It happened at Arklow, on a bright moonlight night, A man on the beach saw a wonderful sight, Forninst his two eyes, right there on the shore, Were herrings alive, herrings galore. He ran up the town to spread the news there, Somd didn't believe him, they thought he was quare, An oul one remarked, you've had too much strong tay, Herring sez he walking out of the say. Are you dotin or wat, said a man on the street, Ye'll be telling us next the herrings have feet, But your man doesn't mind and he shouts out loud, Free herrings for all on the beach to the crowd. He goes back to the beach with a crowd on his tracks, With boxes, tin baths, buckets and sacks, be the hokey we are rich says old Mickey Leech, When he saw all the herrings right there on the beach. There were hundreds of thousands of fish on the sand, All driven ashore by some unseen hand, The fish market's loss was Arklow's gain With this gift from the depths of old Neptunes Domain. Those times were hard and the purse strings tight, But the people of Arklow on that fine moonlight night, Had free herrings for supper and the next evenings tea, >From the Herrings that swam from the sea. Now I cannot vouch for the end of this poem That in Arklow next morning in one certain house, On going downstairs the man of the house Found herrings in the mousetrap instead of a mouse. BR