The book recounts the events and memories of eight decades of the author’s life from the late 1930s - a mere fifteen years after independence - to the current year of the pandemic, 2020.It describes the simple village life of an ordinary middle class family growing up in the suburban village of Blackrock County Dublin. It is as much a social history of the times as a description of a personal childhood. The story of the early working life and subsequent business career reflects the changes the country went through during those same exciting times with Ireland’s international growth in diplomacy, politics; commerce, and cultural influence both domestically and internationally. The author is proud of his modest contribution to this aspect of the nation’s proud progress in those times.
It describes life before computers, when communications were conducted in person; by land line telephones and business letters and the latest manifestation of sophisticated business technology was the electric typewriter.
In line with the author’s working life the many interesting encounters he had with entertainers and writers are covered in anecdotes about Tony Bennett, Al Martino, Stéphane Grappelli, Bill Cosby, Maeve Binchy, Nuala O Faolain, and playwright and film producer Jim Sheridan .From the world of sport there are references to Niall Brophy, a classmate, Paul O’Connell through his friendship to Donal Walsh,Eddie Heron the diver and the Kavanagh brothers Paddy, Ronnie, and Gene and finally Muhammud Ali.in Dublin and New York.
After reading this wee set of memories, think what the next eighty years may have in store for us all.
