All Will Be Well: A Memoir by John McGahern

Author:John McGahern [McGahern, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Personal Memoirs, Fiction, Artists; Architects; Photographers, Literary Figures
ISBN: 9780307424709
Google: 7W5mvek0FtsC
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2007-12-18T00:23:56.438522+00:00

Mr. Callaghan must have written his reply while I waited:

Garradice P. O.

Co. Leitrim

24.11.45

Dear Mr. McGahern

I’m sorry to learn that there’s trouble about the cross foundation. I’m enclosing a copy of plan you gave me which shows that the base for the cross is 2’ x 10‘ and 1’ x 10‘: and that it had to be on the centre of the plot. Now I put it up according to the plan and I don’t think any blame lies on me.

Yours faithfully

Patrick Callaghan

I don’t know how it was resolved. There would certainly have been shouts and roars when I returned with Callaghan’s letter, and soon there was further trouble. The plan had strayed into Dolan’s private path as well. The Dolans were a relatively wealthy family, who had an attractive house in trees beside the church. Many of them had been to America and some of them had settled there. When the church was being built they gave the field to the church, and in return were granted the right to this private path through the churchyard. A footpath ran from the house, through the trees—I remember lilacs along the way—to a small gate in the church wall. From the gate, the path threaded its way between the graves to the wide, gravelled footpath that ran all around the church. The Dolans didn’t come through the church gates like the rest of the congregation. Such are the symbols of privilege, and the Dolans were probably jealous of their right. I remember an old uncle of theirs vividly, Charlie Dolan, who had spent years in America and was fond of fishing. Most days in summer he passed our house in Corramahon on his way to and from Garradice. Whenever he caught a big fish he hung it from the handlebars of the bicycle even though the tail trailed in the dust and the body of the fish slapped awkwardly against his knee as he cycled along. The lesser fish were packed in a bag strapped to the carrier, the fishing rod pointing ahead like a long spear tied to the crossbar. It was a childish world. People knew his weakness in the same way they knew Hughie McKeon’s pride in his gold watch when they went on the train to town, and Charlie was stopped at every turn of the road. The huge fish was admired in wonderment: it must have taken a near miracle to get such a monster up on the shore, and Charlie never failed to rise to the bait. This need for recognition and glory must have its roots in human loneliness.

I am not sure how the trespass into their private path was resolved, but I know that the Dolans threatened law. Probably Maggie or Pat went to Father McGrail and the Dolans, in the light of the whole story, allowed the wall to stand, as it didn’t in any significant way affect their access to the church or their old right. The trespass into the McBrien plot was much more serious and had to be removed at my father’s expense, the plan redrawn.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.