van 3 October 2009
Ian, me bro, borrowed a mate’s van and brought me to the Other House in Kilkenny today and we brought back a whole load of stuff that doesn’t get seen or appreciated or used enough. Grand job, you might say, and it was. But the journey was Classic McLynn territory…or ‘MacaLynn’ as my maternal grandad might have had it.. Ian didn’t drive on the outward ‘leg’ but let my fab sis-in-law Curly do so and then he interfered with directions every step of the way. SO we went through various needless counties to get to where we wanted to go and, in extremis, I had to approach a very taken aback lass in Camolin (Co Wexford?) for directions – she was a diamond and got us right back on track, so thank you muchly to her. ANYHOW in the meantime I was on a (totally illegal? ermm, yes) floppy garden seat in the back of the van which tipped me out pretty soon after departure on a quick corner only down the road from where I live. Actually, I thought I might never stop laughing it was so unexpected AND we had to admit that I was THICK to let it happen – basically my Dad always drove a van full of car parts and as we got older we were demoted out of the cab (through reason of being too big ) and put into the back (in the days when no one gave a shite what was in the back of any vehicle and there certainly were no laws governing such things in Ireland anyhow) and we sat on Swarfega tins, and batteries and suchlike, and never once fell over that I can recall – luxury is a double edged sword, clearly, and age a softener – I expect a fine bruise for my spill and it’s one that will make me smile as I whip me trousers down to attack people with the sight and the story of it. We were killing one another by the time we hit Kilkenny (an hour and more later than we should have) and that, too , was a huge hilarious reminder of days gone by. Not to be missed, and I just wish that everyone who would have appreciated it had been along with us today…still, I guess we are keeping a family ‘tradition’ alive…
