There was an old priest of Dun Laoghaire

Here is an email I sent recently to GH, my French philosopher-poet-historian friend:

From the toast of Scots Gaelic in my last email to a verse with some Erse, the erstwhile language of Erin's Isle.

I discovered it earlier today. It was penned by the Reverend Professor Canon Dr Eric Mascall, a distinguished theologian (and mathematician) who was educated at Latymer Upper School and Pembroke College, Cambridge. Although ordained in the Church of England in 1933,  Mascall was in no doubt that he was a Latin Catholic. He himself said a private Tridentine Mass and was a Thomist.

There was an old priest of Dun Laoghaire,
Who stood on his head for the Kaoghaire.
When people asked why,
He explained it all by
The latest liturgical thaoghaire.

Please ignore the following explanations if you're familiar with his wordplay:

Laoghaire is pronounced 'Leary'

Kaoghaire = Kyrie (first word of the Greek prayer in the traditional Latin Mass: Kyrie eleison... Lord have mercy)

thaoghaire = theory

Many thanks to the venerable and learned author of Fr Hunwicke's Mutual Enrichment.