“The Bells of Shandon,” written by Francis Sylvester Mahony under the pen name Father Prout, is one of the best-loved poems to come out of 19th-century Ireland. First published in 1832, the poem reflects Mahony’s deep affection for his native land and, in particular, for the famous bells housed in the tower of St. Anne’s Church in the Shandon district of Cork, Ireland.
The verses are filled with nostalgia and a strong sense of local pride, celebrating the bells as symbols of home and community. For Mahony, the sound of the bells is not just a call to prayer, but also a reminder of the people, memories, and traditions tied to Cork, even when he himself was far away.
Mahony wrote the poem during a period of self-imposed exile, when he was living abroad and yearning for Ireland. His inspiration came from the enduring memory of the bells’ sound, which carried across the city and countryside, serving as a constant emblem of home for those separated from it.
The poem resonated strongly with Irish readers of the time, many of whom experienced emigration and displacement themselves. Today, “The Bells of Shandon” remains a cherished piece of Irish literary heritage, not only because of its lyrical beauty, but also because it captures the universal theme of longing for the comforts of home. To the poet, there is no sweeter sound.
Image: Portrait of Francis Sylvester Mahony (1804-1866).
"The Bells of Shandon"
Francis Sylvester Mahony
With deep affection,
And recollection,
I often think of
Those Shandon bells,
Whose sounds so wild would,
In the days of childhood,
Fling around my cradle
Their magic spells.
On this I ponder
Where’er I wander,
And thus grow fonder,
Sweet Cork, of thee;
With thy bells of Shandon,
That sound so grand on
The pleasant waters
Of the River Lee.
I’ve heard bells chiming
Full many a clime in,
Tolling sublime in
Cathedral shrine,
While at a glib rate
Brass tongues would vibrate—
But all their music
Spoke naught like thine;
For memory, dwelling
On each proud swelling
Of the belfry knelling
Its bold notes free,
Made the bells of Shandon
Sound far more grand on
The pleasant waters
Of the River Lee.
I’ve heard bells tolling
Old Adrian’s Mole in,
Their thunder rolling
From the Vatican,
And cymbals glorious
Swinging uproarious
In the gorgeous turrets
Of Notre Dame;
But thy sounds were sweeter
Than the dome of Peter
Flings o’er the Tiber,
Pealing solemnly—
O, the bells of Shandon
Sound far more grand on
The pleasant waters
Of the River Lee.
There ’s a bell in Moscow,
While on tower and kiosk O!
In Saint Sophia
The Turkman gets,
And loud in air
Calls men to prayer
From the tapering summits
Of tall minarets.
Such empty phantom
I freely grant them;
But there ’s an anthem
More dear to me,—
’Tis the bells of Shandon,
That sound so grand on
The pleasant waters
Of the River Lee.
Cover image: The bell tower of St. Anne's Church, home to the famous Shandon Bells, in the Shandon district of Cork, Ireland.
