As for “poor-mouthing Frank McCourt,” I did indeed mean “putting on the poor mouth,” the bél bocht, exaggerating the direness of one’s condition.

And yes, yorralady gets more badmouthing than most places. Perhaps it’s because it’s the sort of town when your car gets stolen from near the railway station. While it (the car)contains the best leather jacket in the world. Ever. And even if there is more petrol in it when it’s found (the undamaged car)two days later out near the Regional hospital. And the jacket has receded into the mists of time.

But it was indeed great to see those images.

Twas the start of it all…

His da was a great man for rugby though…must be a generational thing…or that fact that Sligo is a bit of a no mans land where rugby is concerned. He’ll go as far a “futbol” as we Latinos call it…but the rugby has such upper class, prod associations it comes a distant 3rd or 4th in the sporting world.

Your writing, however, is enough to make one stray from the GAA…!

Bernie: now I’ll have to look it up.

Stefani: put this one down to my total ignorance of rugby. Put all the rest down to my free-stater thickness, brought home to me all the more by Nell’s autobiography (my Christmas reading.) Love the podcasts, by the way.

Laura: I had to laugh when I forced Mum to admit there were one or two players who weren’t from Limerick. And she’s from Tipperary! But Limerick needs pride more than Cork, which could export the stuff.

Riona: My ex-husband once got a photo with Bill Clinton at some Irish-American entrepreneur do. He kept it on his desk—but he looked so delicate, and Clinton so much like he always looks, that everyone assumed it was a cardboard cut-out.

John: Feck! Feck! Five years worth of giant attachments keep swamping my mail allowance, but they never tell me when my email is blocked.

Your e mail isn’t working again! I sent you two e mails to see if you wanted to come see the game with in Kezar. You missed seeing big Limerickmen reduced to tears.