Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The County of Mayo" by Thomas Lavelle, a Connacht poet of the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, is a poignant narrative poem that deals with the theme of exile and nostalgia for home. The speaker in the poem is leaving their home, the county of Mayo in Ireland, under unfortunate circumstances.

The poem opens with the speaker describing their deep sorrow, sitting on the deck of Patrick Lynch's boat, sighing and weeping, likely a result of being forced to leave their homeland. The speaker expresses a longing to sing praises of their beloved Mayo, hinting at their deep affection and longing for their home.

The second stanza speaks of happier times when the speaker was wealthy and indulged in merriment with young ladies, sipping Spanish ale. But now, they're forced to leave their land, and likely their life, behind, expecting to leave their bones in Santa Cruz, a place far from their homeland.

In the third stanza, the speaker laments the change in the girls of Irrul, a place in Mayo, who have become proud and high. The speaker is hurt by their airs but acknowledges that it doesn't matter now because they are being forced to leave Mayo due to circumstances beyond their control.

In the final stanza, the speaker mourns the fact that certain respected figures like Patrick Loughlin, Brian Duff, and Colonel Hugh McGrady no longer hold their positions of power and status. The sorrow is enhanced by the realization that they are leaving their homeland while it is in a state of change and uncertainty.

Overall, the poem articulates the pain of leaving one's homeland, the nostalgia for happier times, and the sorrow of seeing one's home change and decay.

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