In Reply to: Re: Ceist eile do Oliver K posted by Oireach on August 30, 2008 at 17:27:35:

a cara......i hope you remind her of her night in wesport....in my mention of ...pop hopkins.....death....he died in loughrans quarry....by rush lake.....that quarry was a hoing cocern way back then.....tommy mc aveeney...hauled many a load of rocks and stone from there.....tommy mc aveeney{ spelling of his name may not be wright] ...and my cousin con clarke and denn rowland were " tight" friends....con and denny lived on new line....tommy lived next door to just down from tom twiggs's corner......i at that time used to go to my grandparents home on new line for my lunch....and afterwards all four of us would walk back to school...we usually got into some mischief....on the way back we often went back to the plots near baile na gcloc.....and raid the carrots.....plots were community vegetable areas.....during the war.....there were many in the town.....there was another up from the sports field at garavans fields that me ....john and bobo brennan ...used to raid...these vegetable plots were encouraged by the govt. ....during the ww2....each persomn had their own plot and grew veggies......ww2 introduced many emergency plans......the county home.....or the workhouse as we called it.....the county hospital......the asylum.....all had their roof painted with a big white cross....not in a religious vein.....but under the mantle of the red cross.......the health dept ....distributed extract of malt....and scotts emulsion......this was ....because of food rationing .....to prevent rickets....i didn't mind the malt....but by god that emulsion.....was something else.....i dreded the nightly ritual of having to yake this big tablespoon of this ...shit....but i guess it kept us healthy....just before i get back to my storyon con ...tommy ....denny....and myself.....other patent medicines ....i hated ...castor oil...parrafin oil.....syrup of figs....milk of magnesia...when i saw the castor oil bottle on the range iwent into hiding......now back to the originalstory....con ...denny ....tommy and myself....headed back to school....hubert garry had some sheds on new line ....here he kept his horse drawn hearse.....well we four climbed up on the roof.....which was covered in old black slate....as we crossed the roof part of the slates gave way.....and we landed on the hearse....hubert who lived on the corner opposite tpm twiggs heard the commtion ....and he more than likely saw us....nothing too much went on without hubert knowing it....he was down at the sheds in a shot.....he gave us shit.... and then marched us back to bro. nicholas........need i say more.....speaking of huberts hearse .....his funeral arrangements were of the most notable ......his hease was drawn by grey horses.....the hearse was draped in blackk silk....hubert sat atop dressed in black hat and tie....the horses were usually decorated in black bows....evrything about this cortege was sombre....and mute....often when someone of note used his facility......the town band often played behind.....i can still see....lordy halligan ...and his brother flipper....i guess he was called that because he clanged the symbols..sonny guthrie....willy keane..john joe collins....the music was always solemn and dignified.....in those days as funerals went by people stood for a moment businessess closed their doors....the local siochalonie ...on point duty at jb morans would stand to attention and salute ....the church bell would toll the death knoll.....bong.......bong......bong......each bong seemed to ring with certain sombre and doom........a kind of inner stirring of our own mortality.....mr naughton would ring that bell with pride and authority.....he not like us altar boys...who rang the bell.....did not ride the rope ......riding the rope was when we pulled it down we hell onto it as it went back up ...it was great fun....unfortunately pat jordan knew when we done that....the bell would double ring.....but i must say we got quite good at making sure that never happened....tom twiggs had a sweet shop on the corner...across the street except for hubert garrys house was all derelict.....the marins...the kilcoynes.....the mcdonnells lived just down from twiggs.....the kilcoynes ...and the mcdonnells....had lived on mchale road and i remember very well when they moved .....along from them was jennimgs butcher shop ....he had this "massive" fan going all day in his shop and always had sawdust on the floor.....across from himm was a mrs oboyle ...a seamstress ...i was in her shop many times i used to love to play with ...the straight pins...and the magnets....mceveeneys....were beside her.....on the corner ...or junction of linenhall street and linen hallwas this thatched house....bridie maloneys grandmother and although i knew her well at the time her name now has slipped through the cracks....the house was always immaculate.....the thatch well maintained.....and the walls always gleaming white.....she was noted for her arrangements of flowers and religious pictures when ever there was a procession.....then there was the "bronx" bar ....later tommy conway bought it.....myself spidge armstrong and johnny cunningham...{foodman]drank our sup there.... a few business in that area changed hands about that time .....i remember when drmot coady bought where adrian is now......dermot was atravelling salesman for the bacon factory.....he and tom cunniffe....were a big part of the factorys salesforce ...back then when vans replaced the tom moran and paddy merrick's horse drawn floats.........tom used to do the north mayo sligo donegal run.....and he could often be seen in bundoran.....and ballshannon....his wife marian ...nee duffy....was awell know horse personality.....tom was your regular ....local.....charles lindberg......tom....was aregular fixture at johnny mchales on newline...gilboys had a shop near the town hall......across ther was of course bucko sheridans......i remember many night ...when the siochalonie raided it getting out the back....over the wall and.....splash....!sceil eile la eile......i noted a "townie" felt I had nothing better to do with my time in canada....than post my trips down memory lane ....to him i say ....if you can't take the heat ....get out of the kitchen.....and i believe another ....commentator ....opened my personal cupboard to him/her.....i lived my life.....my way....my name is oliver killen....and i stand up ....i care not for my detractors....so if to those i irritate ....dont read muy postings....get a life and talk about yourself......me ...in the immortal words of rhett butler.....frankly...i don't give a damn....
tog go bog e.....