Carlow Folk Tales by Aideen McBride

Author:Aideen McBride
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780750958264
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2014-01-22T00:00:00+00:00

Jack Sheehan, Dunleckney, 2008.

JOHNNY GRAHAM’S WALK

The road from Ballinaboley to Rathellen stopped being used sometime in the 1960s. Today the fields have taken over, but there was a time, way before the twentieth century, when it was a busy road with a cabin here and there, and that was when the malt house was in action at Rathellen Cross.

Around about that time there lived in the cabin nearest the cross an elderly widow named Taylor. For many years she lived alone, keeping very much to herself and eking out a living as best she could. Her neighbours discreetly kept a close watch over her welfare and it was with some surprise, shock and concern they discovered a stranger on her doorstep.

He was tall, pale, thin, gaunt in appearance, and on in years. Who was he? It was learned after a while that his name was Johnny Graham and he was the brother of the widow, and had spent many years in prison for assaulting a person of authority. People around the area soon got used to his strange ways, such as walking bent forward with his head down, his face constantly in the shadow of his well-worn, badly beaten ‘denverton’ hat. Never did he raise his head to greet or converse on meeting, but just held his silence and went on by. Odd without a doubt and unusual in that area, but people got accustomed to it and accepted him. What caused most discussion was his daily habit of walking along the roadside from the cottage to the bush gate and back, a distance of about 15 or 20 yards. This he would do sometimes in the morning, but always in the evening, for about an hour he would walk up and down, up and down without a stop. In time it became known as Johnny Graham’s walk and was used in many ways to ridicule others.

After some years the widow Taylor died, and Johnny continued to live on in the cottage and follow his habits without change. Even in the rain Johnny would be seen taking his exercise. Winter did not change his habit; his shadowy figure could be seen pacing up and down as dusk fell and even after dark. Some nervous people at night found comfort in seeing Johnny take his walk as they made their journey homeward.

At the crossroads there was a small farmhouse. It was the house where neighbours met to share the news of the day. According to my aunt Margy, the newspaper was not in common use at the time; many locals were illiterate and depended on the meeting house to be informed. Because it was a short distance from Johnny’s, those going to or from the farmhouse could see him at a glance should he be taking his walk, and often made jokes about him.

‘Any news?’ was a common question put to the visitors to the farmhouse, and the answer very often would be, ‘None except Johnny is still taking his walk.’

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