A hard Christmas it was in London in the 1960s

I worked in England during the 80s for a number of years and visited cricklewood (mostly Irish area) of London several times. It broke my heart to encounter a number of Ireland's sons paralytic drunk sleeping in their own urine and vomit on the pavement on a Sunday morning. Irish people are hard working decent people but loneliness and alcohol has ruined many a fine Irish man.

It was a rare old time. We worked hard but we got paid unlike what we'd left behind. I don't find it any load to carry being there then. I learned a lot that helped me through life.

Thanks, Maurice, for a heart-felt and vivid account of a part of Irish emigrant history that has not often been told. My father was one of "McAlpine's Fusiliers" around that time, and told many similar stories. Thanks for sharing it.