There was a battery of bone-handled shaving brushes of the cylindrical variety on display on the narrow counter at chest height before him and from these Hugh Gorman chose one with short, white-tipped, horse-hair bristles.
John McCullagh
McGinn
Last evening at Newry Film Club we enjoyed an unusual offering “Departures” which focused on death, its meaning and how the ‘crossing’ causes us to reflect on the meaning of life.
The following poem by James Patterson has ‘McGinn’ observing, and reflecting upon his own lifeless corpse.
Haircuts: Charlie McGrath
Sadly I don’t have enough hair left now on my head to occupy any barber for more than a few minutes – but there was a time when I could rival Jedward for high-rising quiffs.
Frongach, Wales: internment
It was, of course, at Frongach Internment Camp, Wales that Michael Collins made his preparations for the coming campaign, disciplining his men, plotting and planning the War of Independence that would inevitably follow. Rankin was to take his part. In his memoirs however, he does not detail this, closing with his final release and return to Newry.
McParland’s Elder
Accomplished Newry poet, James Patterson has been good enough to offer a few of his works for publication here, and we are honoured and delighted. I know the ‘seed and breed’ of the man, as we’d say locally, and am delighted to make the acquaintance of the third generation. I do hope I was not the inspiration for this first poem of his!
James Joyce as Clint Eastwood
Meanwhile, other incidents of greater or lesser import were being enacted across the city of Dublin and elsewhere.
To Frongach, Wales: 1916
We had a black market going inside prison, thanks to corrupt warders. Our men would give two shillings to a warder, and he would smuggle in one shilling’s worth of food etc. I didn’t get to share in this bonanza until our solitary confinement (i.e. that of we fourteen ‘pilgrims’) was over …
Black bread and cocoa
While we were in solitary confinement, our breakfast, consisting of cocoa and one small piece of dark bread, was served at 7.30 am by our own volunteers.
The Changeling 2
Jack told the lady of how he had rescued the baby from the fairies and taken it home to his wife for safekeeping from them.