I have been putting this tribute on the long finger for some time,partly because of indecision about whether to tell his story ,as much as I know it, warts and all,partly because of my my profound sadness of the very premature loss of a talented intellect but mostly out of a sense of sadness of unfulfilled promise and the heartbreak he visited on those that adored him,especially his mother Josie who did more than anyone could expect to keep him on the straight and narrow and to make his life as fulfilling as possible.
I watched a programme about Bob Marley last week and know that Gar adored him.
I didn't know that Marley ,a Rastafarian ,was such a religious man and that his values and music were inspired by the Rasta take on the Bible and I can see that this would find favour with certain men irrespective of the religious ethos into which they were born.
It might therefor have surprised Gar to know he was religious despite himself.But then again he always thought different..
Which brings me to the next point and it is that Gar was the most peaceful and non violent man I knew.I'd say he never struck anyone in anger or otherwise.
My family history with the Travers and the Conatys go back a long way .
My late and revered (by me in any event ) uncle Tommy Mac Cormack often told me that he was present in Conaty's house manys the time when Oliver Travers and Benny O Brien came calling to court the sisters Marie and Josie.
I know that when the Crannach Co Op was formed by the workers to buy out the furniture factory in Navan and which Oliver was later to Chair ,that Tommy bough a fiver share from Oliver.
I know that when I had a severe need of independent transport in 1969 Tommy paid Oliver £50 for a Honda fifty and gave it to me to fill the need.
It was rumoured that Oliver rode the bike with Josie on the back pulling the pram with the current baby in tow as the need arose .In these politically correct and hateful days this would merit death by firing squad ,sputtering indignation by Government Ministers and Quangos who are hell bent on criminalising as many despised plebs as possible in order to savour the power that electoral success,copious lying and privilege brings.
In those days when handball was played at Lawlesses Cross,often uninterrupted by traffic for hours at end, such behaviour was safe and normal and I was glad of the bike which served me and them well.
The Gar went on to form the P.L.C.(People of Lawlesses Cross ) a revolutionary anarchist secret society whose two known acts of sabotage were :-
!.To spray the legend P.L.C.on a stolen car which was burnt out near the Cross.(neither stolen nor burnt out not by the PLC I might add ) and
2,To replace the first letter "R"of the road sign to Robinstown with a capital "N"
The membership fee for admission to the PLC was the price of a a pint of Guinness ,later replaced by a pint of Cider,
Towards the end Gar amalgamated his PLC with my political movement.I never got around to buying him the pint.
Gar was in the age bracket of my eldest kids and they palled around for a while.
At the time of their late teens a disco in the Darnley was all the go.Never having had the moolah to buy a half decent car I had a series of safe but elderly motor vehicles including a washed out St,John's ambulance which Georg in had converted from petrol to diesel,with the impediment that the gears didn't synchronise with the gear box in the proper ratio.
The outcome was that you would have to rev. the fuck out of it to attain 30mph.And the load bearing capacity was not the best up a steep incline.
I used drop my own kids over to the Darnley and the word spread and all their pals used pile in.Half way up the Hill of Ward the lads used jump out ,run beside the van to the top of the hill ,them jump in again.The same on the way home.
Romances developed from time to time and it soon became evident that the Gar and Susan Reilly had eyes only for each other.Which was fine in its own way until they used disappear after disembarking when we arrived back in Dunderry and a very worried Kathleen Reilly used appear at my door looking for her missing daughter .
Many's the night we spent searching round the Church,the GAA pitch and the school shelter looking for them .No luck .
I took to dropping him off at the Cross and bringing her to the village.Same result.He was the scourge of my life at times.I needn't have worried as himself and herself eventually moved in together and she gave birth to a smashing daughter and the apple of his eye Laura.
I since deduced that himself and Susie had a secret nest in Geraghty's hay shed,suitably equipped for comfortable courting away from prying ayes.Their lair was undiscovered for yonks
Towards the end of the eighties I bought an Opel car of some sort from Noellie Murtagh.It was the finest save the lights would not work as the makers intended.To switch on the headlights there was a crocodile clip attached to the battery which had to be manually connected to a wire which fed the power to the lights.This neccessitated lifting the bonnet and attaching the crocodile clip.
.Not the best yoke to use in a bank heist nor indeed in any circumstances where a quick getaway had to be done in the dark.
One evening I had to leave our Jacinta,Gar,Rooney Conaty,Laura O Brien,Tommy Coogan and Matthew Duffy into Navan to go to the pictures and pick them up.
I went to pick them up at the appointed time and parked as prearranged the Dunderry side of the Hospital.
No sign of them for a long time.I walked towards the town to see what the delay was all about.The first I met was Rooney with his head split open lying on the footpath .I got him up and told him to make for the car.The next I met was was our Cynti in full flight followed closely by Laura.Then Tommy Coogan with his head also split open.And finally Matthew.
Back to the car with me to be told that three Navan guys ,well older than themselves had picked a row with them outside the chipper and proceeded to beat the shit out of them.As I was lifting the bonnet of the car to attach the lights the three guys were advancing rapidly towards the kids to finish off the job.
I advanced to meet them head on,hoping to avoid a bloodbath.They were all big men in their mid twenties.No reasoning with them.I told them that if they passed me I would severely maim the biggest of them before the combined efforts of them all would stop me.As one guy was carrying a half block and another a two by two plank this was some claim by me and were they to look down they would have seen my legs shaking.I also threatened to call the Guards ,which they found hilarious.
I then turned to go back to the car fully expecting the block at the back of the head but to my utter amazement they ran off through the grounds of the hospital.
So off home with us with a shocked and battered crew.
We patched up the wounded and then remembered the Gar.
Calfer and me fein,with hurleys in tow, went back to collect him.Looked high up and low down.No sign and no sleep after for me.
Early next morning he appeared,having spent a very comfortable night,thank you very much ,holed up in the emergency Department of Navan hospital ,no worries.
Later again there came to live amongst us a man who had a fierce need for female company which was never to be filled .
Not for the want of trying however, as he made advances to all eligible and many ineligible females in the locality.
He got to be a bit over the top.
The Gar informed him that a certain female he desired would meet him sat Dunderry graveyard the following evening.As pre arranged the Gar dressed as a very presentable female,wig and all, with the willing help of the citizenry of Dunderry and perched on the wall at the appointed time.
Yer man was sure all his birthdays can me together and moved in for the kill at which stage the Gar roasted "Let him have it lads " and the concealed ,up to them ,kids showered him with eggs ,flour and milk from head to toe.
Cure delivered.
Yet later again I suffered a stroke in 2009 and was holed up in Navan hospital for a while.The Gar paid me a few visits which coincided with visits to his aunt who wasn't well either and died shortly afterwards.
I liked to be wheeled down the steep ramp from my Ward to the outside to enjoy the fresh air and asked the gar to do the honours.No bother to the Gar,he wheeled me down.and we had a great chat and he went under the tree fir a smoke for a while.
Back he came and had to wheel me back to base.
Now he wasn't the healthiest at that stage and fierce short of wind.So he huffed and puffed and got me there.
And boy was he knackered ?
And he lay down on my bed to recover.
,More luck to him.
Gar and the first love of his life Susan had unhappy differences and eventually parted but he found love again with Kerry Bellew and they had a lovely child called Holly and I am glad to say that my son Evan is her God Father, but for whatever reason that romance also fizzled out.,mores the pity.
It fell to Josie and his siblings to pick up the pieces as it were and Josie did all that was humanely possible and more ,to fill the gaping emptiness that filled his breast.
But Gar fell a victim to his excesses and was unable or unwilling ,who knows which ,to keep on track.
Never a man to blow his own trumpet Gar,his mother Josie and Oliver before them were quiet but serious supporters of the juvenile auction of Dunderry GAA Club in Geraghtys when I was involved with it and generously contributed to it when the need arose.
He was a generous guy and there wasn't a mean bone in his body.
He was also a talented carver of wood,which was his working medium,but never got the time to fully develop his full potential.
He was a dear Facebook friend of mine and we traded respectful insults all the time and he was without doubt quite erudite in his diction,never misusing the English language.
He likened me to Gerry Garcia,whoever he is but I am sure he is not a bad guy.
Garry was universally liked ,the gentlest of men , a divil for the beer and maybe too good for this world.
He is missed by his mother Josie,his dear siblings Linda,Sarah,Alan ,Jane and Rebecca,his daughters Laura and Hollya ,his granddaughter Layla and a circle of friends ,whose first reaction when they think of him is one of fondeness and a hearty chuckle.
Ar DHeis De go raibh a hanam dilis.
Hhh
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