On 25 years of "fragile, imperfect" peace - in a longer version of a talk commissioned for Sharing Peace, Sharing Futures at the Abbey Theatre, listen to Everybody Should Have Their Day, by John Toal above.
My grandfather Frank Toal was an anti-Treaty man, from Keady in Co.Armagh, fought in the War of Independence, was interned in the Curragh, came back to Keady and smoked and drank and coughed and mended boots and clocks.
He passed away on the 13th July 1979, and as he lay on his deathbed the day before, he asked my father to open the window. The 12th parade for that part of Co.Armagh was in Keady that year, and granda wanted to hear the Orange bands. My father was shocked. "Sure everybody should have their day" my grandfather said...
Listen to more from Sunday Miscellany here.
