A tribute to a wonderful man, whose county allegiances sparked some unrest in the home of the cats... For Sunday Miscellany on RTÉ Radio 1, listen to Gnome Is Where The Heart Is, by Joseph Kearney above.
It was a remarkable thing to come across a gnome in the place where I grew up. The odd plastic swan, or for those with more pretentious aspirations, an eagle or two on the gate posts was the limit to ornamentation back then; but never a garden gnome, that was a step too far for rural Kilkenny.
I was fourteen when Michael came into my life. He was something of a gnome himself, five foot nothing with rust red hair, Sam Maguire ears and a boyish smile that seldom left his face...
Listen to more from Sunday Miscellany here.
