Malachy said, Look, look, and we looked. It was a great silvery sheet
of water and Dad said it was Lough Neagh, the largest lake in Ireland,
the lake where Cuchulain used to swim after his great battles. Cuchu-
lain would get so hot that when he jumped into Lough Neagh it boiled
over and warmed the surrounding countryside for days. Some day wed
all come back and go swimming like Cuchulain himself.Wed fish for
eels and fry them in a pan not like Cuchulain, who would pluck them
from the lough and swallow them, wriggling, because theres great
power in an eel.
Is that right, Dad?
Tis.
Mam didnt look out the window at Lough Neagh. Her cheek
rested on top of Olivers head and she stared at the floor of the bus.
Soon the bus is rolling into a place where there are big houses, motor
cars, horses pulling carts, people on bicycles and hundreds walking.
Malachy is excited.Dad,Dad,wheres the playground,the swings? I want
to see Freddie Leibowitz.
Och, son, youre in Dublin now, far from Classon Avenue.Youre in
Ireland, a long way from New York.
When the bus stops the trunk is lifted down and set on the floor of
the bus station. Dad tells Mam she can sit on a bench in the station
while he goes to see the IRA man in a place called Terenure. He says
there are lavatories in the station for the boys, he wont be long, hell
have money when he returns and well all have food. He tells me go
with him and Mam says, No, I need him to help. But when Dad says,
Ill need help carrying all that money, she laughs and says,All right, go
with your Pop.
Your Pop.That means shes in a good mood. If she says your father
it means shes in a bad mood.
Dad holds my hand as I trot along beside him. Hes a fast walker, its
a long way to Terenure and Im hoping hell stop and carry me the way
he did with the twins in Toome. But he lopes along and says nothing
except to ask people where Terenure is. In awhile he says were in
Terenure and now we have to find Mr. Charles Heggarty of the IRA.
A man with a pink patch on his eye tells us were on the right street,
Charlie Heggarty lives at number fourteen, God blast him. The man
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