James Casey (poet-priest)

James Kevin Casey (1824–1909) was an Irish priest in Ballygar and Athleague and principal of St John's seminary in Sligo.[1][2] He composed many didactic poems which were popular and published in collections.[1][2] Their subjects included materialism, devotion, the Irish language and, most especially, temperance.[1] An example is a verse of The Toper and his Bottle,[1]

I curse the day I met you, John,
I curse the luckless hour
I tasted first your flavoured cup,
And felt its magic power.

Casey was an inspiration for the "Poet of the Pick", Jem Casey, a character in Flann O'Brien's satirical novel At Swim-Two-Birds.[3] Jem Casey was a labourer who wrote "pomes" such as The Workman's Friend,[4]

When money's tight and is hard to get
And your horse has also ran,
When all you have is a heap of debt –
A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference McTiernan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PoI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Foley was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Carson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).