The Ballad of Francie Bellew

– Laois v Armagh Quarter Final 2005

Oh gather near
So you can hear
The things I have to tell you
About the Ar-
-Magh superstar
By name of Francie Bellew.

The Laois men came
To wide acclaim,
But none of them did fancy
The battle royal
On Croke Park soil
Against old warhorse Francie.

This mighty man
Jumped, caught and ran,
As though he were a chis’ller.
At times inspired,
He never tired
And really played a sizzler.

“You try your best,”
He cried, possessed,
“But this time I’ll repel you!”
And though Laois tried,
They were denied
All day by Francie Bellew.

He mopped up all
The dropping ball
From Munnelly and Clancy.
Poor Laois were left
Bemused, bereft,
Dispirited by Francie.

While others on
Armagh’s team shone,
With goals and points well taken,
Defensively,
He led with glee
And thus brought home the bacon.

If you searched hard
To find a yard-
-Stick of perfection, well you
Just couldn’t stray
From that display
By vet’ran Francie Bellew.

Its true Laois scored,
A poor reward,
The goal was somewhat chancey,
But by and large
Their entourage
Was gobbled up by Francie.

When Laois attacked,
Their men were tracked
And tackled as required.
Their game-plan was
Destroyed because
Bould Francie was inspired.

In life, you’re sent
To some extent
To where the fates propel you.
But giants there
Could not compare
To mighty Francie Bellew.

So travel to
Far Timbuktu,
Descend the mighty Yan-tse,
You’ll never find
A man to mind
A forward line like Francie.