Page 67 of A Very Irish Christmas
She blushes slightly, and I laugh. He is unstoppable, he really is.
After an hour and several more pots of tea, Deirdre tells us she has to get moving. We hug each other firmly, and she departs after a flurry of mutual promises to stay in touch. I watch her disappear off down the wooden stairs, swallowed up into the bustle of the market, and feel strangely sad to see her go. I barely know her, but she is part of me – part of Nanna Nora.
I sit back down, deflated, and Ryan pushes a plate of thick toast towards me.
‘I’m not hungry,’ I say.
‘That’s not the point. You need to eat, line your stomach.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, obviously, because I’m taking you on the world’s best pub crawl. You look like you need it, and we can raise a glass to Nanna Nora in every bar we visit. How does that sound?’
It sounds, I think, like the perfect plan. I raise my mug of tea, and say: ‘Slainte!’
TWENTY-EIGHT
I soon realise that Cork pubs are not quite like other pubs. There’s a whole heritage trail based on them – there’s even a map.
This, though, is Ryan’s trail – and we start at a place called the Hi-B Bar, which is located up a steep flight of stairs and is basically a bit like sitting in a very lively living room with a bunch of friends you haven’t met yet. We raise our glasses to Nanna Nora, and down a pint of Guinness each – me quite a bit more slowly than Ryan. After that, we move on to a place called The Long Valley.
There, we snag a little table at the back of the pub, where we enjoy people-watching a group of office workers on their Christmas night out. Everyone is dressed as an elf, which is a feast for the eyes.
After our toast, Ryan says: ‘Have you any pictures of her, the famous Nora? If I’m going to be celebrating her until my brains dribble out of my ears, I’d at least like to see her.’
‘I can do better than that,’ I say, grabbing my phone and heading to the videos. I pick one at random, and he leans close to watch.
‘That’s my sister, Suzie,’ I tell him, seeing that it’s a video we did together, sitting on lawn chairs in the yard at my mom and dad’s house.
‘Does Suzie always have that face on? Like she’s just eaten a rotten kipper?’
‘Yeah, she does actually! She looks like me, though, doesn’t she?’
‘Like a version of you that’s been ironed, and had all the joy sucked out.’
‘She’s not that bad! Well… you know what, she kind of is! But I’m her sister so I’m allowed to bad-mouth her, and you’re not.’
‘Fair play. Ah… just look at your nanna. She’s a treat for the eyes!’
It was a sunny day, and she’d insisted on wearing a hat a friend had brought her back from Australia – like a cowboy hat but with corks dangling off it on strings. It’s very, very silly – and very, very Nora. I suspect she did it just to annoy Suzie.
‘What’s the secret to a happy life, Nanna?’ I asked, the cheesy question making Suzie’s eyes roll. ‘Tell us how you always manage to seem so upbeat!’
I smile as I watch, but I also feel a rush of sadness. Nanna Nora’s life had been blighted by pain, by heartbreak. By the loss of both her first love, and in the end the family that rejected her for loving him. You’d never know it from the mischievous grin that creases her wrinkled face.
‘There’s no magic formula, girls – if there was, I’d have millions in the bank! But if you’re wanting my tips, I’ll give you a few. Firstly, don’t worry about the things that don’t matter, or what other people think of you – and I’m aiming that one at you, Boozy Suzie!’
My sister raises her wine glass at her, and Nanna thinks before she goes on.
‘Go for long walks,’ she says next. ‘There’s not much in life that can’t be figured out over a good long walk. The world is a beautiful place, and it’s best seen with your own eyeballs and not over a wee screen. Now, then, what else… well, laugh, as often as you can. Sing, dance, make a fool of yourself. Life is all about the craic. Enjoy every moment, because believe me, they go by faster than you’d believe – even when you’ve had as many as I have!’
She cackles at her own joke, and all the little corks on her hat wobble around her face. She looks up at me from between the strings, and adds: ‘I’d say, above all else – always follow your heart. It might lead you into trouble, but at least you’ll enjoy the ride – I know I have!’
I press pause, and she freeze-frames on the tiny screen, her eyes shining and a playful smile on her face.
Ryan leans back, raises his half-empty glass, and says: ‘Well now, that deserves an extra toast – to Nanna Nora, may she rest in peace!’
‘Well,’ I say, clinking my glass against his, ‘if she’s in heaven, there won’t be any peace, I’m pretty sure – she’ll have everyone organised into a conga line!’
