He worked for Tom Mulcahy and the Duggan brothers <br />And he loved working and he worked hard for every pay <br />But a crippling stroke forced him to retire early <br />And robust health with him just did not stay. <br /> <br />It had to be hard for such an active fellow <br />To suddenly find himself in a wheelchair <br />But his wife Sheila was a natural carer <br />And she showered him with tender loving care. <br /> <br />Matty McCarthy raised his family in the hard days <br />When men had to work hard for every bob <br />When unemployment reached it's peak in Ireland <br />And one was lucky to have any sort of job. <br /> <br />On fine Summer evenings he sat on his wheelchair <br />At Claramore beside his cottage gate <br />And I often talked to him for he seemed lonely <br />Though he said he felt resigned to his fate. <br /> <br />He often talked of work and of how he loved working <br />And he did work hard all of his working life <br />And he said I've been lucky despite all I've been through <br />With two good children and a marvellous wife. <br /> <br />He did not live on to see his grandchildren <br />As the crippling stroke it shortened his life span <br />But I'll always remember Matt McCarthy <br />For he was such a good and decent man.<br /><br />Francis Duggan<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/matty-mccarthy/
