Portrait of Patrick Kavanagh

'On Raglan Road' was written by Patrick Kavanagh in 1946. The poem was originally published as 'Dark Haired Miriam Ran Away' and was written about his unrequited love for Hilda Moriarty. The poem has been recorded in song by many artists including Luke Kelly, Van Morrison and Sinéad O'Connor.

Writer Benedict Kiely remembers the day, in the office of 'The Standard' journal, that Patrick Kavanagh first showed him the words of 'On Raglan Road' and how they tested how it would sound sung to the air of 'The Dawning of the Day'.

Writer Benedict Kiely tells Ciarán Mac Mathúna how he thinks he was the first person to see the words of 'Raglan Road' written out and how Kavanagh asked him if he thought the poem could be sung to the air of 'The Dawning of the Day'.

Luke Kelly explains how he met Patrick Kavanagh only once. During this encounter Kavanagh told him he had a song for him. The song was 'On Raglan Road'. For many people Luke Kelly's interpretation of 'On Raglan Road' is the definitive one. Luke Kelly performs 'On Raglan Road' accompanied by Al O'Donnell.

Patrick Kavanagh met Hilda Moriarty in 1944. She was a 22-year-old medical student at University College Dublin. Kavanagh, who was 20 years older, became obsessed with Hilda Moriarty. His love was unrequited and she later married Donogh O'Malley (who became a Fianna Fáil Minister for Education).

In an interview filmed for the documentary 'Gentle Tiger', Hilda Moriarty-O'Malley, who inspired 'On Raglan Road', explains the origins of the poem. Actor John Kavanagh sings an extract from 'Raglan Road'.