My son has brought me over to end my many days
Amidst his wealth an'comfortin's that meet my worn-out gaze.
I'm sure the boy manes well enough an' the wife's a treasure too:
She calls me "Pop" an' "Popakins" an' smiles with eyes of blue
Upon me every notion, an' I've many quare;
She roared at my describin' the scenes 'round Carlow Fair.
Although they do their best to make me feel at home an' safe,
I'd rather tread this moment the brown of autumn lafe
That makes a thichened carpet along where streamlets flow-
I'd rather be a-strollin' on the roads around Rathoe!

There were forty friends last evenin' received by son an' wife:
I never felt so out of place in all my mortal life:
Oh, glory be- the style o' them would make your head to ache:
I wonder if the young ones, now, is anythin' but fake.
The way their mouths was painted an' their eyebrows straked with black,
They had no hair upon their heads to hould a comb or rack;
Some o' thim you couldn't tell no difference from the boys,
An' they kicked up holy ructions- oh, they made an awful noise.
If this is called amusement it's something I'll forego-
I'd rather watch them wrastlin' on the roads around Rathoe!

They have their breakfast in their beds an' they call me dinner lunch;
If they're struck with an idea, sure they says: "We've got a hunch".
They never seem to ealk at all- it's ayther car or 'plane.
I sometimes think they've got no since, they seem to me insane.
They gamble, sure, from morn till night, an' never count the loss,
Tho' none o' them could take a hand at honest pitch an' toss!
An' as for cards : such games they play, it bates-och, man alive,
You may as well ax for Heaven as a game of th' ouldTwenty-five;
They can't address you dacint: if they're friendly they say "Bo!"
Ah, the spakin's very diff'rent on the roads around Rathoe!

The capers of the ould ones would make you stand and stare:
You see ould ones of ninety years with their arms all wrinkled, bare!
Th' ould lads batethe divil for makin' sport an' fun:
You whould see them in their bathin' dress, a-leppin' in the sun:
They danced like young ones all last night, an' never stopped till four;
An' when the band was finished, th'oul lads shouted out for more.
I think the world has all gone mad! I'm moithered, sick an' sore:
You never see an' ould time crowd as we did in the days of Yore!
I'm goin' now to see an' ax him lave to go
Accross the broad Atlantic, to the roads around Rathoe!

Val Vousden 1886-1951

Val Vousden Carlow actor, poet and playwright Bill MacNevin (William Francis Maher MacNevin) was born in College Street, Carlow in 1886. More commonly known by his stage name Val Vousden, he had his debut stage appearance at the age of six as Tiny Tim in "A Christmas Carol" in 1891 before progressing to other small productions under the tutelage of Julia Kelly.

He attended the local Christian Brothers National School before continuing his education at Mungret College, Limerick for a period before leaving to join the Royal Engineers as a clerk. However, the dramatic life pulled him in once more and he joined a drama troupe, calling himself Bartley Hynes and touring around Ireland and England. In 1910 he returned to Carlow appearing in the "Penny Readings" in Deighton Hall on Burrin Street and producing a sketch called "Art and Laughter" in the Town Hall the same year before once again leaving his beloved Carlow and touring with the Carrickford Repertory Company until 1914.

With the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914, he joined the army and saw service in France rising to become Regimental Sergeant Major of the Welsh Regiment. He then returned to Ireland and joined Roberto Lena's company in Newbridge followed by a season with the Queens in Dublin. By this time he had adopted the stage name Val Vousden. He spent the following three years with the O'Brien and Ireland Company and worked with notables such as Abbey actress May Craig, P.J. Bourke of Bourke's Costumiers and Peader Kearney the future author of the National Anthem. He married Pearl O'Donnell, a Belfast actress in Derry and they toured the country for many years performing together. They had three daughters, Sheila, Mona and Patricia.

With the launch of the radio broadcasting era in Ireland he presented the very first light entertainment show and continued to be a regular contributor to Irish radio until he died. Val gave elocution lessons in many schools and colleges and also wrote his autobiography entitled "Val Vousden's Caravan", which is a humorous account of his
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Val Vousden - "Recitations"experiences as an actor. Although this was his most famous literary achievement he also penned numerous plays, poems and sketches published in a collection called "Recitations, Monologues, Character Sketches and Plays". He was a regular in the Abbey Players based in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Val also appeared in a number of films including the silent movie "Irish Destiny"(1926), a love story set during the War of Independence in which he played the role of a priest. "Captain Boycott", "Uncle Nick" and "The Odd Man Out" also feature Val in various film roles.

He died in Clonskea Hospital, Dublin on June 6th, 1951 and was buried in Glasnevin cemetery with his funeral attended by many noted colleagues and admirers.

On June 19th, 2004 a special event was organised by John McDarby and held in the George Bernard Shaw Room of the Library to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Val Vousden's death. Members of Val's family attended and many local people participated in a remembrance of his life, a recitation of his works and a screening of the film "Irish Destiny". The use of the Shaw Room in the library as a venue was apt as it was where he used to serve mass, beside where he grew up and on the same street where he went to school.

[Grateful acknowledgement to Gloria Pattinson and John McDarby]

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