Castle Queen

This song was written by my great Uncle Joe in memory of his mother, my Great Grandmother, Kate Doherty.

I've Heard of fine beauties since I was a boy,
Of the fair Cleopatra and Helen of Troy,
But there was one fairer to me it did seem,
With grace and with beauty our own Castle Queen

Her skin was as soft as the fine morning dew,
And her dark rolling locks o'er her shoulder it grew,
The gleam in her blue eyes it would charm a king,
And bright was the smile of our own Castle Queen

She was only sixteen when young Henry so bold,
Came to ask for her hand in sweet wedlock to hold,
Soon she consented and it's plain to be seen,
'Twas the start of the legend of our own Castle Queen

Next year they got married and two hearts became one,
In the church at St. Mary's surrounded by friends,
She took his surname and fulfilled his young dream,
Then brought back to the 'Castles' his own darling Queen

She had four lovely daughters and fourteen fine sons,
In times when great hardship and poverty was one,
Ah! but all through her troubles one joy could be seen,
Was the smile on the face of our own Castle Queen

For seventy two years she reigned on her throne,
She welcomed friends and good neighbours from around Inshowen,
Ah! but age takes its toll now and so it would seem,
On the health and the strength of our own Castle Queen

It's sad I remember that dark April day,
When the Lord came to call in to take her away,
She stole away from us in a heavenly dream,
That silver-haired mother our own Castle Queen

The churchyard was crowded on that early spring day,
As we laid her to rest beneath the cold clay,
But I'm sure she looked down from her heavenly scene,
As we said goodbye to our own Castle Queen