Up the Murph | Micheál Martin

So these are a few of my memories from shopping in this country.

I just want to tell you a wee story here about my key shop in Balamurphy.

And way back in the mid 1950s, my mother was allocated a house in Balamurphy.

And it was number 11, Divismore Park, at the corner of Glenly New Road.

And at around the same time, Maureen McKee was allocated a house in the same street, number 20, Divismore Park.

And the McKee house was just across the street from us.

Maureen and Josie, Boxer McKee, had 14 children, Rosie and Josie, Seamus and Paki, Ned and Martin, Cookie, Anthony, Chick, Dolores, Bernie, Maureen, Maggie, and Tessie.

And big families were the Norman, Nose, Des.

There were 13 of us.

But the McKees, like us, they came from the Falls.

Maureen was from Tunn Street.

Boxer was a coach with the Immaculata Boxing Club.

And he was from Baker Street.

And times were hard.

Gerard Chick McKee remembers six of them lying in their bed with Ned's feet in his face and coats over them to keep warm.

And like my brothers, The McKee boys went to St. Aidan's and later to St. Thomas's on the White Rock Road.

The guards went to St. Bernadette's and later St. Louise's, as far as I can recollect.

And St. Thomas's was just recently demolished.

And our national poet, Seamus Heaney, was a teacher there at the time I'm referring to.

And so was Michael McClopperty.

His wonderful book, Call My Brother Back, is about the places we grew up in.

And all of us youngsters spent a lot of time playing in the street.

The Grogan's, the McKee's, the McGee's, the Wilson's, the McDonald's, the Ireland's, the McManus's, the Ryan's, the Kemble's, the Ward's, the Curran's, the Nelson's, the Bannon's, the Donnelly's, the Quinn's, the McLaughlin's, the Gillan's, the O'Hara's, the O'Hare's, and McNally's.

And I'm sure I'm leaving many out, so mea culpa, I heard you.

Ballamurphy people are quite clannish.