I was educated in Blanchardston National School,St.Brigids to Primary Cert.standard.Due to the efforts of my parents and of Paddy Murray the then head teacher in Blanch.,who came in every Saturday in our final year there free gratis and gave us extra tuition,myself and a few others got County Council Scholarships to gain us free secondary education.This as a huge deal then as All secondary education was fee paying ,not like now and working class families could not afford to send their children on for further education.
Blanchardstown was then very much a rural village (1965).Only the Main Street,Herbert Road,Mil l lane,Brigid's Park ,Patricks Park ,old Corduff and the cottages on the left hand side of Clonsilla Road were then in existence.And of course Tolka View ,where we lived and a few houses were in the old road that now goes by T.P.Reilly's gaff on River Road.
Us Blanchies were Dublin culchies as far as the city Dubs were concerned.
A fact of which I was forcibly reminded of every day for years when I went to Secondary School in Brunswick STreet (St,Pauls) in 1965
Not only was I different from the other school goers being a culchie but myself and two other boys in a similar situation to myself hadn't gone to the feeder Primary school in Brunner and this distinguished us too.
Boys being boys there were a few who did their best to bully me daily for about two years.I didn't take it lying down and it was rare that a week didn't pass without a fight after school hours on my way to the bus.I never told my parents nor the teachers ,not that they could do much about it.Eventually I suppose I fought each and every bully and got some peace in life.
To paint the picture further I used get the public bus from Blanch each morning about 8.15 .alight in Manor Street at Desmond#s shoe shop and walk up to the school for a nine o clock start.
Most pupils went home for lunch,a thing we couldn't do on account of the distance,so I used bring in a packed lunch and a steel flask full of hot tea for lunch.I had a leather schoolbag and the flask used nestle in the side of the bag in an upright position.As the bus used be full when it reached Manor Street in the evenings I used cross down Smithfield to the Quays and get the bus there before it turned up Manor Street.There was two way traffic on the Quays at the time.
One evening the biggest bully in the school tormrnted me beyond reason and we had a fierce fight in Smithfield.I got the better of him and thought no more of it.
The next evening when heading down through Smithfield I was attacked by his older brother and a friend of his who had an Alsatian dog on a leash.I wast 15 at the time and those boys were in their late teens.I legged it for the bus and they set the dog on me.Just as he pounced ,jaws agape,I swung my schoolbag in desperation.By the grace of God the steel flask was in the corner that hit his jaws and nose and broke something.The dog ran off howling but not the posse.As fast as my legs could carry me I ran for the Quays with them in hot pursuit.
Again by the grace of God the 39 bus was just pulling away from the bus stop as I arrived and I jumped on the open platform on the back as it pulled out.But not before I got an unmerciful belt of a chain on my back from one of my pursuers,who was running after the bus to get me.Was badly hurt but instinctively swung around and swung a boot to deter him.I couldn't have aimed it better.It hit the spot and I'd say his goolies landed somewhere in the Guinness compound.At least I hoped so.
The conductor was nearly afraid to ask for the bus fare but he did and the passengers gaped at me for good while.But not a word was spoken.
I had a fierce job disguising my obvious discomfort from my parents but there was no point in worrying them and anyhow what could they do.They had enough on their plate rearing my other siblings,
The next day when I arrived in Brunner each and every window in the shool was smashed.It had happened overnight.Brother Devane,the head man assembled us all in the school yard and asked if any of us knew why such a thing could happen.I had and have a fair idea but kept st hum.
Not that I could prove it.
Such was life then for me.I well understand why there are bastard bullies still on the go.Fuck them and let them and most important stand up to them.Don't let them win.
And sorry about that Brother Devane.Have a word with the Boss for me.And yes I remember that the way to calculate the weight of the turf in Mac Henry's lorry is to weigh the lorry with turf on board and then subtract the weight of the lorry.
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