The Road from Castlebarnagh by Paddy O'Brien

Author:Paddy O'Brien
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orpen Press
Published: 2012-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

34

The Birth of a Calf

Tom Nugent came for another visit. It was the week before the summer holidays and our cow was in calf.

‘Tom,’ said my father, ‘we were just talkin’ about yeh.’

‘Be the Holy, I hope it was somethin’ good.’

‘We’re beginnin’ to worry about the cow,’ my father said. ‘She’s looking very heavy.’

As usual my mother was making tea. Tom was looking forward to a mug and said, ‘After we have a drop we’ll go out to the shed and I’ll have a look at her.’ When the tea was drunk Tom and my father went to have a look. I followed them, and inside the cowhouse we watched Tom as he talked to the cow while feeling her underneath. ‘She’s due in a couple of days,’ he said, ‘but it could be any time.’

‘Is it possible she’s goin’ to have twins?’ my father asked.

‘I don’t think so,’ said Tom, ‘but anythin’s possible. She’s a fine animal, isn’t she? God bless her. I’ll come down tomorrow night. Somethin’ is tellin’ me she wants to do this alone, some cows are like that, so ‘twould be better to keep an eye on her from now on. They like to be alone when they calve and often wait for the time when nobody’s around. It’s like a game with them and this one might be like that.’

Tom was known and respected locally as a man who was good at overseeing a cow calve. He was very intuitive and somehow could read into a cow’s behaviour when their time came. He was also very gentle and kind and could coax his way into a cow’s confidence. He was another remarkable man, and a great neighbour.

The next night at around nine o’clock Tom, true to his word, arrived and this time he was seated on a motorbike that he had bought from Paddy Byrne in Daingean. The bike was a noisy contraption but nevertheless we were relieved when its owner removed his wind glasses to reveal his face.

‘Jesus Christ,’ said my father, ‘Tom, it’s you!’

‘Who else could it be?’ said Tom.

‘When did you get the bike?’ my father asked.

‘Just today,’ Tom said. Then he asked about the cow.

‘She seems to be the same,’ said my father. ‘I’d say she must be sick for calvin’.’

‘Let’s have a look before we go into the house.’

When they were finished they came into the kitchen and continued talking about the cow, and Tom was saying that she might calve sometime that night and that it was just a matter of when.

So we all settled down for a long night of watching and waiting. Tea and sandwiches were made, and more tea, followed by more tea. Now and again Tom would go out to the shed to see the cow and the old hurricane lamp was lit and had to be refilled with oil. When he returned he said, ‘She’s just standin’ there waitin’.’

After another ten minutes my father went out to see her. It was a little after midnight when he came back and told us that she was still the same.

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