1/12/00 – We got the kids out to school. Pauline went to Virginia, where the kids are doing a show that Anne and Pauline have prepared them for … the show went well, but she and Anne are going to insist on having more time to prepare the kids in future … Maire rang from Dunshaughlin on her way home from the USA – Sean and I went to her house, turned on the heating and lit the fire.
2/12/00 – AJ and Andy arrived, and spent much of the day here – Sean was overjoyed to see them … Sean beat me in a game of chess, which pleased him greatly.
7/12/00 – We had parent–teacher meetings … Sean and Susanna are both doing well – the only negative note is that Sean is often ‘in a world of his own’ and has to be repeatedly reminded to concentrate on his work … Pauline took the kids to Dublin – she had to buy stuff in the glass shop, and was taking them to see The Grinch … I played chess with Sean.
8/12/00 – Pauline and the kids went to Virginia and bought a Christmas tree; we put it up and they decorated it … Sean and I played chess, and we all watched The Late Late Toy Show, which was quite entertaining.
9/12/00 – Sean and I had a walk up the fields across the road: we were gone for an hour and a half or so. We both enjoyed it greatly, though I got a jolt from an electric fence at one point.
12/12/00 – Sean had a keyboard lesson.
25/12/00 – Sean woke Pauline and me in the middle of the night and early in the morning, wanting to open his presents. We all got up around 9, and the present opening commenced – Sean’s main ones were a jumping car and a gold Pokemon game from Santa; Susanna got a ‘Baby First Steps’ and a Teksta robot dog from Santa; they got various things from us.
26/12/00 – We had a walk in Kilbroney Park and Sean tried out his new remote-control car.
1/1/01 – Pauline, the kids and myself went to the Lough Crew Hills and walked up Sliabh na Caillighe and around the cairn and tombs – it was windswept.
2/1/01 – I played chess with Sean and Susanna.
6/1/01 – Sean and Susanna went to Romy’s party at three.
7/1/01 – Sean and I played chess.
15/1/01 – Pauline read to the kids in bed for the first time in a while – they started Sean’s book Holes.
21/1/01 – Sean was at AJ and Andy’s for the afternoon.
22/1/01 – Sean has had a bad cough for the past few days so we kept him off school.
24/1/01 – Had a game of chess with Sean.
26/1/01 – Sean went off to the Credit Union quiz at Sharkey’s hotel … Sean’s team won … this was very good, as there were about 30 teams. Sean had a plaque, and was elated.
28/1/01 – I did some work outside, helped by Sean – we started to clear the space where I’ll be building the new (small) wall.
30/1/01 – I played chess with Sean, who apparently will be competing at chess in the Community Games.
1/2/01 – We allowed Sean to watch the James Bond movie The Living Daylights.
The road to God knows where ... Brendan O'Brien 
Hello Brendano. Happy memories of family, school and social life. A loving and creative family. I like the line-up of children in the photograph. Great joy, and hard work too putting on a show. I remember New Year 2000. There was snow, and I made an insane meal of about ten courses, which lasted until 4 a.m. My sisters entertained the children with games that they have never forgotten. One of the games involved running around barefoot in the snow. Later on the 1st January, my elder daughter fell into the nearby lake, and my father made her a special certificate establishing the fact that she was the first person of the millennium to be totally immersed in said Jurassic lake.
You have spoken of walking ‘up the fields’ before. You said that it was the title of one of your stories. Was the jolt you had from the electric fence that day the one that inspired the story?
Hello Cymbeline … thanks for this. Nice milennium story. We mustn’t have done much to celebrate the new millennium … the previous year, which many wrongly thought of us the turn of the millennium, we had just moved into this house and had a party for extended family.
The photo is of a very informal ‘show’ orchestrated by Sean in our sitting room … I think he was trying to achieve a kind of ‘Riverdance’ effect, with himself in the role of Michael Flatley. 🙂
Yes, I wrote a novel for children/teenagers called Up the Fields … I need to revise it (I think) and try to find a publisher, or else publish it myself. Maybe the jolt did inspire it, although not consciously. Must go up the fields again soon.
I had assumed it to be a rehearsal of the show mentioned in the blog. Very impressed by Sean’s organizational skills. All those little girls seem to be happily compliant!
My sisters used to do fairylike dancing and singing routines at home. I never joined in; I always felt too old and had no sense of rhythm.
Susanna is the dancer in our family (well, probably everyone but me).
Yes, Sean was always good for putting on a show … by cousins for grandparents, or whatever. Lack of narrative thread was compensated by enthusiasm.
Perhaps being true to one’s inner song is the most golden narrative thread of all.
Yes. He certainly gave it his best shot.