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| Carrickfergus castle Northern Ireland |
I listened to a few different versions of the song Carrickfergus tonight and there are quite a few of them with the best, for me, being Van Morrison's studio rendition:
I'm not going to bang on about my lost loves even though I, like many others have these because I do have, and have had for the last 30 plus years the true love of my life. The Carrickfergus songs (and lyrics) that I listened to reminded me of a poignant story that my mother told me many years ago.
My grandfather, my mother's father died in the 1960s. I remember his death and my mother travelling down to to the South Island for the funeral and I think it was in 1962 when I was at Marist Newtown.
I have some hazy memories of my grandfather from school holiday visits when I was very young. He always seemed stern and distant and I can't recall any particular interactions with him.
My grandmother died in about 1982. I last saw her in a nursing home in Ashburton in 1977. I was on the (albeit roundabout) way from Wellington to Christchurch to go to Tony's first wedding. Robert and Noel were in the car with me and they waited outside while I called in to visit my 'Nana'. Robert, you might remember this.
After my grandmother died my mother told me an interesting thing. She said that before my grandmother married my grandfather she had been engaged to another guy - the love of her life.
He was killed in the First World War. Some years later my grandmother married my grandfather and they lived a long life together and brought up many children. When my grandfather died however my grandmother took out the engagement ring given to her by the 'love of her life' about 50 years before and wore it until she died.
Love huh. There's nothing new under the sun.
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