Sligo Poets 1912-1923

In Memoriam Maud Armstrong

There are few In Memoriam poems included in Sligo newspapers at this time apart from short verses included in paid death and anniversary notices.

In the Champion this acrostic poem is included at the end of a long obituary for Miss Maud Armstrong of Tubbercurry and is unattributed. However the same poem is published in the Sligo Times of the same date, 23 March, and is attributed to D.C. Devine.

Daniel C. Devine (1860-1942) was a member of well-known south Sligo family and was a national school teacher in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo. He published a collection of stories, Faithful Ever, in 1910 and his novel, Before Dawn in Erin, was published by James Duffy & Co. in 1913. He was also the author of a number of plays which were performed by local and other drama groups.

D.C. Devine in the 1911 Census; in the 1901 Census.

Sligo Times 23 March 1912

IN MEMORIAM

M eek and mild thou wert; pure as lily’s sheen.
A Child of Mary—e’en as child should be.
U ndying in thy love of Heaven’s Queen,
D ear loved one!—Now thou know’st Felicity.

A nd shall we grieve?—nay, rather, we
R ejoice that thou thy crown hast won;
M ary— thy mother—now in glee
S hall lead thee to her Blessed Son.
T hrice happy thou! Oh! bliss unknown,
R ejoice!—rejoice—ye heavenly throng
O ur loved one ’fore the great white throne,
N ow rests in Him—beloved of long—
G od’s praises sings in wealth of song.

Maud Armstrong died on the 15 March 1913 aged nineteen years after an long illness. She was the eldest daughter of Luke and Kate Armstrong of Tubbercurry.

Luke Armstrong was a shopkeeper and farmer, a well-known figure in the business and political life of south Sligo.

The family in the 1911 Census; in the 1901 Census. Maud is entered as Maud in 1901 but Mary I in 1911.

The Sligo Times included a regular chess column and the issue of 13 January 1912 contained a solution to the previous week's chess problem in verse, rhyming couplets, by D.C. Devine. This involved a character called Brian O'Lynn falling asleep over his chessboard and being visited by a "slender wee fay" who pointed out the solution to him.

Brian O'Lynn is a tradition character in folksongs usually characterised by his unfounded optimism and his determination to make the best of whatever happens.

Above: D.C. Devine from Kilgannon, Sligo and its Surroundings