had plenty liquor over there; they were going to have a hell of a nice time. Well, we were just a bunch of suckers; we fell for that kind of thing you know. I hear some talk today yet about they should have those meetings again. I’m glad they don’t because they only made a fool of the people. You’d be surprised at the things they’d say and get away with it. Because, after all, the other fella knew he was only putting on a show anyway. You’d almost think they had it rehearsed before they ever started.

Good Neighbours

I always got along good with [the Catholics from Iona]. I had a lot of friends up there. We could josh each other back and forth and all in fun and have a laugh over it. I always get a great kick out of their ability to say something funny. They got a swift tongue in their heads, you know, as the saying is.

When they were building the rink up here I was working there with Francis McKenna from Upper Newtown — he’s dead now. Jim Rooney was there and Mike O’Brien and two or three more from Iona, the Vessey brothers. One morning I had an appointment with John Gillis, Dr. John... Jim said, “What did the doctor tell you? You’re too old to work?” “No,” I said, “he told me I can lick any goddam Irishman afloat.” When I was going out the door he called me back and said, “Don’t get too cocky. You might start another Belfast Riot!”

Well, I mean I could have fun with them like that you know. We’d josh each other back and forth. If I had said that to them 50 years ago I’d have been crucified right on the spot, but that hard feeling is all gone. And it takes a world crisis like a war to get that way, too. Because Catholics and Protestants, they fight together, and they work together, and they train‘ together, and they find out one man’s as good as another.

Characters

There were a lot of characters used to roam around then; perfectly harmless people. Possibly today they’d be called retarded. But they were harmless. They’d travel; walk for miles and miles. They’d drop in anywhere, and they were well known. They’d always get a cup of tea and a bite and they’d talk for a while. Then move on.

I remember when my grandmother was living and I was a little kid I went up to my grandmother’s one day. My sister was with me and three little cousins. We were all about the same age and the same size. And this

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