They did, indeed. It is recorded that they killed prisoners but they
were no better nor worse than the English.
Mr. OHalloran cant lie. Hes the headmaster. All these years we
were told the Irish were always noble and they made brave speeches
before the English hanged them. Now Hoppy OHalloran is saying the
Irish did bad things. Next thing hell be saying the English did good
things. He says,You have to study and learn so that you can make up
your own mind about history and everything else but you cant make
up an empty mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind. It is your house
of treasure and no one in the world can interfere with it. If you won the
Irish Sweepstakes and bought a house that needed furniture would you
fill it with bits and pieces of rubbish? Your mind is your house and if
you fill it with rubbish from the cinemas it will rot in your head.You
might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace.
He calls us one by one to the front of the room and looks at our
shoes. He wants to know why theyre broken or why we have no shoes
at all. He tells us this is a disgrace and hes going to have a raffle to raise
money so that we can have strong warm boots for the winter. He gives
us books of tickets and we swarm all over Limerick for Leamys School
boot fund, first prize five pounds, five prizes of a pound each. Eleven
boys with no boots get new boots. Malachy and I dont get any because
we have shoes on our feet even if the soles are worn away and we won-
der why we ran all over Limerick selling tickets so that other boys could
get boots. Fintan Slattery says we gain plenary Indulgences for works of
charity and Paddy Clohessy says, Fintan, would you ever go and have a
good shit for yourself.
I know when Dad does the bad thing. I know when he drinks the dole
money and Mam is desperate and has to beg at the St.Vincent de Paul
Society and ask for credit at Kathleen OConnells shop but I dont want
to back away from him and run to Mam. How can I do that when Im
up with him early every morning with the whole world asleep? He
lights the fire and makes the tea and sings to himself or reads the paper
to me in a whisper that wont wake up the rest of the family. Mikey
Molloy stole Cuchulain, the Angel on the Seventh Step is gone some-
place else, but my father in the morning is still mine. He gets the Irish
Press early and tells me about the world, Hitler, Mussolini, Franco. He
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