A Martyred Saint

 Paddy O'Riordan was a martyr, not to bunions, not to his bad back, but to his wife Josie.

Paddy was a quiet hardworking Corkman who bothered no one and was bothered by none. Even his Corkconian origins were accepted without remark by all his neighbours.

Josie was a Dub and a loud one at that. She was in fact not just loud but probably the person for whom the word uncouth was coined. Josie was always heard at least a block before she was seen; ever complaining about her lot and the deficiencies of that "ghost from Cork" as she often referred to poor Paddy.

Neighbours nor strangers were spared her tongue and the quicker witted of them would quicklly learn to keep their heads down while suddenly remembering that they had some pressing chore to complete before she had the chance to light upon them.

In spite of Josie's barbs Paddy never rose to the bait, didn't get involved in any public disputes with his wife and had learned to keep his head down too. He also kept very busy. He worked long hours in the C.I.E. Works foundry in Inchicore and signed up for all the overtime he could get. 

He had a hobby too, directly related to his employment. At that time C.I.E. owned both the Royal and Grand canals and the land which lay on either side. In a number of places along the length of the canals they rented some land to employees who worked them as allotments at a nominal rent.

Paddy's allotment was a finely manicured piece of heaven on earth and a Josie free zone as it was about half a mile from their house so out of Josie's usual ambit. It was a place of repose for Paddy and a connection to the land he had left in Cork as a youth. Furthermore it was a source of healthy food for his family and, when there was a glut of a certain vegetables or fruit, also for his neighbours . 

Without this narrow strip of fertile ground by the still waters of the local canal it is likely that Paddy would have lived an even shorter life than the meagre sixty-six years he was granted.

I remember Paddy with deep affection to this day,