Tommy
Looking back on my childhood I had plenty of friends. I mean there was always someone around to play with. I might ramble round to Arbour Hill, have a game of something with the Maguires the Guinnings, maybe Gerry Hayes [later to be a member of The Cadets Showband] I might pop over to Paul Street for a game of handball or head down to Hendrick Street to Robbie and of course there was Joe and Christy in King Street who I regard as my two dearest friends, sadly both now left the building. However I'd have to say Tommy was my first ever friend. He lived in the same tenement building as meself and we played together since I cant remember, he was always there in my memory. With Tommy I learned to play Ponner, Dawn, Poker, for buttons, I hasten to add. I remember Tommy cleaned me out, I had a whinge, he gave me back some of me buttons and we resumed playing only for him to clean me out again and again give some back to me. We went to the park for chestnuts, to fish for pinkeens, we went to the pictures. I remember we were in The Broadway watching Gene Autry being chased by indians who were shooting at him. Me heart was in me mouth in case they killed Gene. ''Dont worry'' Tommy reassured me, ''they wont kill Gene'' As if. Another time Tommy tied an iron bar to a rope attached to a hook and was happily swinging it back and forth, dodging it as it came towards him. This was in the oul yard attached to our tenement. Well one time Tommy didn't move quick enough and took the iron bar in the face. His mother sent me for a plaster and she patched him up herself. He was feft with a little scar that he would have to this day. Tommy was very thin, his nickname was feather though I have no recollection of ever calling him by that name. When I ws about twelve or thirteen we fell out. Now like all pals we had of fights and go off in a huff. An hour later I'd answer a knock on the door, it was Tommy. ''Are ye coming out?'' I cant remember what our last row was about, something childish, no doubt. A bit of shouting and pushing began, our mothers were watching us and called out to us to behave. I turned and walked away. I didn't realise it at the time but I was walking away from a childhood friendship. We never hung out together again, never sat in the broadway or Feeno together again, no card games, no pinkeen fishing, it was all over, that part of our lives, that friendship. I had started to hang out in Hendrick Street and I must say I renaged Tommy, didn't want to make up with him and looking back, he didn't knock on my door like he used to, ''are ye coming out?'' Living in the same tenement we often bumped into eachother, we would say ''howya'', no chat, no ''how's it going''. We moved to Finglas sometime after that. The mother called into Paul Street to visit a family we had been friends with and she met Tommy. he gave her a hug, told her she was getting younger looking, made her day. Dont think he mentioned me. Tommy moved to Ballyfermot the following year, then to England. He already had some family over there, the parents went over too. Tommy never came back, no one to come back to I guess. Sadly his brothr John who had gone to England a few years earlier, died over there. He would have been very young, twenty something. No idea what he died of. I often think of him. His mother was a lovely woman, always good for a loan of a few bob when my ma was short[which was pretty much all the time as I remember] One time Tommy was cruel to me about borrowing from his ma. ''Dont knock on my door looking for money again'' he told me in front of another pal. I forgive ya Tommy, kids could be cruel to eachother, I was no exception. When I think back I have many happy memories of our friendship. Like the time I made me confirmation, I brought Tommy to Woolworths and treated him to a ice cream cone, think I took him to the pictures as well. I got a wallet, think it was an old one belonging to my big brother. Tommy cut some pictures out of a film magazine and gave them to me ''for yer wallet''. One of the pics was of Scott Brady. These are the times I like to look back on the most. We cannot change the past, if we could I wouldn't have walked out of our friendship that fateful day, many moons ago.
Looking back on my childhood I had plenty of friends. I mean there was always someone around to play with. I might ramble round to Arbour Hill, have a game of something with the Maguires the Guinnings, maybe Gerry Hayes [later to be a member of The Cadets Showband] I might pop over to Paul Street for a game of handball or head down to Hendrick Street to Robbie and of course there was Joe and Christy in King Street who I regard as my two dearest friends, sadly both now left the building. However I'd have to say Tommy was my first ever friend. He lived in the same tenement building as meself and we played together since I cant remember, he was always there in my memory. With Tommy I learned to play Ponner, Dawn, Poker, for buttons, I hasten to add. I remember Tommy cleaned me out, I had a whinge, he gave me back some of me buttons and we resumed playing only for him to clean me out again and again give some back to me. We went to the park for chestnuts, to fish for pinkeens, we went to the pictures. I remember we were in The Broadway watching Gene Autry being chased by indians who were shooting at him. Me heart was in me mouth in case they killed Gene. ''Dont worry'' Tommy reassured me, ''they wont kill Gene'' As if. Another time Tommy tied an iron bar to a rope attached to a hook and was happily swinging it back and forth, dodging it as it came towards him. This was in the oul yard attached to our tenement. Well one time Tommy didn't move quick enough and took the iron bar in the face. His mother sent me for a plaster and she patched him up herself. He was feft with a little scar that he would have to this day. Tommy was very thin, his nickname was feather though I have no recollection of ever calling him by that name. When I ws about twelve or thirteen we fell out. Now like all pals we had of fights and go off in a huff. An hour later I'd answer a knock on the door, it was Tommy. ''Are ye coming out?'' I cant remember what our last row was about, something childish, no doubt. A bit of shouting and pushing began, our mothers were watching us and called out to us to behave. I turned and walked away. I didn't realise it at the time but I was walking away from a childhood friendship. We never hung out together again, never sat in the broadway or Feeno together again, no card games, no pinkeen fishing, it was all over, that part of our lives, that friendship. I had started to hang out in Hendrick Street and I must say I renaged Tommy, didn't want to make up with him and looking back, he didn't knock on my door like he used to, ''are ye coming out?'' Living in the same tenement we often bumped into eachother, we would say ''howya'', no chat, no ''how's it going''. We moved to Finglas sometime after that. The mother called into Paul Street to visit a family we had been friends with and she met Tommy. he gave her a hug, told her she was getting younger looking, made her day. Dont think he mentioned me. Tommy moved to Ballyfermot the following year, then to England. He already had some family over there, the parents went over too. Tommy never came back, no one to come back to I guess. Sadly his brothr John who had gone to England a few years earlier, died over there. He would have been very young, twenty something. No idea what he died of. I often think of him. His mother was a lovely woman, always good for a loan of a few bob when my ma was short[which was pretty much all the time as I remember] One time Tommy was cruel to me about borrowing from his ma. ''Dont knock on my door looking for money again'' he told me in front of another pal. I forgive ya Tommy, kids could be cruel to eachother, I was no exception. When I think back I have many happy memories of our friendship. Like the time I made me confirmation, I brought Tommy to Woolworths and treated him to a ice cream cone, think I took him to the pictures as well. I got a wallet, think it was an old one belonging to my big brother. Tommy cut some pictures out of a film magazine and gave them to me ''for yer wallet''. One of the pics was of Scott Brady. These are the times I like to look back on the most. We cannot change the past, if we could I wouldn't have walked out of our friendship that fateful day, many moons ago.
Comment