I was part of a large family living in a small house there; living in such close proximity to each other always creates problems especially for boys with lots of energy to use up. Luckily, we had lots of open space, and the boys took full advantage of that. My Dad would ensure it became no more than play. My mother was a very gentle lady, and more likely to give you a hug than a smack.

In the year before I went to school I use to go outside in the high field behind the house and listen to the children playing at play time, I longed to join them, and constantly pestered my mother to allow me to go for a day with my sisters. She finally relented. My sister asked the teacher and she agreed to me coming for the day. My sisters wrote a poem for me to take with me. I learned it off by heart.
The day came and off I went, with the poem in my pocket. And hand in hand with my sisters. It seemed everyone wanted to hold my hand that day, but I was having none of it.

On arriving at the school there was a great welcome for me, and I was introduced to all the children. The teacher directed me to my own desk. I then told her I learned a poem about her, she was so pleased and said, stand up then a tell the class. I did, well the smile quickly disappeared when she heard the poem, and this resulted in me getting two of the best on my poor hand.
I was really hurting and upset, and at the first opportunity fled the school and ran all the way home. When I eventually went to school at age of 7, that incident evoked bad memories for me. I disliked Irish very much, and that made me rebellious. When I was 15 I set off for Birmingham, when I sat on the train at Balla station, it hit me, how sad I was to be leaving the security and love of the home. This sadness stayed with me for a long time after.
On arriving at New Street Station, Birmingham, I remember seeing an Asian woman on her knees scrubbing the steps of a big building. It was such a cold morning too; this made me fearful for the future for some reason. I cried myself to sleep so many times over the first 6 months. The Church was my saviour, there I met others in the same situation as I was, and we got strength from each other. Friendships and relationships developed, this meant a real improvement in our fives.
Some years later I got married and we had children. They went to school full of enthusiasm, they had such a wide range of subjects, and activities it motivated them. After their education was completed they were so much better prepared than us to meet life’s challenges. They had the tools to work with, and a desire to reach for the stars. They made us so proud.
When I will be sitting at the table for the reunion celebrating our youth, our culture, our faith, our history, bursting with pride at what we all have achieved, I will want to say, 'didn’t we do well!’.
God bless you all.