The Cregan White Hare

In the lowlands of Creggan there lives a white hare,
As swift as the swallow that flies through the air.
You may tramp the world over but none can compare
With the pride of Low Creggan that bonnie white hare.

One clear autumn morning as you may suppose
The red golden sun o’er the green mountain rose.
Barney Conway came down and he did declare,
“This day I’ll put an end to that bonnie white hare.”

He searched through the Lowlands and down through the glens
And among the wild bushes where the white hare had ends,
Till at last coming home o’er the heather so bare,
From behind a wild thistle out jumped the white hare.

“Bang! Bang!” went his gun and his dog it slipped too,
As swift as the wind o’er the green mountain flew.
But the dog soon came back, which made poor Barney sigh,
For he knew that the white hare had bid him goodbye.

We’re some jolly sportsmen down here from Pomeroy,
From Cookstown, Dungannon, and likewise the Moy.
With our pedigree greyhounds we’ve travelled afar
And we’ve come down to Creggan in our fine motor car.

Away to the Lowlands these huntsmen did go,
In search of the white hare they looked high and low,
Till at last Barney Conway on a bog bank so bare
Shouted out to the huntsmen, “There lies the white hare!”

They called up their greyhounds from off the green lea
And Barney and the huntsmen they jumped high with glee.
For there on the turf bank all gathered around,
Seven dogs and nine men did that poor hare surround.

No wonder the white hare did tremble with fear
As she stood on her toes she would raise her big ears.
But she stood on her toes and with one gallant spring
She cleared over the greyhounds and broke trough the ring.

Well the chase it went on, ’twas a beautiful view,
As swift as the wind o’er the green mountain flew.
But the pedigree greyhounds they didn’t go far,
They came back and went home in their fine motor car.

There came another man and you all know him well,
His name is Pat Devlin and Bonnie Black Nell.
In search of the white hare, he says, “I’ll have fun:
Here’s fifty to one that Black Nell does her turn.”

Five turns the hare got then from Bonnie Black Nell,
And the sixth one was given around John Haughey’s well.
’Twas there we lost sight of the hare and the dog,
And ten minutes later they come o’er the bog.

Well the chase it went on, it was great for to see,
The white hare and the greyhound they roamed light and free.
Till she travelled to Esker where she knew the lands well,
And to Bonnie Black Nell she soon bid farewell.

And now to conclude and finish it’s time,
I hope you’ll forgive me for singing this rhyme.
If there’s any amongst you in Carrickmore fair,
Let’s drink up a health to the bonnie white hare.

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