We started in the Grotto on Meath Street, it was closed but we got in the side gate, we even got to meet the Priest, he's a nice priest, he was takin the rubbish out, offered to open the shutter on the votary candles an all but we didn't bother with that.
We took ourselves up to Marrowbone Lane after that. It was raining, started to rain down heavy and we were worried about the camera. We stood under a tree just inside the gate of A Block. A Block is the posh block. After seconds, a couple of women and a man were out, leanin on the first floor balcony lookin at us.
I used to live here, I say, up there in 305 on the top floor, we lived down the end of the balcony first, then me Ma got the keys to that one. When? she says, ah years ago I say, we moved out when I was 10. I'm here all me life, she says, what's your name? Dyas I say, what's your Ma's name? she says, Melda I say, ah yeah, I remember her, she says.
There's a seagull on the roof, just over our flat, it's still our flat, in me head, always will be, don't know why we moved out, they're gorgeous flats now. I'm looking up at our windows, there's lilies in them now, and I'm thinking of me uncles for some reason, they used to spend a lot of time with us there in the '80's when they were in Art College. "What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?" "Cliff" and I think this is hilarious, when I'm 9, I still think it's hilarious and I'm 34! I'm thinkin about me Granda comin round after his shift round the corner in Guinness's bringin me the sweets and the TK red lemonade. Usually it was Jelly Tots and a Yorky Bar, the Yorky bar was great, but it was very big. I used to make gunge cake out of them, put everything in a bowl, mix it all up, spill the TK red Lemonade in and mix it all round. I have a little cry then, wish I could hold them there a little longer, wish I could.
After that we stroll down to Katie's lane, a recent title for the place, it's at the side of Vicar Street, leads from Thomas St to Vicar Street Flats or from Vicar Street Flats to Thomas St depending on what way your goin! I wander around the lane for a while, sayin me things, I don't really know what I'm sayin, I've no idea what I'm sayin at this stage and neither does Niamh! I don't really like the lane, it's depressin me. My connotations aren't very pleasant, this isn't the actually lane now, just a representation of the lane. It's makin me sad, lanes are secret places, places people go so as not to be seen, you can't tell any one, secret things happen in lanes, things that people are ashamed of, things that aren't kosher happen in lanes. I'm ramblin away, ramblin now 'cos its making me uncomfortable and Niamh is filmin away and I'm smokin' too many cigarettes, there aren't enough cigarettes in the world to make this easier.
We walk up Katie's Lane towards Vicar Street flats, headin for the Coombe to see me school, was me school, its up for sale now, ragin' about that, it's bad enough they put a big road through the Coombe splittin the community, now the school is up for sale, it's over a hundred years old, ragin about that. So we're just coming out at the top of the lane when Niamh stops and says, Veronica, it's a bed! I'm not really payin attention, and a chair! She says. I'm used to walkin passed dump sites so I wasn't even mindin'. When we investigate further there's a rockin chair too. Now, the whole place smells of piss, you can't get that on film, but it really does, its awful, so I rummage in the rubbish and find some damp cardboard and put it on the chair. I'm havin a great time now, I'm havin a great time, this is delighting me I say, I'm delighted by this! And Niamh is too, though she's having a few technical issues! And I sit on the rockin chair, wafflin away, wafflin away but it's happy stuff, it's happy stuff now. Where's me shed Niamh, where's me shed! I say, tormentin her, don't know how she puts up with me sometimes! I think it's hilarious, but it's not really that funny! I smoke a few cigarettes in the chair and the Bells of the Angeles plays away, constantly, like magic.
This is better than the shed Niamh, this is the Universe liaising us! I say, you and your Universe, she says, but we're both delighted really!
