Irish Zen poem on St. Patrick's Day

ST. PATRICK'S DHARMA: Welcome to Zen Buddhism in Ireland (ZBI) with Myozan Kodo (妙山興道). Years ago, on March 17th, he delivered a short talk on Irish history on a possibly ahistorical figure named "Saint Paddy" to mark St. Patrick's Day. Rev. Myozan Kodo lives his Zen Buddhist spiritual tradition on the Emerald Isle at zenbuddhism.ie which is open to all.

New traditions

Welcome to ZBI: Zen Buddhism Ireland - Zen Buddhism Ireland

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Let's go beyond The Pale in Ireland

The Irish are nothing if not amazing storytellers. Our own resident poet, Seven O'Dhr, frequently performs his epic "Finnegan's Awake" to stunned crowds who cannot comprehend how there can be so many rhyming syllables delivered in a Gaelic cadence in what is ostensibly an all-English poem. The piece is, of course, a tip o' the hat to James Joyce and his magnum opus  Finnegans Wake, but both works are rooted in an old Dublin ditty everyone who's ever entered a pub has heard, "Finnegan's Wake." What now if the classic song were Buddhified? If the story of Saint Paddy can be, as certainly it was all dreamed up by the Church over the years to sanitize the genocide of the indigenous pagan "snakes" being chased off the snakeless island.

Finnegan's Wake (traditional)

"Finnegan's Wake" (Irish American comic ballad) Clancy Brothers and The Dubliners

Ballad of Tim Finnegan's Wake as explained and performed by The Clancy Brothers in Ireland

Tim Finnegan lived on Watlin Street

A gentleman Irish but mighty odd

Had a beautiful brogue so soft and sweet

To rise in the world he carried a hod

He had a sort of a tipplin' way

With a love of the liquor poor Tim was born

To help him on with his work each day

Had a drop of the craythur every morn

[CHORUS:]

Whack fol the dah of the di-do-day

Dance with your partner

Welt the floor your trotters shake

Wasn't it the truth I told?

Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake!

One mornin' Tim felt rather full

His head felt so heavy it made him shake

Fell from a ladder and dashed his skull

They carried him home his corpse to wake

Rolled him up in a nice clean sheet

Laid him out upon the bed

A bottle of whiskey at his feet

A barrel of porter at his head

[CHORUS]

His friends assembled at the wake

And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch

First they brung in tea and cake

Then pipes tobacco and whiskey punch

Biddy O'Brien began to cry

"Such a nice clean corpse did you ever see?

Tim mavourneen why'd you go and die?"

Arragh shut your gob said Paddy McGee!

[CHORUS]

Patty O'Connor took up the job

"Ah Biddy" says she "you're wrong I'm sure!"

Biddy gave her a belt on the gob

That sent her sprawlin' on the floor

Then a war did soon engage

It was woman to woman and man to man

Shillelagh-law was all the rage

And a row and a ruction soon began

Mickey Maloney lowered his head

As a bottle of whiskey flew at him

Missed and fallin' on the bed

The liquor sprinkled all over Tim!

Tim revives see how he rises!

Timothy risin' from the bed

Sayin' "Whirl your liquor around like blazes

Thunderin' Jaysus do you think I'm dead?"

[CHORUS]

Finnegan's Awake (Zen version)

Seven O'Dhr for Wisdom Quarterly, St. Patrick's Day 2025

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Tim Finnegan did BE across kinhin street

A gentleman Irish but Almighty Odd

Had a beautiful OM so soft 'n sweet

To rise above the world, he sat in the sod

Tippin' over wave and save: awake!

He had a sort of a tippin' wave

With a love of Hardcore Zen Tim was reborn

To help him on with his work each day

Had a talk with the master every morn

[CHORUS:]

Work for the title of the Died-All-Day

Breathe with your partners

Welt the floor then your trousers shake

Wasn't it the Four Truths I told?

Lots o' fun now that Finnegan's awake!

Welt the floor then trousers shake

One mornin' Tim felt rather dull

His head felt so sleepy it made him wave

Tipped right over and dashed his skull

He sprawled out his corpse to wake

Rolled his'self up in a nice bright sheet

Reclined his'self in lion's pose in bed

All bottled up frisky with cold feet

A barrel of sake's good till you're dead

[CHORUS]

His friends assembled at the wake

Then Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch

First they brung in green tea and cake,

Zen bamboo flutes with a sake punch

Biddy O'Brien began to cry,

"Such a nice lean corpse did you ever see?

Tim's in satori and he might die!"

Arragh, shut your gob said Paddy McGee!

[CHORUS]

Roshi O'Connor took up the job

"Ah Biddy," said he, "you're wrong, I'm sure!"

Then Biddy gave him a wordy belt on the gob

That sent him sprawlin' on the floor

Keisaku: Seven temples to experience Zen sitting meditation (zazen) (Jatrabridge)

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The keisaku is to awaken, but the shippei...

Then a debate did soon engage

It was man on woman and woman on man

Shippei-law was all the rage

And a row and a ruction soon began

Flicky Baloney lowered his head

As bottled-up frisky flew out of him

Missed and fallin' on the bed

The life sprinkled and touched ol' Tim!

Tim revives! See how he rises!

Timothy risin' from his deathbed

Sayin', "Whirl your hurl 'round like blazes

Thunderin' Dōgen, do you think I'm dead?"

[CHORUS]

Hardcore Zen: Zazen is NOT meditation

(Roshi Brad Warner) Zen punk on why Zazen is Not Meditation

• Everyone writes and sings it their own way: The Irish Rovers – Finnegan's Wake
• The Disturbing Truth About St. Patrick’s Day and Its Brutal History | by Three raccoons in a spacesuit | Medium
• Did St. Patrick Commit Genocide? Did He Kill Pagans? Did He Battle Druids? - Irish Myths
• Was St. Patrick Catholic? - Irish Myths
• Myozan Kodo, Zen temple Ireland, March 17, 2016; The Clancy Brothers; The Dubliners; Brad Warner; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly