The Old Road

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Nora T. Goonane Leonard was born at Dereney, Whitegate, County Clare in 1913. On Good Friday 1930, Nora was part of the mass emigration of Irish youth, in search of a better way of life. She left Dereney for America and returned twice on short holidays. Someone wrote somewhere that pride of place is a legitimate indulgence. Nora was certainly proud of her environment and she shares with us in her prose and poetry, her deep love for the Irish countryside. 

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There is something simple and noble and pure in her writings. She wrote about life and everyday things in a language we can all understand. Her work is highly charged with love ofplace and people. Nora went to her eternal reward in 2007 and this publication was launched in 2011. Most if not all of her work is here included. There are 140 poems and fifteen essays in this compilation.

MOTHER’S KITCHEN
A house may have some ornate rooms
Rooms you feel quite rich in
But none can beat the wheels and deals
That transpire in mother’s kitchen.

'Tis here, no interest loans are born
Dreams of future wealth take form
Knees are bandaged, jeans are mended
Lifetime sentences suspended –

Wits are matched with
Dad and MotherIf you can’t fool one – perhaps the other
Laws are made and rules are broken
Harsh and tender words are spoken –

‘Fair and square,’ the motto learned
Receiving only what is earned
Praise and blame, love and switchin’
Life’s casserole is mother’s kitchen.