"On Raglan Road" is a well-known Irish song from a poem written by Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh named after Raglan Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin. In the poem, the speaker recalls, while walking on a "quiet street," a love affair that he had with a much younger woman. Although he knew he would risk being hurt if he initiated a relationship, he did so anyway, and ultimately faced heartache after the relationship ended.
Raglan Road street sign-showing Dublin 4 post code
Patrick Kavanagh was an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel Tarry Flynn, and the poems "On Raglan Road" and "The Great Hunger". He is known for his accounts of Irish life through reference to the everyday and commonplace.
Patrick Kavanagh, by Patrick Swift, 1960
George William Russell, Kavanagh's literary advisor and mentor
Patrick Kavanagh by Patrick Swift, lithograph, 1956, NPG, London
Kavanagh's grave, Inniskeen