys in between
I am the hills and valleys
And they are me..
And yes the wind replied…and yes the curlew sang.
Bamba… Fodla … and Eire
The ancients of the Mother Land
The captains of sweet Liberty.
In whom the Trinity is Unity..
Eire looked into our hearts
And who are you ? she asked
We are the women of the Now
And we have lost our way
We don’t who we were or who we are
Our ancient souls have been erased
We have been ripped from
All the pages of old time
We are no more.
And Eire spoke to us… a dew upon her breath…
Much is forgotten it is true
Erased..called other names
but we shall never die
…she said.…
Oh yes the wind replied…oh yes the curlew sang.
A spell of hatred fell upon
Bamba and Fodla and myself
The very sons we carried in wombs
…spurned us..
But even in our swan song …in our grief..
We knew that there was hope
For us
The centuries are but time.
And yes the wind replied…and yes the curlew sang.
And we replied…we understand
For in the act of hate
They wiped us out
Replaced us with themselves
Eire … shall not die
Eire will be again
We’ll see her on our postage stamps
And yes the wind replied…and yes…the dying curlew sang.
Kristine Byrne
July 2014