Ted, are you still around? I didn't expect to be writing in here in my 78th year, still remembering Bertie Fitsimmons, Brendan Fitzpatrick, and all those wee boys who attended The Boys school in the war years, and the wee Convent girls that we hardly dare speak to.I wonder how many are still alive. I saw that you Ted, wrote on a family site that Teresa Gorman married Joe Boy Collins, who died young, that she later remarried, and lived in England. I knew Joe, and have just recovered vague memories of the pretty Teresa. I seem to WANT to remember these people from my ancient past - Shaun Bushe and all his family, and his cousins; Ken Burns, his brother John and sister Margaret. I know many will, like Joe Collins and Dickie Hanna, be long dead, but every time I read their names, they spring back to life in my mind, as I recall yhings they sad or did.

Dabbler, Teresa Gorman and Margaret Burns died a good while ago now.

Margaret owned a very successful boutique in Lisburn. She was also a member of the Lisburn Chamber of Commerce.

I remember Teresa as a very good looking girl with long black hair.

Dominic sometimes talks about his time at the Boys' School and I know all the stories by heart now. I don't like to say, "I heard this one before".

I, too, think back to my time at the Convent School. Some of my former schoolfriends, like Rosaleen Whitby, are long gone. Who would have thought in our childhood days about dying or old age?

"Young and foolish".

Thank you, Ann and Barney.
I know how boring it is to listen to old people repeating their dull stories, but this forum is my only outlet. I blame nobody for that. I married an English girl, reared two English sons, and,for sixty years or so, I have lived an English life. I do not pretend that I continuously yearned for 'home', and I admit that it was only as age slowed my mind that these curious memories started piling in.
Barney, you may remember wee Billy Dunleavey. He was a slightly built guy who worked for some time as a clerk in McKee's bookies in Antrim Street. I think I am not being unkind to say Billy was eccentric. Usually wearing a belted mac in my memory, and always with a tie, Billy wouldn't say boo to a goose. Imagine then my astonishment when one night at JD Martin's corner, my belligerent brother was furiously arguing with a big country lad, and as I stood wondering how I could extricate him without either of us getting hurt, the fragile-looking Billy shot in between them, throwing jabs at the big lad like bullets. As often in those days, everybody ended up laughing and shaking hands.

Ann
As I probably wrote years ago, i lived next door to Rosaleen, and I knew all the Whitbys, from mum and dad to Chippy the dog. Yes, I remember Adrian, and am impressed that he was elected to the Council, but I knew Patsy best of all.
I also knew and liked wee Vera Lavery, a friend of yours, I think, God bless her.I know she had twins, and recall, long, long ago, somebody joking with her husband about a 'double barrel'.
The McManus sisters, and their brothers and father, who all bore the nickname 'Star', were nice people.
BARNEY, I was flabbergasted to hear that Ken Burns was remotely involved in anything 'shady'. He carried a big punch, but I could never imagine him doing anything illegal. Do you know if he married?
To this day I remember he had a soft spot for a girl called Beth Palin. I never saw her, but I clearly remember my friend John talking about her.

Barney
I'm back again. i knew a lot of people well, whilst knowing nothing about them. Harry (MOUSEY) MCVEIGH, for example. Was he an adopted child?
The sort of thing I recall is one time, playing 'marlies' in Linenhall Street, he invited me to spar with him, and laughed as I managed to slap his face a few times - a wee squirt like me remembers stuff like that.
(It may have been one or both of the McAllister boys who was adopted).

Hi Dabbler, I remember clearly all the mentioned names and like yourself for some reason they come drifting back into my mind out of nowhere as Barney said Ken Burns married a girl from Fort Street on the Low Road named Boyd and they lived on the Belsize Road but that was years ago, but it was a shock to learn of the death of Teresa Gorman I know her 2 sons came home when her brother in law Mickey Collins died a few years ago but she must have died since, I worked with her for many years in Felix Elmore's another 2 guys were Dessie Douglas from the Causeway End and Jimmy Mcmillan both were on the message bikes when I left Elmores both of them joined the navy and I think they were in submarines regrettably both deceased, another springs to mind Vincent Lynch another employee from Elmores,also deceased Dabbler wish to hell I hadn't started this Eamon O Connor is also gone, Regarding Fr Mulholland he ended up I beleive in St Agnes's in Andytown this information came one morning in the sauna in the Leisure Centre while I was earwigging I refrained from saying I knew him ! I think its worth going back into the forum school photos and see how many you can now name, believe me Dabbler a hell of a lot's gone now,So its just a matter of keeping taken the tablets and keep meeting you mates at the recurring funerals the craic's usually great afterwards, Memories- Memories Regards Ted

Ted, I have very fond memories of the late Jimmy McMillan (Rimmel). Don't know how he got that nickname, do you? He and I went out together for a short time when I was only about 14.

However, he kept in touch with me after joining the Navy and I still have a greetings telegram he sent me on my 17th birthday. He was a lovely young fella, like a young Frank Sinatra. He treated me with great respect and I know he got a shock when he was on leave one time, called down to see me, and I had to tell him I was engaged to Dominic.

When I think of it now, I kept him standing at the front door, never even invited him in. That's the way it was in those days. As I say, I have very dear memories of Jimmy. In later years he suffered from multiple sclerosis and lived for a very long time with this condition. He was an inpatient in Thompson House until he died.

Vera Lavery was my first cousin. She was a lovely singer and a very friendly girl. She and I used to walk home from Mass together on a Sunday. Vera had a hard life, beginning with the birth of her twins. Her health was never the same after that and she had recurrent kidney problems. She was on dialysis for years before she died.

Vera's family turned out extremely well and I know she would be very proud of them. I think she had 6 children. One of the twins died in a car accident when he was only about l6 or 17. Then another child died at about 10 months old. As I say, she had a hard oul life but never lost her sense of humour.

God bless her.

Ann and Ted, I am deeply indebted to you for writing all that information. Ted, death is sad but unavoidable. I like to hear about everybody. I remember wee James MacMillan, almost seventy years ago.
And Vera - I still feel sad about the young teenager I once knew.

Thanks again folks
I'll get back to my thoughts of the FA Cup, Cheltenham races, and Saint Patrick's Day. But lurking in the back of my mind are the ghosts of those long dead, who shared my simple early life.

I think the name of Hales church was The Tabernacle not sure though

have a look at this about him and theres lots more on the net


A few weeks ago, Diana and I spent a week in the Holiday/Tarpon Springs area of Florida. Just down the road from where we stayed was the compound/campus/facility of Leslie Hale, the Irish Preacher. In the last two years, we’ve driven by it at least a dozen times and we kept wondering what was going on there. I think it’s supposed to be a church, but if that’s the case, it’s like none I’ve ever seen. Exterior-wise, the only identifying factor is that big sign with Hale’s name on it. No crosses, no God stuff, no nothing that says church. On the website, you have to click a link to even see mention of God or Jesus. And, forget mission work, I didn’t find anything close there. What I did find is multiple requests for cash. There’s a link to become an “encourager” (which requires a donation of $50 a month), his memoir is available for a “minimum donation” of $15, there’s a straight-out gimme button (similar to mine) and, finally, there’s the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, a recreation of the tabernacle of the Exodus . He’s already spent $2 million on this thing and he’s asking for another million to complete it. ****, if he sent out prayer cloths, he’d be the Irish Reverend Ike.

I don’t know anything more about this guy. I don’t know if he does any outreach in the community. I don’t know if he spends any time with poor people, if he helps the homeless find shelter, if he feeds hungry people. All I do know is that what’s listed above, because that’s what’s on his website. I’ve asked some people who are familiar with the area about him and they don’t even know who he is. I’d like to think that, as a man of God, if he’s spending $3 million dollars on this tabernacle thing, he’s spending even more on the things I just mentioned. I really hope so, but I don’t think that’s the case. Because if someone was throwing that kind of money around, people would be talking about it. And, they’re not. Nobody seems to know who he is. Which is really kind of sad. I mean, you’d think a preacher, someone who’s spent their life reading, studying and teaching the Bible would have read Matthew 25:35-45 and would be feeding, sheltering, clothing and generally looking after people instead of spending millions on what amounts to a freaking tent.

(Visited 664 times, 5 visits today)

he is pulling the same stunt he pulled here years ago

Thanks again Barney. Ken, (and I meant to write 'Ken', NOT John), was only seventeen or so when I knew him, but he really did seem the last person on earth to 'get in trouble', unlike many of my acquaintances. I remember his apologetic air when his sister first became involved with the Evangelists while he was still a Roman Catholic. He showed great interest in my stated opinion that she was a brave girl to go out in the streets - Market Square - and proclaim her 'salvation'.
HALE sounds like a con man, trapping gullible people.

Dabbler, my youngest son takes a week off work on holiday leave every year at this time to watch Cheltenham. Thank goodness he's now in his own apartment so I don't have to listen to the "ding dong", as my father used to call pop music.

Dabbler, I meant to say that Vera and I were in the children's choir and we used to come home together from the Children's Mass, which was at 9.30 am. On the way home we would meet Vera's mother, my Aunt Aggie, on her way to the next Mass. She was quite a severe mother - I was a bit afraid of her - but I remember she always used to tell Vera to get home and get the beds made and tidy up. I, like an oul eejit, used to go home with Vera and help her. I never thought of helping my own mother nor did she ask.

Ann, What became of Philip Lavery ?

Ann, though no longer addicted to the bookies, I till get a kick out of watching top racehorses. Not quite the same, but I have ponies and horses in the fields behind my back fence.
I know that you wrote previously,(years ago),about young Vera, and I remember what you wrote as clearly as I remember her. She may have thought I was an older, sophisticated, youth. About the latter, she was very much mistaken. I was a gauche boy, gentlemanly, but young for my age. Vera liked me. I see that Ted asks about Philip Lavery. I cannot recall whether or not Philip was related. Though no older than fourteen when I bought an airgun from him, I distinctly remember thinking that his mother had beautiful auburn hair.

You sound like a nice kind girl, helping your cousin.

Hi Barney, I was in the same class as Philip Lavery from Fairymount. but it was Philip from Grove St originally, then they moved to Huguenot Drive and I knew he went to America but that was the last I heard of him, Barney I think I will stop asking about any more of long lost friends as they seem to be becoming deceased at an alarming rate, anyhow thanks for your update, Regards Ted

Philip must be dead nigh on near 30 years i think, he was buried in one of those large American steel coffins with a glass piece on it for viewing the occupant,Ted i think we are all now running out of birthdays

Barney and Ted
I knew both Philips. The one from the Longstone area was a friend of Oliver O' Neill. Due to my late start at school, he was in the class above me, and was probably the same age. Clever lad. I don't know how I met the other one, from the Low Road area. I just remember buying his air rifle.

Hi Barney, Every day brings something else ! Just read in this mornings Irish News of Sean O'Neill's ( RIP )death, one only has to go to the football teams on the Forum Photos to see him lined up with his brothers mostly in goals

Ted, Philip Lavery died a very long time ago. He actually died suddenly in his sister May's house in Miami. His casket was sent home and he is buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery.

Tommy is dead too, but Gerald is still alive and lives in Miami. Two of Vera's family live there too.

Thanks for updates.
I don't keep in touch even with people I worked with here locally, and although I am on Facebook, it is not exactly a pensioners' meetup place ; so chatting in any shape or form is out.

I know how you all feel about more and more friends departing for that Forum in the sky. It's quite sad, really, but I suppose that's life. (or death).

My brother, Malachy, died 46 years ago today. He was only 30. My baby son, whom I named after him, was only 10 days old.

I can't believe 46 years have passed since that time. I still see Malachy's big smile and dimples, such a good looking guy too.

Hey, we'd better cheer up and talk about something else - this is getting too morbid.

Thanks Ann

We went shopping at a local superstore, gloated about how much we had saved, had eggs on toast at a cafe, and got some fresh sea air walking between shops. Later, I drove my grandson and his friend to play football - Jeez, our little five foot eight or nine 'Georgie Best' takes size eleven boots at fourteen - and then we cleared out the shed.
So, life goes on.
But, like you Ethne, I remember.``

talking to Brian McKeown today and he was telling me Sean O'Neill is getting buried in the morning told me of a few more who had died but i cannot remember now who they were

morning Barney.
I wonder if those people are relatives of anyone I knew. The Christian names do not ring any bells.
Any old acquaintances of mine still alive will be staggering out of the pub into the bookies today to have a flutter at Cheltenham.

I drove to my nearest bookies and had a flutter. Adds interest to TV viewing.

Dabbler, I wonder how many times I must have pased you on my way into the bookies in Linenhall St. I once wond 2 pounts and blew it all at Blundells amusement part in Smithfield market on the dodgems.??? Mauri

Barney, were you in Lisburn the day you met Brian? Brian is my first cousin - his father and my mother were brother and sister. I expect you already know that.