Some diary entries … March to May 2000

1/3/00 – Pauline took Sean to his keyboard lesson.

4/3/00 – Pauric picked up Sean for Gaelic football training … Susanna had made up a song and dance routine yesterday – she’s very good at that. Sean is writing a story: Pauline thinks he may be a writer, as he clearly has a flair for it … Pauline took Sean and Susanna to their drama class in Virginia.

7/3/00 – Sean and Pauline are both still upset about Peter’s death – they had a long talk about him after Sean went to bed.

8/3/00 – I taught Sean ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ on the keyboard, by writing down the notes as numbers.

17/3/00 – Pauline and the kids went to a Paddy’s Day parade in Ballyjamesduff … It was very poor: even Sean, who is normally so enthusiastic about everything, didn’t enjoy it.

18/3/00 – Sean had his football training – he’s in the squad of 20 for a challenge match next weekend.

25/3/00 – Sean’s team played Oldcastle – he played the first half, at centre half back. He claims that his team really won, but the referee (who was from Oldcastle) called it a draw.

8/4/00 – Nuala took the kids to drama and for a walk in the forest; Sean played a Gaelic football match in the morning … the kids did some very funny dances to Beatles songs, notably ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’.

10/4/00 – Nuala and Pauline went to Kells to help the kids at their swimming … Sean played with AJ before and after his dinner.

11/4/00 – Sean was all excited at the prospect of buying a Beatles video on Amazon, and of applying for a part in the Harry Potter movie – he’s had a look at the website. I read Harry Potter to them.

12/4/00 – Sean’s teacher has given up the keyboard lessons, but I told him I’d get a book and teach him. He’s doing well, and has a very nice piece called ‘The Ballet Dancer’ at the moment.

14/4/00 – Sean and Susanna insisted that we stay in bed while they got dressed and got their breakfast. We got them out to school … Erika took Sean, with Kristian and a neighbour, to see the Pokemon movie in Navan … Susanna watched Northern Exposure with us, and Sean watched part of it. He had a great day – he thoroughly enjoyed his drama class at school this morning.

15/4/00 – Noel collected Sean for football: he played the whole of a match against Laragh, but they ‘lost by miles’.

16/4/00 – I taught Sean ‘The Last Rose of Summer’ on the keyboard – he’s now very keen, and can memorize tunes easily.

17/4/00 – The Help video had arrived … and had already been watched. Sean loved it, of course.

18/4/00 – Sean and I kicked a football to each other at the front of the house.

30/4/00 – I took Susanna up the fields, and we found the other kids a long way up. The terrain is very nice up there, irregular and stony with a lot of gorse. There is also a cashel (and probably others near by). Sean was very enthusiastic about it … Sean and AJ and Andy went up the fields again … I took Susanna up the fields to get Sean when it was time for drama practice.

1/5/00 – It was a beautiful sunny day – Pauline and the kids spent it outside, repotting plants and so on. The kids had another drama practice in the afternoon … we went to the variety show in the Ramor Theatre. Sean and Susanna’s group did ‘Crocky-Wock the Crocodile’ and ‘In and Out’ … they did very well … Halfway through ‘Crocky-Wock’, when the kids had to lie quietly on the floor, most of the audience thought it was over and started to applaud, whereupon Sean popped up his head and started to wave his arms to get them to stop, causing Pauline and me to worry about further ad-libbing. One of the drama teachers, Mary, praised Sean very highly to Pauline: friendly, talented, and so on.

3/5/00 – Noel collected Sean and took him to a match in Bailieborough (Sean’s team is Ballyjamesduff) … Sean was dropped home – his team had won, though he didn’t get a game. He didn’t mind that.

5/5/00 – Sean had a football match, which his team won. His coach said he played a ‘stormer’ when he came on in the second half.

8/5/00 – Sean, despite his sore throat, spent most of the day outside, playing football.

13/5/00 – Sean and Pauline cycled to the crossroads and back, and later Sean and I cycled beyond the crossroads, in the direction of Ballydurrow. Very pleasant, and good exercise.

14/5/00 – Sean came into our bedroom during the night with a sore leg, probably caused by excessive cycling … Pauline and Sean went for another long cycle, his leg being better. He played with AJ and Andy for much of the day – they flew a kite behind the houses across the road.

26/5/00 – Sean was up and dressed very early, ready for his school trip to Dublin … Sean had a great time: he was at the National Museum (Collins Barracks), the Botanic Gardens and to see T-Rex at the Imac Cinema.

27/5/00 – We got ready for the first holy communion ceremony in Knocktemple, at which Sean was to sing solo. It went very well – Sean did absolutely brilliantly – tuneful, composed, unhurried, pitched just right. There was a party for the kids and tea for the parents in the old school afterwards, at which Sean was much praised.

30/5/00 – Sean was very upset about Peter later.

31/5/00 – Sean had football training, which he hated because of the cold and rain.