Thanks Jean, ..My gr grandfather was a tailor from Mayo (Turlough) circa 1820 and one of his grandsons was called Tailor Gibbons and there are family tales of him sitting crosslegged on a table stitching away and telling stories .. Sure he was one of many .. MaryPat THE TAILOR THAT CAME FROM MAYO The little old tailor that came from Mayo -- God be good to him! Dead he is, ages ago. But I'll never forget him - himself and his brogue. And the comical gleam in his eye, the old rogue! For 'twas he that could talk, in those days, with the best; And you'd laugh at his jokes till you'd fear for your vest. And you'd never grow tired of the wonderful flow Of the language that came from the man from Mayo. In the long winter nights by the light of the lamp, When the weather outside would be dreary and damp, Now, I tell you, 'twas grand to his place to drop in For a pull at the pipe with the rest of the men, For a pull at the pipe, and a bit of a chat, And an argument, too, about this thing or that; But the best of the argument always would go To the little old tailor that came from Mayo. For he'd listen awhile, as he basted away, And when every one else in the house had his say, And when all who were there had exhausted the store Of the knowledge they had, and were groping for more, He would bite off the end of his thread with a jerk, And he'd lift up his face for a while from his work, And he'd give his opinion, and no one said no. To the little old tailor that came from Mayo. Was it battles we talked of? He ended the talk; For he'd mark out the lines on his board with the chalk; And he'd point out, perhaps, just where Bonaparte stood When his empire, at Waterloo, ended in blood. Or he'd show the grand charge which, before that, was made Back at famed Fontenoy by the Irish Brigade, Till the heart of myself would be all in a glow At the words of the tailor that came from Mayo. The story of Ireland - he knew it by heart, And 'tis often he'd speak about Cormac MacArt, Or of Brian Boru and his battles of old, Or of Malachi wearing the collar of gold. And of Daniel O'Connell - I almost would split At the samples he gave of the Counsellor's wit. But 'twas Emmet he loved and how grave he would grow When that martyr was mentioned - the man from Mayo. Well, he's gone and God rest him, his life is long past; He went back to Mayo, and he died there at last. But I'll never forget him, cross-legged as he sat While he gave out his verdict on this thing and that. And the jokes that he made! And the scorn that he poured On the foes and false friends of the land he adored! For the faithfullest soul that I ever shall know Was the soul of the tailor that came from Mayo. -- Denis A. McCarthy (1871-1931)

Hi MaryPat, I have always wondered how people managed in later life with declining eyesight, way back then, without glasses? Jean ----- Original Message ----- From: <CMARYPATC@aol.com> To: <IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 8:28 PM Subject: Re: [IRELAND] "The Tailor That Came From Mayo" -- Denis A. McCARTHY > > Thanks Jean, > ..My gr grandfather was a tailor from Mayo (Turlough) circa 1820 and one of > his grandsons was called Tailor Gibbons and there are family tales of him > sitting crosslegged on a table stitching away and telling stories .. Sure he was > one of many .. > MaryPat > > THE TAILOR THAT CAME FROM MAYO <snip>