14-year-old boy from Carlow pens poem in tribute to Mayo born grandmother

A 14-year-old boy from Carlow has written a poem for his late granny who grew up in Mayo. 

Max O'Donoghue attends Tullow Community School and is in Third Year studying for his Junior Cert. His mother Diane is from Emyvale in Monaghan while his father Trevor is from Rathvilly in Carlow.

Diane’s late mother was Sheila Ward, née Kilbane, who was born on Achill Island (Ballinasally, Keel) and moved to Monaghan when she married her husband Eugene Ward.

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Every school holiday, mid term or long weekend, Max visits Achill Island with his parents and his sister Amy. From a very young age Max fell in love with the island.

Then, after his grandmother's passing in March 2024, he wrote this poem the following December entitled:

“Granny’s Achill Island”

In Achill Island granny's love is near

Minaun’s towering cliffs
Where you can see for miles
Like guardians of the sea

Keem, where waves are crashing to the shore and dolphins are swimming in the ocean
The sights that put goosebumps down your spine

Dugorts golden sand
With views of Slievemore
Beautiful turquoise waters
Ashleams White cliffs
With amazing views far out to sea
The lovely breeze gently blowing across your face

It's where granny was born and raised
A placed she's never forgotten
Even though she moved away from Achill
She made sure we knew about it

Granny passed in March

Achill is where I want to be
Although it's not where I'm from
I love it more than any place I've ever loved
It's a weird feeling
To be home sick for a place that isn't home

In Achill Island I feel like a different person
A person free from worry and stress
I feel nothing can take that feeling away
Because I have so many beautiful memories there
Especially, those made with granny

It's is where I long to be for ever more
In granny's Achill Island

By Max O’Donoghue, aged 14

A photo with Max and granny Sheila from a few years ago

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