Chapter Eight
'Farley meets Ned'
That June weekend when their Donegal guest visited their cottage in Kilbunny, Ned was the one to receive him, as Liam and Trish had gone out for a brief walk. As Farley introduced himself to Ned with a huge smile on his face, Ned could easily imagine how easy and pleasant a chap Farley was to get along with.
Ned had agreed to stay on hand to welcome the guest into the cottage of Liam and Trish.
"Oh... I'm Ned....Liam's partner in business. He asked me to await your arrival at his cottage on the off-chance that you came before he and Trish returned from their walk. Please come in; take a seat and I'll put some tea on for us."
As Ned and Farley spoke, it didn't take too long to get on to the subject of life in Donegal, and in particular, the life of being a horse breeder and trader.
"Ah yes! I almost forgot," Farley said," Liam did say that you also hailed from Donegal in the past, I believe!"
"Aye. I'm from Letterkenny originally," Ned replied. "It was said by my grandparents that somewhere in our distant past we were related to the O'Cannons, the people from whom the town was named after. The O'Cannons were ancient chieftains of Tír Conaill. We once had a house located near the bridge that stood over the River Swilly in east Donegal, before ................"
Ned had agreed to stay on hand to welcome the guest into the cottage of Liam and Trish.
"Oh... I'm Ned....Liam's partner in business. He asked me to await your arrival at his cottage on the off-chance that you came before he and Trish returned from their walk. Please come in; take a seat and I'll put some tea on for us."
As Ned and Farley spoke, it didn't take too long to get on to the subject of life in Donegal, and in particular, the life of being a horse breeder and trader.
"Ah yes! I almost forgot," Farley said," Liam did say that you also hailed from Donegal in the past, I believe!"
"Aye. I'm from Letterkenny originally," Ned replied. "It was said by my grandparents that somewhere in our distant past we were related to the O'Cannons, the people from whom the town was named after. The O'Cannons were ancient chieftains of Tír Conaill. We once had a house located near the bridge that stood over the River Swilly in east Donegal, before ................"
Ned suddenly stopped as he appreciated that he was now in the process of telling a total stranger about background details which he'd never before spoken of and some of which would have shamed him under normal circumstances to mention in public.
"I'm so sorry, but mention of Donegal has brought back the old memories to me that I thought were long buried. As far as I know, Farley, my family went back a long way. Back as far as the 17th century, I understand that my family were prominent in the emerging market town. Then they seemingly fell on hard times after the Great War of 1914 and had to travel the highways and byways to earn their crust of bread. I was brought up without much of a proper education, so to speak, but what I lacked up there," Ned said pointing to his head, "I made up for in brawn and muscle."
"I'm so sorry, but mention of Donegal has brought back the old memories to me that I thought were long buried. As far as I know, Farley, my family went back a long way. Back as far as the 17th century, I understand that my family were prominent in the emerging market town. Then they seemingly fell on hard times after the Great War of 1914 and had to travel the highways and byways to earn their crust of bread. I was brought up without much of a proper education, so to speak, but what I lacked up there," Ned said pointing to his head, "I made up for in brawn and muscle."
Before Ned's family had moved from Donegal to travel the open road of the Irish countryside, he would wake up on a sunny morning to see part of the Glenveagh Castle silhouetted on his bedroom wall. As a young child, he would often pretend that he and his family lived inside the castle instead of in its shadows. Ned obviously loved Donegal and he spoke of the vast enjoyment he would receive from his walks in the Glenveagh National Park.
When Liam and Trish returned to their cottage, they were pleased to see that their friend from Donegal had arrived safely and looked at home in Ned's company.
"I'll be off now and leave you both to see to your house guest. Nice to have met you, lad. I will no doubt be seeing you around before you return to Donegal," Ned said politely as he took his leave and returned to his home and cat.
"See you, Mr................Sorry, but you never did tell me your surname!" Farley replied.
"No, I didn't, did I," said Ned. "It's Ned Cannon. I think it's derived from the O'Cannons of old Donegal. Along the way, they must have dropped the 'O'."
"Well, Farley, in all the years I've known Ned, I never knew his surname until I saw it on the legal papers making me a business partner, mere months ago. What took me over six years to get out of him, you have managed to achieve in less than half an hour. If you can convince Ned to part with his surname on first meeting, then it bodes well for your powers of persuasion in the horse trade and you should have no difficulty coaxing the buyers to part with their hard-earned cash for one of your sturdy breeds!" Liam laughingly said.
"I'll be off now and leave you both to see to your house guest. Nice to have met you, lad. I will no doubt be seeing you around before you return to Donegal," Ned said politely as he took his leave and returned to his home and cat.
"See you, Mr................Sorry, but you never did tell me your surname!" Farley replied.
"No, I didn't, did I," said Ned. "It's Ned Cannon. I think it's derived from the O'Cannons of old Donegal. Along the way, they must have dropped the 'O'."
"Well, Farley, in all the years I've known Ned, I never knew his surname until I saw it on the legal papers making me a business partner, mere months ago. What took me over six years to get out of him, you have managed to achieve in less than half an hour. If you can convince Ned to part with his surname on first meeting, then it bodes well for your powers of persuasion in the horse trade and you should have no difficulty coaxing the buyers to part with their hard-earned cash for one of your sturdy breeds!" Liam laughingly said.
That Saturday night, Liam, Trish and Farley were all invited across to Ned's house on the Waterford Road for an evening meal. Ned had agreed to host the meal with Trish being pregnant. He even arranged and paid for a woman friend of his to come and cook a cracking meal for the four of them. Since he'd stopped drinking all the hours that God sent, Ned had become a house-proud man. He had done all those repair jobs to the property which had been neglected for so long and he'd even repaired the roof and grassed the rear land of his old cottage. In fact, he'd taken to chopping up his own logs for the stove on a Saturday, when in years gone by, he could have been found in the pub all day until throwing-out hours forced him back home.
The cook was called Millicent and as she served up the meals she smiled broadly at Ned. Ned smiled back and thanked her profusely for her sterling efforts in providing them with a grand meal. After the company had eaten, Ned went into his kitchen to bid the cook 'Goodnight' and relieve her of her duties.
The cook was called Millicent and as she served up the meals she smiled broadly at Ned. Ned smiled back and thanked her profusely for her sterling efforts in providing them with a grand meal. After the company had eaten, Ned went into his kitchen to bid the cook 'Goodnight' and relieve her of her duties.
We'll clear up the dishes later, Milly," he said. "Thank you so much for helping out. You're a good woman and a fine neighbour."
"No problem at all, Ned," the cook replied. "See you later."
After the cook had left, Farley said to Ned jokingly, "If I were you, Mr Cannon and I had a woman cook me such a grand meal, if she was on the market, I'd certainly snap her up and take her home with me."
"Aye, no doubt you would," Ned replied with a gleam of uncharacteristic wickedness in his eye. "And as for your matchmaking, she might be on the market, Farley, but I'm not in any hurry to travel down that road yet!"
It was during the middle of the evening when the meal and conversation between the guests was going down well that Ned suddenly took poorly. One minute he was as cheerful as could be and the next, he looked as white as a sheet and looked as though he'd seen a ghost. Liam helped Ned to his bed and indicated that he would stay the night at his house in case he took a turn for the worse. After about five minutes, it was agreed that Liam would take Trish back to their cottage, leaving Farley to look after Ned. After Trish had been dropped back home, Liam returned to Ned's house where he and Farley spent the night.
"No problem at all, Ned," the cook replied. "See you later."
After the cook had left, Farley said to Ned jokingly, "If I were you, Mr Cannon and I had a woman cook me such a grand meal, if she was on the market, I'd certainly snap her up and take her home with me."
"Aye, no doubt you would," Ned replied with a gleam of uncharacteristic wickedness in his eye. "And as for your matchmaking, she might be on the market, Farley, but I'm not in any hurry to travel down that road yet!"
It was during the middle of the evening when the meal and conversation between the guests was going down well that Ned suddenly took poorly. One minute he was as cheerful as could be and the next, he looked as white as a sheet and looked as though he'd seen a ghost. Liam helped Ned to his bed and indicated that he would stay the night at his house in case he took a turn for the worse. After about five minutes, it was agreed that Liam would take Trish back to their cottage, leaving Farley to look after Ned. After Trish had been dropped back home, Liam returned to Ned's house where he and Farley spent the night.
As Liam and Farley spoke in the adjacent room, Ned lay quietly on his bed thinking. As he lay there, all he could think of was his old love Molly, who'd hanged herself during a fit of depression. It had been part of an earlier conversation he'd been a part of that had brought on such thoughts. What he'd heard spoken had emotionally rocked his senses and had placed his mind in turmoil.
Approximately half an hour earlier that evening during conversation, Farley had simply mentioned the name of his grandparents and guardians who'd adopted and reared him; Mr and Mrs. Melldew of 'Old Milletts', near Letterkenny. Upon hearing these details, Ned took an instant dizzy turn and said he needed to lie down. Fearing he'd had a mini stroke or some heart palpitations, Liam took him to his bedroom.
Approximately half an hour earlier that evening during conversation, Farley had simply mentioned the name of his grandparents and guardians who'd adopted and reared him; Mr and Mrs. Melldew of 'Old Milletts', near Letterkenny. Upon hearing these details, Ned took an instant dizzy turn and said he needed to lie down. Fearing he'd had a mini stroke or some heart palpitations, Liam took him to his bedroom.
Ned listened intently from the adjacent room where he lay, as Farley continued his talk with Liam.
"I know that my mother was called Molly and she unfortunately died giving birth to me. My grandparents told me that my father had died at sea some three months earlier before he and my mother could marry. They naturally decided to rear me under their guardianship, being my sole surviving blood relatives."
"I know that my mother was called Molly and she unfortunately died giving birth to me. My grandparents told me that my father had died at sea some three months earlier before he and my mother could marry. They naturally decided to rear me under their guardianship, being my sole surviving blood relatives."
While there were undoubtedly more than one family with the surname of Melldew in Donegal or thereabouts, there was only one place named 'Old Milletts' that he'd ever heard of in the Letterkenny area. This place had been the home of Molly and her parents. As it gradually dawned on Ned that their Donegal visitor was much more than a friend of Liam's and Trish, he started to feel heart palpitations all over again. He had spent the better part of the past evening dining and socialising with his own flesh and blood; the son of his dearly departed Molly and he hadn't known it.
As Ned laid on his bed in deep thought, he could hear the conversation that was taking place in the room next door between the two young men; both of whom had been adopted in their infancy by family members.
"Tell me, Farley. You say that your grandparents brought you up in 'Old Milletts, Letterkenny'. What about your parents?" Liam asked out of idle curiosity. The odds against coming across another who had not known their blood parents naturally intrigued Liam, besides offering him a kind of comfort of not being entirely alone in the world when it came to having no remaining blood relatives to call family.
As Ned laid on his bed in deep thought, he could hear the conversation that was taking place in the room next door between the two young men; both of whom had been adopted in their infancy by family members.
"Tell me, Farley. You say that your grandparents brought you up in 'Old Milletts, Letterkenny'. What about your parents?" Liam asked out of idle curiosity. The odds against coming across another who had not known their blood parents naturally intrigued Liam, besides offering him a kind of comfort of not being entirely alone in the world when it came to having no remaining blood relatives to call family.
Farley told Liam that though he'd had a privileged upbringing and had been much loved by his adopted parents, neither of them were happy when he announced that he wasn't going to university, but was instead intending to work with horses and if possible, breed them. Shortly before their fatal motor accident, relationships had seen a gradual worsening between Farley and his grandparents about what they described as his 'obsession' with horses.
"Do you know, Liam, two days before they died, my grandfather had said, 'I never thought that anything would ever bring out the gypsy in you, least of all horses. And even if you were destined to waste your life on horses instead of completing your education and become a barrister or a surgeon, why couldn't you dream of breeding racing thoroughbreds for the gentry instead of cart horses for the poor?' For the very first time in my life, I looked at him and realised that he and grandma were social snobs and had always looked down on people of normal rank," Farley told Liam.
"Do you know, Liam, two days before they died, my grandfather had said, 'I never thought that anything would ever bring out the gypsy in you, least of all horses. And even if you were destined to waste your life on horses instead of completing your education and become a barrister or a surgeon, why couldn't you dream of breeding racing thoroughbreds for the gentry instead of cart horses for the poor?' For the very first time in my life, I looked at him and realised that he and grandma were social snobs and had always looked down on people of normal rank," Farley told Liam.
"Their car crash.........." Liam cautiously asked. "Where........how did it happen?"
"Somewhere on the road three miles out of Donegal," Farley told Liam. "On the day in question, they decided to go for a spin in their new car to try it out. My granddad was driving too fast as usual for the country roads and as he came over the brow of a hill at around 70 mph, the road ahead was blocked with a farmer putting his cows back in their field. He seemingly pipped his horn furiously and missed the cows, but then hit a cyclist in front of the flock. He crashed through the field wall and collided with the trunk of a tree. The cyclist and my grandparents were killed outright!"
As Farley spoke of his grandparent's deaths, Liam sensed that it was more in its regret and the tragic manner that had grieved his friend more than the loss of any close intimacy he had shared with them.
"They were no doubt good folk in their own way, but........apart from myself, I don't suppose that anyone else will sadly miss them in their passing!" Farley concluded soulfully.
"Somewhere on the road three miles out of Donegal," Farley told Liam. "On the day in question, they decided to go for a spin in their new car to try it out. My granddad was driving too fast as usual for the country roads and as he came over the brow of a hill at around 70 mph, the road ahead was blocked with a farmer putting his cows back in their field. He seemingly pipped his horn furiously and missed the cows, but then hit a cyclist in front of the flock. He crashed through the field wall and collided with the trunk of a tree. The cyclist and my grandparents were killed outright!"
As Farley spoke of his grandparent's deaths, Liam sensed that it was more in its regret and the tragic manner that had grieved his friend more than the loss of any close intimacy he had shared with them.
"They were no doubt good folk in their own way, but........apart from myself, I don't suppose that anyone else will sadly miss them in their passing!" Farley concluded soulfully.
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