‘But why haven’t they gone back down there? There’s something missing here and I’m going to try to find out what it is.’
‘How are you going to do that?’ asked Alan.
‘I don’t know,’ he replied, slipping into a hoody, ‘but one of the spooks might have an idea.’
Eoin brought a notebook and pen down to the Rock, as he needed to get moving on that history project. He was glad to see that Kevin was there, again scrabbling round at the base of the enormous stone.
‘Hello, Kevin,’ announced Eoin. ‘I wonder is this a good time to start that interview?’
Kevin nodded, and stood up, stretching his ghostly bones. ‘No time like the present,’ he laughed. ‘Especially when all you have is a past.’
He explained to Eoin about his days as a boy living in the countryside of County Carlow, and how his family moved to Dublin where his father worked on his dairy in Fleet Street in the city centre.
He talked too about his schooldays, first out in Rathmines at St Mary’s College and, when that school closed down, in Belvedere College which was a short walk from his home.
‘I used to ramble up Sackville Street – I think they call it O’Connell Street now – past the GPO and up to the school. Dublin was a different place then, very few motor cars and nearly everyone wore a cap.
‘It all changed for me after the Easter Rising in 1916. I thought those men were very brave and I joined up after that. Here, take a look at this – my souvenir of the rebellion …’
Kevin poked around in his pocket but looked confused when he couldn’t find what he was looking for.
‘That’s very annoying. For years I’ve been carrying around a bullet case that I found up on Sackville Street …’
‘Is this what you were looking for?’ asked Eoin, producing the bullet he and Brian had found weeks before. ‘I found it down here.’
‘It is indeed!’ chirped Kevin, delighted to see his keepsake once again. ‘I went up to the GPO when it was all over …The place was covered in rubble. My mother was very annoyed when she found out I’d been up there – I suppose I was about your age, Eoin. Just gone fourteen.’
‘And was it scary?’ asked Eoin.
‘No, there were lots of soldiers around but the place was such a mess no-one paid any heed to me. I found lots of these things,’ he said, pointing to the bullet casing, ‘and swapped them with my pals for cigarette cards and toffees. I kept one to remind me of the rebels though.’
A few raindrops started to fall, but within seconds there was a steady strumming on the leaves as the rain got heavier.
Eoin went to hide under a tree, but his new friend just grinned.
‘Not much point me worrying about getting a chill, is there?’ Kevin laughed. ‘Mind yourself there,’ he said as he pulled the thicker leaves over where Eoin was standing. ‘Remind me of a day when I ran home all the way from Rathmines using a rhubarb stick and leaf as an umbrella. The passers-by all thought I was mad.’
Eoin laughed too, as Kevin mimed his attempt to avoid the raindrops.
‘I’d better be heading back,’ Eoin said, pulling on his hood, ‘But it would be great if you could ask Brian to get in touch with me when he’s next around.’
Chapter 18
. . . . . . . . .
E OIN got soaked running across the playing fields back to the dormitory, and when he woke next morning he found he was starting to sniffle. By lunchtime he was sneezing and Mr McCaffrey sent him to see the nurse, Miss O’Dea, who told him to go back to bed.
‘Take this lemon and honey drink with you and try to sleep,’ she told him. ‘I’ll call up to see you about four o’clock. What classes do you have this afternoon? I’ll tell the teachers.’
Eoin listed off the subjects he would be missing, but remembered something else. ‘Oh, Miss, can you tell Mr Carey too, he’ll expect me at the JCT training. We have a big game tomorrow,’ he said.
‘Tomorrow? I don’t think you’ll be well
‘How are you going to do that?’ asked Alan.
‘I don’t know,’ he replied, slipping into a hoody, ‘but one of the spooks might have an idea.’
Eoin brought a notebook and pen down to the Rock, as he needed to get moving on that history project. He was glad to see that Kevin was there, again scrabbling round at the base of the enormous stone.
‘Hello, Kevin,’ announced Eoin. ‘I wonder is this a good time to start that interview?’
Kevin nodded, and stood up, stretching his ghostly bones. ‘No time like the present,’ he laughed. ‘Especially when all you have is a past.’
He explained to Eoin about his days as a boy living in the countryside of County Carlow, and how his family moved to Dublin where his father worked on his dairy in Fleet Street in the city centre.
He talked too about his schooldays, first out in Rathmines at St Mary’s College and, when that school closed down, in Belvedere College which was a short walk from his home.
‘I used to ramble up Sackville Street – I think they call it O’Connell Street now – past the GPO and up to the school. Dublin was a different place then, very few motor cars and nearly everyone wore a cap.
‘It all changed for me after the Easter Rising in 1916. I thought those men were very brave and I joined up after that. Here, take a look at this – my souvenir of the rebellion …’
Kevin poked around in his pocket but looked confused when he couldn’t find what he was looking for.
‘That’s very annoying. For years I’ve been carrying around a bullet case that I found up on Sackville Street …’
‘Is this what you were looking for?’ asked Eoin, producing the bullet he and Brian had found weeks before. ‘I found it down here.’
‘It is indeed!’ chirped Kevin, delighted to see his keepsake once again. ‘I went up to the GPO when it was all over …The place was covered in rubble. My mother was very annoyed when she found out I’d been up there – I suppose I was about your age, Eoin. Just gone fourteen.’
‘And was it scary?’ asked Eoin.
‘No, there were lots of soldiers around but the place was such a mess no-one paid any heed to me. I found lots of these things,’ he said, pointing to the bullet casing, ‘and swapped them with my pals for cigarette cards and toffees. I kept one to remind me of the rebels though.’
A few raindrops started to fall, but within seconds there was a steady strumming on the leaves as the rain got heavier.
Eoin went to hide under a tree, but his new friend just grinned.
‘Not much point me worrying about getting a chill, is there?’ Kevin laughed. ‘Mind yourself there,’ he said as he pulled the thicker leaves over where Eoin was standing. ‘Remind me of a day when I ran home all the way from Rathmines using a rhubarb stick and leaf as an umbrella. The passers-by all thought I was mad.’
Eoin laughed too, as Kevin mimed his attempt to avoid the raindrops.
‘I’d better be heading back,’ Eoin said, pulling on his hood, ‘But it would be great if you could ask Brian to get in touch with me when he’s next around.’
Chapter 18
. . . . . . . . .
E OIN got soaked running across the playing fields back to the dormitory, and when he woke next morning he found he was starting to sniffle. By lunchtime he was sneezing and Mr McCaffrey sent him to see the nurse, Miss O’Dea, who told him to go back to bed.
‘Take this lemon and honey drink with you and try to sleep,’ she told him. ‘I’ll call up to see you about four o’clock. What classes do you have this afternoon? I’ll tell the teachers.’
Eoin listed off the subjects he would be missing, but remembered something else. ‘Oh, Miss, can you tell Mr Carey too, he’ll expect me at the JCT training. We have a big game tomorrow,’ he said.
‘Tomorrow? I don’t think you’ll be well
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