...at last the bacon factory....and martin dolan

a cara....here in hogtown...a.k.a. toronto thre is a clash between the fall and winter....fall does not yet want to let go its hold...whilst winter is....banging to arrive...and is kicking falls ass.....the trees have dropped and shed their leafy shades ...and skirts...and now look cold...stark...naked and spooky intheir nakedness.....the branches....seem to stick out ...in vulnerable shame of their barreness....the concrete jungle of glass...steel and concrete of downtown ....suburban homes and buildings....present in coldness....like miltons paradise lost....even the illuminations of festive lights do not rejuvinate...elliminate..nor mittigate the greyness...of the approaching winter....milton wrote....in his description of hell.....yet from those flames no light visible....from my penthouse crows nest...the skies have descended in dark gloom...they have lowered altitude as in a shroud of dismal umbrella.....and mighty lake ontario...looks univitingly treacherous....as if warning ....we regret the fading of summer ...but this regret is seasonal....because we know and are forever cognizant of the coming season of renewal.... springtime.....right now most are developing an inner glow ...an internal warmth as the mind triggers the approaching season of ...joy...goodwill to all men....christmas.....it invokes nostalgic memories of happiness....for someothers it triggers...sadness....its a season of sorrow for it amplifies the vacant places and chairs of departed loved ones....for some others it triggers stress and anxiety....and so they feel more stressed out and find themselves more strung out than the lights on the christmas tree....i have opened the pages of dickens ...a christmas carol...and as i do i find myself drifting back to a...chrismas of long ago in castlebar....it is not the christmas i write about ...but the events in my life just before.....i was now half way into my ...lost weekend.....i had just moved from my mansion...in the massbrook estate....i had left the beautious loch conn ....the barreness of lahardane and nephin ...herr fromberg behind....and was now living under the shadow of islandeadys church....the house was owned by tommy staunton....a victim of muscular dystrophy....he had a shop just up from the house which fortunately at this time had been vacated by john kilkelly.....i moved my family in ....and it was convenient ...closer to castlebar...and very close to my wifes family in derrycoosh....dr. murphy lived just below me....and often he would give me a lift into town....fr. blowick was also another neighbour who also gave me a lift....a man who disliked my dog spot ....spot aoten reciprocated the unkindness by wandering into the church and taking a leak....this was a time of oblivious existance...i was caught in the spinning wheel of tweeter and the monkey man...and like him....i was hard up for cash...but i did make it through it....i tramped in daily to town.....my first stop always was john kennys...and i believe if it were not for john and annie kenny....i may not have made it....annie would take me into her kitchen....and feed me homemade soup...at times spoon fed me....then later in the evening i would make my way to some of the other houses of fame....kellys pub on spencer street ....here jim kelly and i bonded a friendship....he sponsored my habit....and took me on many a pub crawl....down to sloyans....jim shot the shit to me of his experiences as a steeveadore on lake michigan....his wife and her dog were also good friends....she too often made me sandwiches...after kellys ...i would wander over to the green olive....and enjoy the hospitality of bernie reilly.....i liked the green olive.....i have never forgotten the tiled floor....and the cleanliness of the toilets.....bernie was a reasonable host...a newsagent by former profession...so the garble from drunks...and brawlers must have ...alarmed his droll nature.....but it was in the green olive ..fortune was to shine a light.....i was in there shooting the breeze ...lies et al with johnny waters....when the first president of castlebar walked in....pansy cresham....and with him ....martin dolan....it was late october ...and the bacon factory was getting busy for christmas...exports to england and the u.s were buiding up....pansy bought me a pint....and martin was ....looking at me....jeeesu..s ch...rist...he blurted....are you alright.....pansy ...answered for me ...hes alright...how about giving him a job........i do...nt ...know...martin retorted.......we drank a few more ....liffeys....pansy kept pushing martin for a job for me....evtually ...martin gave in ...al...right...for fucks...sake.....jee...sus...be at the gate at 8....have you got any ...wellingtons....martin asked.......jessus i dont....i shot back....have you got the money to buy a pair....he asked....no...i replied....martin....looked at me....shook his head...he said be at the gate at 8....i'll see you there.....i arrived there the next morning...and martin was at the clock....a pair of new wellingtons...in his hand....get...th...ese on you he shouted....and you can pay me when you have some money to spare......i clocked in under the wathful eye ...of spare the butter ...frank griffin...and martin....martin then walked me over to the stores...and put me into the care of pansy.....i stacked bailing canvass....and used a jackhammer to break down a wall.....biney gannon worked in the stores....and she and i bonded a lifelong frienship.....after all her brother timmy was married to my godmother....kitty cresham.....i worked in the store for a couple of days here i met mrs mahony...the health care supervisor...and she and i became great friends.......and was enjoying it until one lunchtime....martin met me....and said...be...over in the beef kill...after lunch....i arrived on the kill floor....and as i watched cows been downed ...hung drawn and skinned......martin put me in the care of dan murray....in the chill room.....lugging quarters of beef to the boning room....here my old friends...johnny ...the jobber ..ruanne...john lally...jim foy....john joe walshe ...etc...used their skill taking the last piece of flesh off the bones....dan was a character and he and i had many a laugh....in the kill dept....my brother in law pady mcdoagh ...skinned....with my great friend mick flynn....evry friday a container had to loaded with prime quarters...and so they were dropped onto my shoulders...and carried to the container...where donal dunne...tim holt supervised the operation...thes quartes had to be gauzed very carefully as they were under health scrutiny....overtime was boutiful...and i worked every hour possible....i worked hard...and drank hard....and on saturdays...in a deadly sick condition still worked....with mick flynn ...seamus burke...paddy mcdonagh....folding cow hides....during this period...i was harrassed regularly by the siocholoonie....and martin would come to me ...afterwards...ke...sus...what did the ...boys...want....are you alright...i think they should leave you alone...he grunted..but they never did...and i did'nt give a shit...and they knew that...and it bothered them....but my job was solid.....martin took me undrer his wing....and often in town ....we supped many a frothy one together....friday was great....payday....and later ....a visit to kellys....kennys....and the t.f......the weeks turned over....and soon christmas arrived .....it was a good christmas despite all....the turkey was big....the fire was bright....and paddy mcdonagh was great company...i rode behind him on his bsa motorbike... as we drove to mickey walshes..in cornanool....tommy...nannan....and tommies wife,,were gracious hosts...as we sat in the back kitchen ....until god knows what time....one week after the holidays....i got my pink slip....lay off for all the casuals....and martin dolan came to see me....as soo...n as things pick up....ill have you back....we met several times in the various liquid establishments afterwards.....but i never did get back....but the memory of those days are inscribed forever.....even in the stupore of my fogged brain....during those days i worked alongside some of my dearest friends....tom lally....walter ellicot....pierce conway...i worked two days in the bonemeal dept...under pierces supervision....the whistle of the factory is silent now....but once a upon a good time...it was the mainspring of the time...and i got to be a cog in its works.....to all who were in the rolls of its employ....im glad i was with you....martin dolan ....was a mighty local friend....another time.....the town river gets a cleaning....

...and the walls came down.....all the way to hell.....

...........tog go bog e.....