What a marvelous discussion this message board has provided!!! I've learned a lot about Patrick Kavanagh and "Raglan Road", especially I tried hard to figure out what it implies by "the queen of hearts still making tarts and I not making hay", " That I had wooed not as I should a creature made of clay.", "When the angel woos the clay he'd lose his wings at the dawn of day"

Being a non-Irish, I haven't had chance to come accross any Irish ballads and poetries. The first time I heard Raglan Road it was recited by an Irishman I met in Shanghai not long ago. The words captured my heart instantly as they portrayed a broken heart and a lost love.

Thanks to these who made the contribution