Francis Duggan - Threshing Days

When i was young long years ago and haws were on hawthorn
The boo of threshing machine in farmer's yard when farmer threshed his corn
Some men piked sheafs others built straw ricks, the corn was ripe and yellow
And Jer Noonan fed the threshing drum when i was a young fellow.

He threshed in north Cork and east Kerry and all around Duhallow
And everywhere Jer Noonan threshed the chaffinches did follow
To eat seeds from the chaff the thresher left their craws were never empty
At that time of year back in those days seed eating birds had plenty.

In Autumn months long years ago all over Cork and Kerry
Men worked hard in the threshing yards and at night fall made merry
But sound of thresher long since dead those days are gone forever
The farmer changed to modern ways and from the old did sever

The threshing days were happy days and people more together
And neighbour helped his neighbour out like brother helped out brother
But modern technology changed all that and man's technological endeavour
Brought end to boo of threshing machine and something lost forever.

Jer Noonan is no longer young the years have made him older
But he is still quite young at heart his humour not grown colder
And he still talk about the happy days when he threshed all around Duhallow
And to everywhere his machine went the chaffinches did follow

Francis Duggan

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/threshing-days/