I remember my mother telling us that she knew A.E. Russell the writer who lived a few doors down from us on Rathgar Avenue and that she had studied Irish under Art O'Griofa , in the days before the Irish language was taught in National Schools . As children we were not quite sure who either of these men were and this was our mother's version of namedropping famous people .
When we grew older we added our own experiences of meeting famous people . One of my brothers worked for a time as a chauffeur for a car-hire firm and met people such as Alec Guinness , Brendan Behan , Patrick Kavanagh , and most of ''The Dubliners'' , my father did gardening for John D. Sheridan ...the famous actress Siobhain McKenna and her husband Denis O'Dea lived on Highfield Road just around the corner from us and we were delighted to see her in such classic films as The Robe ( the Virgin Mary ) and Doctor Zhivago ( Zhivago's mother ?).
Erskin Childers ( later President of Ireland ) lived for a time on Highfield Road also .
My father told us that Michael Collins used one of the houses on Airfield Road as a 'safe house'but of course Collins used many houses around the city as safe houses , also James Joyce lived , for a time , on Brighton Road but just like Collins , James Joyce lived in many houses . Of course Collins reasons for moving around so much was to 'keep ahead of the posse ' , whereas Joyces reasons for moving seemed to be to keep ahead of the landlord ...
When I was about 12 years of age I met Sean Lemass , as I and my friends were involved in distributing election literature for the Fianna Fail party and we were treated to lemonade and biscuits in their election offices and Lemass gave me a half-crown ( a good sum at the time ) , I was not aware who he was , but I can still see the moustache , sleeky hair , the pipe and of course the half-crown , in my mind's eye ....a gentleman ( come to think of it I must be one of the few people who received money FROM Fianna Fail ......in the afternoon of that same day we were discovered distributing literature for the Fine Gael Party and we were all summarily dismissed .....end of my political career...
I attended Secondary School , Westland Row , Christian Brothers and travelled from Rathgar to Westland Row on the no. 47 bus . Each day I would see a distinguished gentleman , dressed entirely in black , bearded turning gray , sitting always in the back seat of the single deck bus . This man also got off the bus in Westland Row , it was only years later that I found out that this was Sean Keating , the famous artist ,travelling from his home in the foothills of the Dublin mountains to the National Gallery in town , almost door to door .
Westland Row was the former school of Patrick Pearse and one day his sister , Margaret , visited the school to unveil a plaque to her dead brothers , we were all introduced to her ..
Mount Argus was one of our local parishes and one could 'get confession ' there at almost any time of the day on request . I was sitting in my seat one day , in an almost empty church when three people entered and sat on the seat almost in front of me .....our , then , Taoiseach Jack Lynch , his wife Maureen ,and (presumably ) his aide-com.....no fuss no bother .....I only wish I had the courage to listen at the confession box......
I met Archbishop John Charles McQuaid at my confirmation of course , when he did'nt ask me a question from the cathechism , but I met him more fore formally when I was chosen as an altar -boy to attend on him when he blessed a new church in Templeogue , Josef Locke the singer lived on Rathgar Road but was more famous locally for the rows at his house than for his singing....the actor with the magnificent voice Denis Brennan also lived locally , although at times the worse for wear he was a very elegant man .
I came across Denis later when our school was one of those chosen to take part in the Pageant of Saint Patrick , produced and directed by Hilton Edwards and Michael Mc Liammamore .I can still remember the rehearsals in the CIE hall in Inchicore (1955 ?) , and McLiammore's brother-in-law the famous Irish-Shakespearean actor , Anew McMaster , who was cast as Patrick , standing on a wobbly kitchen chair , dressed in an old army coat ( rehearsals took place in January in the unheated hall ). McLiammore was the High King of Ireland and Denis Brennan was the narrator . Because of my vast experience as an altarboy I was chosen to lead a procession , swinging a thurible .
A number of us were also chosen to represent Irish peasants in crowd scenes carrying staves with little lights hidden in the top , which we switched on when given a cue by 'St.Patrick'....guess you had to be there....
Many well known people lived around Rathgar at the time , most of them best known for their voices , as radio was the entertainment medium of the day....we might be standing in a queue in the local 'chipper'and suddenly hear a very familiar voice( e.g.Aidan Grinnel ) ordering '' a cod and two bags of chips'' , having previously heard the same voice as Daniel O'Connell or Patrick Pearse on a recent radio play .
I never actually met Napolean Bonapart , no...no....really I did'nt...but in England in the sixties I met a man who was actually born on the island of St.Helena , the lonely island in the Atlantic over a thousand miles from the coast of Africa , where Napolean was held in captivity/isolation.
My friend's name was Hensel Maggott and he was proud of his name and ancestry ( descended from pirates according to Hensel ) , he was also annoyed that the only reason anyone had even heard of St.Helena was because of Bonapart's connection . When Hensel's sons ( their mother was Irish ) were starting school they tentivly asked their dad could they pronounce their surname differently , say Maggoh( soft 'T' ) , ..'.no' said dad '' The name is MAGGOT and you should pronounce it that way and be proud of it .'' As far as I know they did ....and they were .
The reason I remember Hensel after over fifty years , is not just because of his unusual name and ancestry , but because he was a kind and generous man who shared his family life with a homesick migrant , I hope he has had a happy life....
I was introduced twice to Charlie Haughey ( for most people once would be enough ) , I still remember the limp handshake , as the hooded eyes surveyed the room searching for someone more important ....or better looking....
I nearly spoke to Garret Fitzgerald .....he having given a talk in which he included an anecdote about having to resort to reading through the TELEPHONE DIRECTORY one time when he was laid up and could find nothing else to read .....I had intended to say that the telephone directory wasn't much of a book ...lots of characters ....but no story ....alas I lost my nerve and didn't pass on my clever comment....
Even I am bored with this now....but I did meet , Michael Caine ( was made up beside him , and 'shared' a scene..)., Kate Blanchett , unfortunatly I did'nt know who she was ,
I could write pages more about the people I did'nt meet but I'm sure there must be some law there against boring complete strangers to death......
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