BACK AT MY ANCESTRAL HOME

Well,not really i dont have an ancestral home,i was born a plain ordinary scruffy pup in Walkinstown Dublin 12.When i was growing up we did the usual things like marbles,conkers,cowboys and indians,shooting at birds with gats,which were made with wood and rubber,football,hurling,rounders and even cricket.All these things had their place or season and though i dont know who decided what season it was it all happened every year until a new craze came in,but they never lasted that long because the competition for a place in our busy lives was fierce.Our Mothers were out late at night calling us in off the green where we played games of football that never needed lights we had marvellous eye sight.Of course as we got older our choices changed and other things came into play like girls and the drink and discos.I was always there with all the boys but just a little behind when it came to the girls.I did have girl friends but they were always behind my first love which was sport,any sport,all sport.I played as much as i could.Over a weekend i would play Gaelic Football and Hurling on sat morning sat afternoon sun morning and sun afternoon and most of the time we would not have a full team but i loved it.I did not play an organised game of Soccer as we called it till i was 16 when i joined a team called Rangers run by a man called Noel Quinn who was a great influence not only on me but all of our team,which incidentally included two other international footballers Kevin Moran who went on to play for MAN UTD AND BLACKBURN and Pat Byrne who played in America and then with Leicester and Hearts.We all played together one day for Ireland along with another old Rangers player Don Givens.Amazing really so i suppose it was no wonder we won everything there was to be won.Anyway i have gone on for long enough i only wanted to say i was back with Teresa and will assume my place at the head of the Witch.I will be having a drink in the bar on regular occasions but i wont be staying as long as i used to but its great only having to climb the stairs,luxury.