Lyr Req: Poem - The Red Dogs (Patrick R. Chalmers)

Subject: Lyr Req:PoemThe Red Dogs
From: curmudgeon
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 09:35 AM

A friend of mine from work is currently writing a book about Irish setters and is on a quest for a certain poem by this title. It was written by one Patrick R. Chalmers (1872-1942). Bartlett's "Quotations," 1941 ed. includes the first stanza:

Oh, bright as a berry,
They're red and they're rare,
The setters from Kerry,
Cork and Kildare.

The problem is that he only had one anthology published, Rhymes of Flood and Field, in a limited edition of 1500, of which only a few can be found in rare book collections of a handful of libraries.

Surely someone in this austere assemblage of great minds must know of this poem and can provide it in it's entirety. Your aid in this quest will be most valued and appreciated.

Thanks - Tom

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poem - The Red Dogs
From: curmudgeon
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 11:19 AM

Since first posting this request, I have located many copies of the "rare" book that my friend is looking for. I should have expected as much when she admitted to not being very computer savvy.

But Iwould still appreciate it if anyone could post the whole poem -- Tom

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poem - The Red Dogs
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 11:45 AM

Somewhere I have a copy of Chalmer's book. I will try and dig it out and post the words unless they are posted in the meantime. I have a memory of the poem being printed in a magazine, but it may have been only an extract.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poem - The Red Dogs (Patrick R. Chalm
From: curmudgeon
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 08:16 PM

Thanks for the offer, Q. But my friend thinks that this poem may not be in that particular tome. However, if you have the magazine, or an idea of which one it was, we may be able to track it down.

Thanks - Tom

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poem - The Red Dogs (Patrick R. Chalmers)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 06:58 AM

There is some information about Patrick R. Chalmers at Wikipedia.

WorldCat lists 47 books by him. (Some of those are duplicates.) Follow the links to find them in a library near you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poem - The Red Dogs (Patrick R. Chalmers)
From: GUEST,Library Drone
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 06:54 AM

I think the poem you are looking for is on page 81 of
Chalmer's book "Gun-Dogs" (1931)

Subject: Lyr Add: GUN DOGS (Patrick R. Chalmers)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 05:31 PM

The poem can be found in Punch, Vol. 180 (Jan-Jun, 1931), page 581.

Only "snippets" are viewable with Google Book Search, but I think I succeeded in piecing together enough snippets to get the whole poem. (It's a tedious process, but I enjoy the challenge.) As my dad used to say, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

GUN DOGS
Patrick R. Chalmers

THE dogs out of Erin are red as red herrin',
They are red as a flame, I declare, I declare;
They run on brown mountains and by the smooth fountains
From Shannon's green banks to the crooks of Kenmare;
Oh, bright as a berry,
They're red and they're rare,
The Setters from Kerry
And Cork and Kildare!

Your Honours to pleasure they'll stretch at full measure
And hunt the wet mountain from bottom to top:
See them stand like a stone now—a stone, ah! you'll own now
That you're likely this minute to hear a gun pop;
Red dogs on a hill of
Red birds, would they stop
Till they'd set you the fill of
A poulterer's shop?

You may go—ah! to what land? The blue hills of Scotland?
The dales of dark Derby, high-shouldered as hogs?—
But, wherever there's coveys, wherever your love is
To climb on a hill and uncouple the dogs,
Sure, your heart—that's unless it
Is colder than frogs—
Must go back—ah! confess it—
To mountains and bogs.

And the red dogs of Erin that's red as red herrin',
That fly like the flame, like the flame, I declare,
By the bogs and brown mountains and soft-flowing fountains
Till they stand like a stone—both the beautiful pair;
Oh, bright as the cherry,
Oh, red dogs and rare
Are the red dogs of Kerry
And Cork and Kildare!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poem - The Red Dogs (Patrick R. Chalm
From: curmudgeon
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 06:28 PM

Thank you Jim, thank you, thank you!

Jane is absolutely ecstatic at finding the poem she's been questing after for so long.

I knew that some of his works were in Punch, but didn't have a clue where to begin the search

Isn't Mudcat great?

- Tom

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poem - The Red Dogs (Patrick R. Chalm
From: curmudgeon
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 06:35 PM

Jane's comment - "Oh, my, the tears have started - it's been such a long haul and I really, really appreciate this!"