Can anyone tell me where C.J.Boland was born.

Xenophile

So Christmas Parties are now getting into full swing. Can't sing, can't dance but most of us can read poetry and I am also sure quite a few can recite the following poem by C.J.Boland off by heart.

THE TWO TRAVELLERS

“All over the world”, the traveller said,
“In my peregrination’s I’ve been;
And there’s nothing remarkable, living or dead,

But these eyes of mine have seen.
From the land of the ape and the marmoset,
To the tents of the Fellaheen”
Said the other, ” I’ll lay you an even bet
You were never in Farranalleen.”

“I’ve hunted in woods near Seringapatam,
And sailed in the Polar Seas,
I fished for a week in the Gulf of Siam

And lunched on the Chersonese.
I’ve lived in the valleys of fair Cashmere,
Under Himalay’s snowy ridge.”
Then the other impatiently said ,”See here ,
Were you ever at Laffan’s Bridge?”

“I’ve lived in the land where tobacco is grown,
In the suburbs of Santiago;
And I spent two years in Sierra Leone,

And one in Del Fuego.
I walked across Panama all in a day,
Ah me! But the road was rocky.”
The other replied , “Will you kindly say,
Were you ever at Horse -and – Jockey?”

“I’ve borne my part in a savage fray,
When I got this wound from a Lascar;
We were bound just then from Mandalay

For the Island of Madagascar,
Ah! The sun never tired of shining there,
And the trees canaries sang in,”
“What of that?” said the other, “sure I’ve a pair,
And there’s lots of them in Drangan.”

“And I’ve hunted the tigers in Turkestan,
In Australia the kangaroos;
And I lived six months as medicine man

To a tribe of the Kathmandoos.
And I’ve stood on the scene of Olympic games,
Where the Grecians showed their paces,”
The other replied, ” Now tell me, James,
Were you ever at Fethard Races?”

“Don’t talk of your hunting in Yucatan,
Or your fishing off St. Helena;
I’d rather see young fellows hunting the ‘wren’

In the hedges of Tobbernaheena.
No doubt the scenes of a Swiss Canton
Have a passable sort of charm
Give me a sunset on Slievenamon
From the head at Hackett’s Farm.

“And I’d rather be strolling along the quay,
And watching the river flow,
Than growing tea with the cute Chinee,
Or mining in Mexico.

And I wouldn’t much care for Sierra Leone,
If I hadn’t seen Killenaule,
And the man that was never in Mullinahone
Shouldn’t say he had travelled at all”

It seems that Drangan is at the heart of this poem, do you recognise the name of the railway stations on the old Clonmel to Thurles line.

How many people from Clonmel were never in Drangan? well Kavanagh's bus leaves every weekday at 11.15 and you can be back in Clonmel on the same bus at 4.15. I am pretty sure they take the travel pass! If you are thinking of having a pint or two while you are out there just ring in advance to make sure a pub is open!

laurencebryan

I don't know where CJ Boland was born but I assume he is the same man who penned the lines at the Gashouse Bridge 'Do the feeble still venture to toddle..' which I memorised when I was a youngster in Clonmel in the 1960's. Also, speaking of the old Thurles railway line I had the dubious honour of being hit by one of its trains precisely where the tracks emerged from The Wilderness and where there was a platform for unloading cattle. This would have have been in the spring of 1961 if I'm not mistaken. I survived, bleeding a lot from a head wound but no lasting damage. Though I was too busy being treated in the casualty ward at Cashel hospital to enjoy hearing myself mentioned on the Radio Eireann news....Anyway, it's many, many moons since I lived in Clonmel but it's still the place I come from & it's been great to follow discussions on changes in the town over the years & see names of places & people that bring back so many memories.

Xenophile

laurencebryan wrote: »

I don't know where CJ Boland was born but I assume he is the same man who penned the lines at the Gashouse Bridge 'Do the feeble still venture to toddle..' which I memorised when I was a youngster in Clonmel in the 1960's. Also, speaking of the old Thurles railway line I had the dubious honour of being hit by one of its trains precisely where the tracks emerged from The Wilderness and where there was a platform for unloading cattle. This would have have been in the spring of 1961 if I'm not mistaken. I survived, bleeding a lot from a head wound but no lasting damage. Though I was too busy being treated in the casualty ward at Cashel hospital to enjoy hearing myself mentioned on the Radio Eireann news....Anyway, it's many, many moons since I lived in Clonmel but it's still the place I come from & it's been great to follow discussions on changes in the town over the years & see names of places & people that bring back so many memories.

This is the very same C J Boland, do you agree it seems very strange that nobody so far can tell where he was born. By the way I probably know you or your family (this is of no importance) as I was brought up in the Ard-Na-Greinne area and I was aged 14 in 1961. By the way if you have time I suggest you go back on some of the posts and if you see any inaccuracies about the town put them right.

laurencebryan

Hello Xenophile, I had a look on the Web where there are some scattered references to CJB, which mention that he was born in Clonmel, though no date or details, that his parents were Master and Matron (to give them their proper titles!) of the Clonmel Workhouse, that he himself made a career in the Civil Service and became Valuation Commissioner, if I remember it rightly, in Dublin. He died in 1918. There was an obituary to him in an Irish literary magazine of the time, with a copy still in the National Library but not accessible online. Another reference seemed to suggest that he was an ancestor of the modern poet, Eavan Boland & her father Frederick who was an Irish diplomat at the UN (You may know all this already).....On a personal note I'm happy to hear you remember myself and/or my family. We must have been neighbours once upon a time. Here's my email if you ever want to drop a line peerglimpse@gmail.com....I'm living in France and long out of touch with the present town but I'll keep an eye out from now on for inaccuracies about the past. happy new year!

mathepac

Here's a link "My Clonmel Scrap Book" by James White which included some of C J Boland's work and other Clonmel-related articles. If you haven't seen it before, enjoy.

www.tentmakerpublications.com/media/upload/file/3167.pdf‎;

Nollaig shona dhaoibh.

Sorry the above link is only for the introduction and prefaces with some illustrations. Let me check my other links.