Hugh Joseph Feely - On Raglan Road

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On Raglan Road was a poem written by Patrick Kavanagh published in 1946. Formally know as "Dark Haired Miriam Ran Away" and was written about a love affair Patrick had at the time .

He wrote it for Hilda Moriarty who was much younger than him, (I think around a twenty year age gap) and used his brothers girlfriends name in the title to avoid embarrassment.
Hilda regarded Kavanagh as a friend and didn't see their relationship as been romantic.

In the poem, the speaker recalls, while walking on a "quiet street," a love affair that he had with a much younger woman. Although he knew he would risk being hurt if he initiated a relationship, he did so anyway, and ultimately faced heartache after the relationship ended.

The poem was put to music when the poet met Luke Kelly of the Irish band The Dubliners in a pub in Dublin called The Bailey

Shot and recorded at Gleniff Horseshoe, Co. Sligo.

Enjoy HJF x