Nightingale of the Nation

As you remember the brave men
who stirred a terrible beauty,
spare a thought for a brave woman
murdered for doing her duty.

Walking beside the underdog
in the slums of Dublin city,
Nurse Keogh was a true emblem
of peace and equality.

She wore her uniform proudly
as she fought in her own battle,
branching off her family tree
above Captain Keogh’s title.

A soldier for the innocent
who was martyred for compassion;
we should mark her magnificent:
the Nightingale of the Nation.

In memory of Margaret Keogh, the forgotten first victim of the Easter Rising.