Many places have had songs and poetry written about them, many are exiles who have left their native home and the various townlands and places of interest. there has been a lot of Poetry written by Poets from Effin,  Brother Stephen Russell, Thomas Power, Rambling Tady or Tom Hannon.  I will deal with the poetry in another article.

I have been looking for some songs about Effin,  during my research I have come accross a few which you can read about below.

The most popular song below which is still sung about at some sessions is called Old Effin Far Away.

OLD EFFIN FAR AWAY

(not sure who wrote this song,  Brother Stephen Russell or Thomas Power)

( Sung to the Air of Golden Jubilee)

Oh I’m sitting and I’m dreaming in this mighty London town
I’m murdered by the traffic as it passes up and down
But o’er all a tiny echo deeps calling night and day
It’s the lifting breeze in the waving trees in old Effin far Away

Chorus

Its there folks are kindly it’s there’s a welcome grand
From the neighbours all both big and small
In that green and happy land
There’s a seat by every fireside there’s flowing mugs of Tay
And a Cead Mile Failte in old Effin far Away

I can see again Ardpatrick it’s hillside fresh and green
And the ruined chapel where St Patrick once had been
And sure his prayers were answered on that dim and distant day
It’s given us a Bishop now old Effin far away.

Repeat chorus

Oh God be with you Thomastown where once I saw the light
In that old thatched homestead one snowy Christmas night
And the Castle of Mount Blakeney relic of splendid days
When lords and ladies dallied in old Effin far away

Repeat chorus

Empurpled Ballyhoura lords out o’er Ballymac
There I cut the turf when times were though I’ve still got an aching back
And in Killquane there sleeps a man whose heart was light and gay,
God rest you rambling Thady in old Effin far away

Repeat chorus

May your parish guild with grace be filled so prayed your late PP
May all your teams be good and clean from strife may you be free
May your two priests by grace increase be your anchor and your stay
Be true to God and your native sod in old Effin far away.

An Effin Man

by late Garry McMahon

(Garry McMahon (1937–2008) was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Listowel Emmets and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from the 1958 until 1962. McMahon holds the record for scoring the fastest goal ever in an All-Ireland final.^[1]) He was also a practising solicitor in Newcastlewest, but he wrote many songs and ballads and one was called An Effin Man,

“It’s a wonderful place as I’m sure you will find , And if you can’t see that you’re just Effin blind”
Click on link below to hear recording of it.

Songs for the Effin Hurling Teams

Then there have been various songs written about the hurling teams in the parish

Mary Rea of Jamestown has written many the rousing songs about our various teams to rouse them into battle

Recent Songs

Recently after the Facebook saga there has been 2 songs written about Effin and Facebook

Effin Facebook Song

written by Sean Kelly, Australia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzrX0WikFS4

Effin Bachelor

(by Cormac MacConnell)  listen to it Click Here

Can be sung to Air of Westmeath Batchelor

I am an Effin bachelor my age is thirty-three.
There is no limerick farmer that’s half as proud as me,
For we downed the bloody Facebook and forced them to retract,
They bowed the knee to Ann Marie and that’s an Effin fact.

They thought to wipe us off the map but now they surely know,
We’ve the Ballyhoura spirit from good Saint Effin long ago,
He endowed us with six holy wells with cures for ailing sight,
And with the certain knowledge that we’re always Effin right!

 Here’s good health to Marie Kennedy who won against the odds,
And taught those Facebook bosses they are only bloody cads,
And good health to all that aided her as she battled day and night
And proved when all was said and done we’re always Effin right!

I’m ready now to settle down after many Effin days,
After winning hurling titles with the noble Quaids and Reas,
Is there any lovely lass out there with romance in her head,
That would settle here in Gortnacrank and share my Effin bed?

We could dance in Canon Hayes’s hall, eat good strong Effin cheese,
And wear new Effin tee-shirts reaching almost to our knees,
Drink tea from stout new elfin mugs beside Our Lady’s Well,
Beneath the Ballyhouras and let Facebook go to hell.

All you who visit Limerick will still find Effin on the road,
Thanks to the gallant Ann Marie who is now free of her load,
Stop off and spend some time with us and join the merry throng,
And I’ll don my Effin tee-shirt and even sing my Effin song!

So if there is any budding young songwriters out there that has written a new song about Effin please share it.