We had a picture of Canon O´Reilly in the house. It hung beside the mantlepiece, commanding as proud a place as that of the Blessed Virgin, of Christ bleeding on the Cross or even that of the Celtic Team in full colours which graces an ornamental plate beside the set-in bed.

Canon O´Reilly, although before my time, was a legend in the Gallowgate. A legend of a walking stick and a canon´s hat bursting upon the youths and young men in the area and bashing them physically in an unholy effort tto break up coin tosing and card schools and games of football which were favourite pastimes.

He would lash out regardless of the religion of his victims, safe in the knowledge that most of them had been baptised Catholics. He was fortified in the wisdom that no one would hit him back if only because there where stories credited as true by the local Catholics that such and such a man had a bad leg simply because he had tried to kick a priest., the crippled limb being an immediately inflicted Act of God! One poor man´s arm was permanently stationed parallel with his shoulder because the Lord (so it be said) had not been at all pleased by his attempt to take a punch at one of the clergy.

These Acts of God were speculative, but there was no speculation regarding the violent sorties of Canon O´Reilly into the closes and backcourts of Ross Street, Kent Street, Bain Street, the Gallowgate and Well Street.

For information about buying this book click here