Dear friends of Beara, Our own Riobard writes: > Re. the writings I've, for many years, > sent to the Beara Column, > I have to say that age catches up with me too. > So I've sent you the poem called "The Exile", > and now I must say "Tooraloo". > I hope that I've oft' made you happy. > The tears nearly come to my eyes. > But I can not go on forever, > so, to all of my friends, > 'tis GOODBYE. Riobard has assured me, in a private note, that he'll still be here reading, and sometimes commenting. But as a young lad of 80 summers, he has a lot to do and wishes to devote more time to doing it. So the effort of keeping up the discussions here in the Beara list now falls upon us. > My thanks to Bill Gawne and to all the other people > who have done great work in charge over > the Beara Column for many years. > To them all I express a profound GRATIAS. It's a kind and generous thing you say, Riobard, but the plain truth is none of us would be here reading this mailing list if not for your life's work of dedicated scholarship. Whatever happens here in time to come will be -- in some form or fashion -- a derivative of that amazing body of work. -- Bill