The incident is true, but it didn't happen in my family. It didn't happen in Inchigeelagh, either (which is in West Cork, near the strange hidden valley of Gougane Barra).
Then again, I did not fight in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39 ("Jimmy Clancy"), nor am I a professional assassin, nor did I buy guns for the IRA in Czechoslovakia, ("The Mission") nor am I divorced, nor do I have two children, nor am I a woman.
These are references to previous "story-poems" I've written (not all of them posted on this Blog) which a number of people - judging from some of the off-list responses -- appear to believe are autobiographical. I find it interesting that people immediately make this assumption: either they have very fixed ideas about the identity of the "I" expressing emotions and feelings, or (hallelujah!) I might be getting the tone right to elicit that kind of reaction!
Or maybe not. Hard to tell.
