Sunday 22 April 2007

Bingo!


I made it to the Irish center just in the nick of time. Dinner had finished and the Tuesday Club were happliy slurping tea and chomping fresh cream buns. Most were on their third drink and it was only 1 o'clock in the day!
Tom spotted me and introduced me to the volunteers. A lovely group of ladies who had a cup of tea in my hand before I had my coat off!
I began by asking about where they had come from, why they came here, how did they find the transition. To which I got quite matter of fact answers.
"So, where you happy to leave Ireland- what did you think of it here?' I asked
"I think that's a silly question, of course we didn't want..."
"What, are you joking Mary, the first thing I did was put a pink streak in my hair and cut my skirt short"
We errupted into histerics!
I was still red faced from laughing when Tom on the mic began to introduce me and 200 inquizative heads turned in my direction. Right, I thought, just bite the bullet and next thing I was on stage trying to explain the nature of my visit. I bumbled my way through, and made a quick exit. Thankfully it was bingo next so i had time to gather my composure. I fell back into artist mode and started drawing the concentrated faces of the bingo players. I had run out of pages by the time the last house was called.

Back to researcing: There were so many people I decided to do one or two at each table. I met the Cosgroves from Roscree, a lady from Drimnagh who when I asked, was quite animated in the fact that she hated Leeds, Paul Sharkey a joiner from Tullycoo, Anne McHale and Mrs Moverly ne Hanlon from Mayo, Winefred Jackson 90 from Roscommon, Francis Sheeran from Ceis, Paddy Murphy who's twin sisters from Athy had been in the WAF and one had gotten blown up in South Africa and lovely Eileen Egan from Balinaga near Finch park in Roscommon who had lived in Leeds since 1942 where she met her beloved Tommy Egan who passed away last year. Eileen was a softly spoken lady who told me about her life here in Leeds and the dance halls where all the Irish would congregate to play music, dance and more than often meet their future spouses. We had been talking a while and I asked if I could take her photograph with the people dancing behind. At this she was no sooner on her feet and leading the dance. The remains of the Tuesday Club were now all on the dancefloor for a final tune. At the end Eileen came up to me
"The Roscoe in Chapel Allerton, that's it!"
She was talking of the photograph in her bag of the last time her whole family were together.

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