Tha Wizard’s Quill

“I’m Charlie I wus boarn in the Toonlan o’ Islandahoe in County Antrim that’s near Bushmills, youngest o’ six , yin brither an fower sisters, ther micht hae been sivin but a wee brither dee’t afore he wus ootae the cred-dle, sad sad time but it daesnae dae tae murn for lake the sporras we hae mony morras.

I’m joost a 1951 model o’ the ordinary boadie, the fem’ly, the wife be’s Mary, the sins Peter an Ryan, the dochter Tracey an the dochter in la’ Linda. I hae wrocht tae the Water Service this near fifteen years, afore that I wrocht tae fermers, that answer’t me for I wus ey near the lan an the bastes.

I write rhymes for I want tae keep oul mem’rys an the rhymes seems tae gee life again tae maist o’ the folk that leeve in these pages. Och! they micht be awa tae a better place noo but that daes nae mak them ony the less rayle, weel naw tae me onyhoo.

As for the oul fool rhymes sure they help tae bricht’en up an oul dreigh dey an a bit o’ a lach is hurried guid medicine, but afore ye micht lach at onyboady else larn tae lach at yersel.”