A page turning twist ...... Torture!
More, more, more (said patiently
)Never Mind The Olympic Records !!.
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by Maynard23 » Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:16 pm
On his return from the questioning which took place in Crossmaglen, Donal O'Hara winked at me and said "We'll Go" and with that small statement I knew exactly what his intentions were. We travelled on down the east coast of Eire beyond the Wicklow Mountains and were caught in a storm the like of which I have seldom seen, it was a flash storm and the fury of it ripped the cover off of our caravan and the canvas flapped noisily in the whistling winds which accompanied the lashing rain.
A wry smile crept over the face of Donal and he remarked "Sure a man is nothing when confronted by the power of the almighty" and heads bent forward we continued on our way.
Hannah O'Hara was probably the most outspoken woman I have ever encountered, gentle as Jesus Christ himself when left alone but fearsome as the devil when put out.
Did you ever hear the expression "Swears like a Tinker ?", well you'd better believe it, the track of Hannah's tongue was feared and respected throughout the Emerald Isle and [had she been at the scene of her husbands encounter with the British Army] no man on earth would dare lay a hand on Donal O'Hara, dog or no dog.
Hanah clenched her fist and looking upwards shreiked a Devil's Curse skyward, she linked one word to the next with such rapidity that one would think she was speaking in some alien tongue, AND IT WORKED !!, the storm abated, the sky cleared and a rainbow arced above us as we were heading down from the road which ran alongside the base of the mountains, the end of the rainbow was clearly visible and it bathed the land towards which we were heading in it's mysterious light, "There Boy" said Donal, pointing to the rainbow's end, "That's MY land".
Indeed it was, we arrived in Monaseed, a small area in Gorey on the east coast and I was amazed to learn that this land which stretched for as far as the eye could see in all directions actually belonged to him.
Enough !!.
A wry smile crept over the face of Donal and he remarked "Sure a man is nothing when confronted by the power of the almighty" and heads bent forward we continued on our way.
Hannah O'Hara was probably the most outspoken woman I have ever encountered, gentle as Jesus Christ himself when left alone but fearsome as the devil when put out.
Did you ever hear the expression "Swears like a Tinker ?", well you'd better believe it, the track of Hannah's tongue was feared and respected throughout the Emerald Isle and [had she been at the scene of her husbands encounter with the British Army] no man on earth would dare lay a hand on Donal O'Hara, dog or no dog.
Hanah clenched her fist and looking upwards shreiked a Devil's Curse skyward, she linked one word to the next with such rapidity that one would think she was speaking in some alien tongue, AND IT WORKED !!, the storm abated, the sky cleared and a rainbow arced above us as we were heading down from the road which ran alongside the base of the mountains, the end of the rainbow was clearly visible and it bathed the land towards which we were heading in it's mysterious light, "There Boy" said Donal, pointing to the rainbow's end, "That's MY land".
Indeed it was, we arrived in Monaseed, a small area in Gorey on the east coast and I was amazed to learn that this land which stretched for as far as the eye could see in all directions actually belonged to him.
Enough !!.
- Maynard23
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by Maynard23 » Fri Aug 29, 2008 3:13 am
Take careful note, he who would challenge the wit of a Tinker can be only one of two things, a fool or a Tinker, for they are the sharpest minded folk walking upon the face of God's earth and make no mistake about it.
Geniuses adopting the guise of hobos would be a perfectly good overall description of these wonderful folk, much maligned and thriving upon it, their itinerant lifestyle perfectly suited to conceal the wealth of ability they possess in order to surmount the obstacles the world in general places before their every move.
Such competitors too, no gambler on earth has the same razor sharp wit as the Tinker, he will outwit the devil himself when a game of chance draws him into the ring.
To the genuine Tinker, the world belongs to HIM, with such a mind-set he is protected from all the pitfalls others are so often prone to fall foul of, how can you bribe a man who owns everything ?, what can you offer a man as an incentive to dishonour his friends when he owns what YOU have ?, how can a man be avaricious with such an outlook ?, the whole concept of "The Lord will provide" is the natural inclination of the Tinker's mind and that is why they are free.
Among each other, they are the most honourable honest and trustworthy society, truly so, for they have no need to be otherwise, how may a man rob and plunder his own goods ?.
Never enter into an argument with a Tinker, you will find yourself in a no win situation and at the very least will come away feeling so much less of a person than you were before you entered.
Never try to outsmart a Tinker, the more stupid you may think they are, the greater your own peril for in their mind, what you have is only on loan from them.
And so it was that I took up residence in Monaseed, Gorey, Eire, and grew to manhood.
I do not wish to recall many of the unpleasant events which took place during my time among my friends, there are far too many opportunities for dispute among those who can accept subjugation and control without even being aware of their situation, I do not propose to engage in such exchanges of opinion which could only lead to me feeling sorry for my opponent, if there be any sorrow in me, I reserve it for the passing of my saviour Donal O'Hara and his lovely wife Hannah.
I have been assaulted by British soldiers, fired at with rubber bullets and C.S. gas, strip searched and insulted in front of my friends and the list goes on, BUT, I have never allowed them to compromise my admiration for the people who so greatly earned my respect and gave me the tools to live my own life as a free man.
I am undefeated.
Where is the bravery when a force of forty or fifty well armed and trained soldiers, surround and attack a small home in the hills of Eire, backed up by a dozen armoured vehicles with the sole purpose of capturing two men whose only wish is to see their country free ?
Where is the bravery when those two men, refusing to surrender, are fired upon with salvo after salvo in the dead of night, stunned by grenades and slaughtered, two men, one fifty four years old the other forty two, unarmed.
Donal O'Hara, on that night your body was lain lifeless on the ground, face up towards the stars above you, it was a clear night and small clouds seamed to scurry across the moon and it appeared to smile down upon you, your eyes were open wide and outshone the stars even in death, I will NEVER dishonour YOU...............Ernie.
Geniuses adopting the guise of hobos would be a perfectly good overall description of these wonderful folk, much maligned and thriving upon it, their itinerant lifestyle perfectly suited to conceal the wealth of ability they possess in order to surmount the obstacles the world in general places before their every move.
Such competitors too, no gambler on earth has the same razor sharp wit as the Tinker, he will outwit the devil himself when a game of chance draws him into the ring.
To the genuine Tinker, the world belongs to HIM, with such a mind-set he is protected from all the pitfalls others are so often prone to fall foul of, how can you bribe a man who owns everything ?, what can you offer a man as an incentive to dishonour his friends when he owns what YOU have ?, how can a man be avaricious with such an outlook ?, the whole concept of "The Lord will provide" is the natural inclination of the Tinker's mind and that is why they are free.
Among each other, they are the most honourable honest and trustworthy society, truly so, for they have no need to be otherwise, how may a man rob and plunder his own goods ?.
Never enter into an argument with a Tinker, you will find yourself in a no win situation and at the very least will come away feeling so much less of a person than you were before you entered.
Never try to outsmart a Tinker, the more stupid you may think they are, the greater your own peril for in their mind, what you have is only on loan from them.
And so it was that I took up residence in Monaseed, Gorey, Eire, and grew to manhood.
I do not wish to recall many of the unpleasant events which took place during my time among my friends, there are far too many opportunities for dispute among those who can accept subjugation and control without even being aware of their situation, I do not propose to engage in such exchanges of opinion which could only lead to me feeling sorry for my opponent, if there be any sorrow in me, I reserve it for the passing of my saviour Donal O'Hara and his lovely wife Hannah.
I have been assaulted by British soldiers, fired at with rubber bullets and C.S. gas, strip searched and insulted in front of my friends and the list goes on, BUT, I have never allowed them to compromise my admiration for the people who so greatly earned my respect and gave me the tools to live my own life as a free man.
I am undefeated.
Where is the bravery when a force of forty or fifty well armed and trained soldiers, surround and attack a small home in the hills of Eire, backed up by a dozen armoured vehicles with the sole purpose of capturing two men whose only wish is to see their country free ?
Where is the bravery when those two men, refusing to surrender, are fired upon with salvo after salvo in the dead of night, stunned by grenades and slaughtered, two men, one fifty four years old the other forty two, unarmed.
Donal O'Hara, on that night your body was lain lifeless on the ground, face up towards the stars above you, it was a clear night and small clouds seamed to scurry across the moon and it appeared to smile down upon you, your eyes were open wide and outshone the stars even in death, I will NEVER dishonour YOU...............Ernie.
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by tessintrnc » Fri Aug 29, 2008 8:45 am
Thats a sad tale Maynard, I have never been to Monaseed but the names interesting (Móin Na Saighead- boggy place of flint arrows) , how long were you there altogether?
Tess
Tess
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by Maynard23 » Fri Aug 29, 2008 10:22 am
tessintrnc wrote:Thats a sad tale Maynard, I have never been to Monaseed but the names interesting (Móin Na Saighead- boggy place of flint arrows) , how long were you there altogether?
Tess
From the time we arrived in Eire up until the time I left, I had spent about 12 years [not all in Monaseed] among travelling folk.
I finally left the country mid 1982 [or thereabouts] but have been back on many occasions to visit friends and sadly to attend wakes.
Hannah O'Hara died a year after I left, I was unable to attend her wake as I was out of touch with civilization at that time.
I would like to shake the right hand of the man who had the audacity to close the eyes of either Hannah OR Donal O'Hara, I certainly would not feel fit to do so myself.
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by tessintrnc » Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:36 am
Thanks Maynard, lovely posts. Did they speak Irish? Most of father's generation did, my Dad only ever spoke English at school till he came to London.
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by Maynard23 » Fri Aug 29, 2008 12:33 pm
Despite the fact that the British imposed [or tried to] laws which banned the speaking of Irish Gaelic,and many good people died as a result of their refusal to adopt the English, YES, the Irish Gaelic is alive and well.
Incidentally, the people of Eire [MY preference] are even allowed to wear GREEN!!..........these latter days.
Incidentally, the people of Eire [MY preference] are even allowed to wear GREEN!!..........these latter days.
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