Joseph Campbell gives us a short, affectionate portrait of Ciaran, an Irish horseman who has risen from having nothing but calloused hands to owning land and fine horses. The speaker clearly admires him, almost shaking his head in wonder at seeing him ride a thoroughbred as well as any man in the country. That amazed, fond tone comes through in the outburst “O Christ!”—it is the voice of someone delighted by Ciaran’s skill and presence. Yet the poem is careful to show that wealth hasn’t spoiled him. Ciaran still has the innocence of a child, a soft heart, and a mild eye, and he is generous to singers and the poor. The repeated line about the “horn on his hands” frames the poem like a folk song, reminding us where he started. The mood is warm, celebratory, and a little awed, full of affection for a man who gained status without losing his kindness.
Ciaran, the Master of Horses and Lands — Summary
Ciaran, the master of horses and lands, Once had no more than the horn on his hands.
But Ciaran is rich now, and Ciaran is great, And rides with the air of a squire of estate.
O Christ! and to see the man up on the back Of a thoroughbred stallion, a bay or a black!
There's not a horsebreeder from Banna to Laoi Can handle the snaffle so pretty as he!
And Ciaran, for all, has the wit of a child, A heart just as soft, and an eye just as mild.
No maker of ballads puts curse at his door: He handsels the singer, and harbours the poor.
For Ciaran, the master of horses and lands, Once had no more than the horn on his hands.