In Reply to: re: mchale road christmas tree posted by S.R on December 16, 2009 at 10:07:33:

a cara........yes.....peters was a generous and condiderate store to all on mchale road....i must confess that i never had much dealings in the store....but kevin was in my class in school so from time to time i went .....my main contact was to go there on a sunday morning and buy a northlight blade for my father...with strict instructions not to bring home a mac's smile.......i remember christmas 1955 .....pat devanney and myself ....both half in the bag ....and going down the road ..quite late....playing trumpets....or shall i say pat was playing ...i was making noise......we got down as far as george bartleys.....george was at the front door with bridie.....bridie smiling with that girlish grin of hers....george called us over....and in his unmistakable voice....."...now i'd say a drink might be in order...".so in we went to georges constant and inexhaustible hospitality.....we sat by the range....and enjoyed good booze .....and stories.....which were enlarged by the tales of my uncle dan callaghan.....after a prolonged visit....pat and i headed down the rest of the road until we got to devanneys....where our carnival ended on the advice of ..."swing"....that caper was certainly a hot converation the next day........boxing day 1953 was another memorable christmas for me.....that was the night ...."dan dare...."drove through the garage doors of the bacon factory......well....not really dan dare......but thats how dan carroll described.... in his un mistakable verbose fashion....the events.....it all began .....playing cards in my house....i got a tooth ache......ordered to go to .....henry taphouse.....on my way to that tooth surgeon ....i i was accompanied by ....michael gavin ....and harry farrell.....when i was told by mr talhouse he had no cocaine for extraction .....i breathed a sigh of relief when he gave me a tablet and instructed to come back the next day.....as i left his front gate ...tim mcdonagh approached us to help him push his car to get it started.......eventually i got to open the hood and fool around with the fuel screw on the carbueretor ......this impressed tim so knowing my father had a car he figured i knew what i was doing...and that i could drive......we pushed his pristine ...ford prefect up mons terrace then he told me get in and with help from him the boys and mike gannon ....me behind the wheel they gave me push ......down the hill i went the car in second....my foot on the clutch....as i gathered speed i released the clutch....and ...bingo.....the car hummed like a pussycat.....keep her going tim hollered ....so what was i to do but ....follow orders......i came to clarkes corner.....and all was well as i cornered into mchale road.....in full command of my ship.....i drove by my house with a smugness.....this is ground control to commander tom.......i bagan to pick up a little speed as i went by mchale park........up ahead was the "s bend " at the bacon factory shop......there was a raised concrete path at the shop.....i went in the "bend ".....but i also went into the concrete the car went airborne ....and flipped onto its side......sparks lit up the shadows of night.......the car continued on its side along the road ...still at a velocity and speed .....it spun as pices of chrome and steel were hurled ......i thought first as i lay on th front seat.....this is it....i took a quick peek and saw dennings door in my path....but the car was still spinning....like a top....suddenly it veered directly to the garage.....big green doors which housed the factory trucks.....suddenly there was a crash......as the car smashed through the doors....and finally came to a stop.......dan carroll ....and his daughter were first on the scene........i was numb as i lay between the seat and the dash.......with all urgency dan hollered in ....is there any one alive in there......i raised my head.....as dans daughter plucked me out of the wreck......she did check me over ....and held onto me......as the crowds began to gather.....the crowds were like game over time at the connaught final......soon tim mcdonagh was on the scene....did any one see what happened....he asked........in his fiest gruff strong voice dan carroll.....said.....well...tim....dan dare could not take the corner at the speed he was going.....tim surveyed the damage....the wreck.....tommy haugh and the mummers ...and their bladder....rounded the corner at flannerys field.....i eventually made my way home......wishing that ....indeed taphouse would have pulled my tooth without freezing.....later that evening the wreck was gathered up....and that was the way it was....once upon a good time........
.....la eile sceil eile....
....tog go bog