I found an old photograph while I was visiting home in Dublin. I thought a painted version would make for a good birthday gift for my father.
The original photograph was taken in 1937 by a now forgotten photographer. My uncle Johnny Canning is the seven year old boy, and Da' Fitz (as he was affectionately know in Harolds Cross, Dublin) is the older gentleman. I spoke to my uncle about the photograph and he told me of Da' Fitz and how he was a veteran of The Boer War where he had lost his leg.
"He was certainly a character that we kids found very mysterious and curious."
My uncle went on to tell me of how he and his friends would be playing on the street and once Da' Fitz was spotted leaving his house, all games were abruptly abandoned and every kid would take off at great speed towards Twomey's Shop at the end of the street and around the corner. The first kid who made it to Twomey's first would run into the shop and take a chair outside and place it next to the door. He or she would then retrieve a small fishing net attached to a long stick and stand and wait for Da' Fitz to arrive. Those two minutes were a very long wait for the excited child. Eventually Da' Fitz would appear hobbling on his crutches around the corner. He sat in his chair and place his crutches to one side against the store window. He would then take the stick from the victor and place coins in the net, then reaching the stick inside the door to the shopkeeper over the counter where the coins were exchanged for pipe tobacco and a sweet (candy). He wouldn't say much to the winning kid as he handed over the sweet, or maybe the kid was too excited at the sight of being rewarded with such a bounty to hear anything Da' Fitz had to say. The kid would then run away delighted. Da' Fitz would smoke his pipe.
The original photograph was taken in 1937 by a now forgotten photographer. My uncle Johnny Canning is the seven year old boy, and Da' Fitz (as he was affectionately know in Harolds Cross, Dublin) is the older gentleman. I spoke to my uncle about the photograph and he told me of Da' Fitz and how he was a veteran of The Boer War where he had lost his leg.
"He was certainly a character that we kids found very mysterious and curious."
My uncle went on to tell me of how he and his friends would be playing on the street and once Da' Fitz was spotted leaving his house, all games were abruptly abandoned and every kid would take off at great speed towards Twomey's Shop at the end of the street and around the corner. The first kid who made it to Twomey's first would run into the shop and take a chair outside and place it next to the door. He or she would then retrieve a small fishing net attached to a long stick and stand and wait for Da' Fitz to arrive. Those two minutes were a very long wait for the excited child. Eventually Da' Fitz would appear hobbling on his crutches around the corner. He sat in his chair and place his crutches to one side against the store window. He would then take the stick from the victor and place coins in the net, then reaching the stick inside the door to the shopkeeper over the counter where the coins were exchanged for pipe tobacco and a sweet (candy). He wouldn't say much to the winning kid as he handed over the sweet, or maybe the kid was too excited at the sight of being rewarded with such a bounty to hear anything Da' Fitz had to say. The kid would then run away delighted. Da' Fitz would smoke his pipe.