A whole history of a family is unfurled before our eyes... and the song finishes with remarkbly touching lines of the brother at home finally taking over the father's duties in writing to the 'lad' in America- “And its funny the way he kept talkin' about you, he called for you at the end”.

The song was first recorded here by Danny Doyle and a number of other versions, including one by Jimmy Whittington from Charlestown, have also been put on albums. Peter Jones, the writer of the song, visited Kilkelly a few years ago and was honoured by the locals on that occasion.

Reading Pat McNamara's diary is like unearthing a gem. It is a treasure and records the day to day events in the fields and the countryside. The writing is small but remarkably clear and well preserved through the ages.