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The Wee Lassie Piper By Peter McDonald

It was early in the mornin' in the town of Ballyborin I was feelin' a bit forlorn and lookin' to find a bit of amusement there When I heard the sound of Irish pipin,' so divine and so delightin,' Then my morning brightened for the piper was a lassie fair. I moved a little nearer for to see a little clearer And if I could better hear her, well, then I was all for stayin,' She sat upon a wooden chair, people standin' everywhere Listenin' to the lovely air that she was gently playin.' What with her elbows a-flailin' sent the high notes a-wailin' And her fingers never failin' as she pleased the crowd around her, Settin' the notes all a-flyin' from the low ones to the high ones And my heart was sanctifyin' my good fortune I'd a-found her. But some o' the lads they weren't impressed, They'd seen them all, they'd heard the best, Now who's this uninvited guest competin' against the men? "Shouldn't ya be, at home upon your mommy's knee Instead o' tryin' to play like me?" said one of the lads who dared suggest, But she answered straight away, "I've just as much the right to play, And I'll prove it to you any day of the year, just tell me when. If you dare, meet me at the music fair. We'll settle it all there, which one of us can play the best." So I walked up and asked her, "Where'd you learn and from what master, And will the boys meet disaster when they challenge you?" She said, "Well, I played a little, down in Timoleague and Ballinspittle With a boy who played the fiddle 'til one day he proved untrue. "But now I find myself possessed with being better than the rest, And maybe someday be the best and show the boys a thing or two. "But everywhere it's all the same, I'm not a part of their little game-- I just want to make my name and see my dream come true." Then she, without hesitation, launched another orchestration, Adding clever variations to the song along the way. Her nimble speed of motion met with the lads' stern emotion Still she finished in an ocean of cheers and red bouquets. Afterwards I dared to ask what she presumed would come to pass If she were to face the best at this music fair. "So long I've prayed, that there would come the day," she said. "When at this contest I have played and for my gender stood the test. "But 'tisn't just the getting there, going where no girl had dared, Entering in mortal competition 'gainst the men-- For in a week, in Kerry 'tis my dream I seek, I'd scale McGillicuddy's Reek to show the world I am the best." So we were all making merry on the way to County Kerry, Ah, but she got very apprehensive when we made it there. They'd come from Europe, South Australia, America and Scandinavia, Even one from Micronesia to the Irish music fair. We were glad we'd come the miles, when she passed the early trials, Now it was the finals in which she'd be competin.' Nervousness it was a-brewin,' fingernails they got a chewin,' Would our journey go to ruin? Can the boys be beaten? But she played her rendition, 'twas a music apparition, Had all the opposition wishin' she'd a-stayed at home, The judges deliberated, all performances were rated, Votes they were tabulated, someone grabbed the microphone, I closed my eyes, I bowed my head, and suddenly the room went dead, As the master of ceremonies read the tally to the crowd: The little girl was champion of all the world, We chaired her on our shoulders to a round of "Hip-Hooray!" So if it's early mornin' and you're stuck in Ballyborin And the local lads are scornin' someone's virtuositay: All beware, turnabout is always fair And sittin' on the wooden chair when the music starts to play . . . McGillicuddy's Reeks: the highest mountains in Ireland, located in Co. Kerry.

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