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Retro Diary - Roll up Roll up - 2/3 Days Only....
Glenelg
Member Posts: 6,620
Hi ya’all,
As you can see from my avatar it’s my Skypoker birthday today.
It’s been 4 years since I came across Skypoker/Ch 865 through VERY strange circumstances. More of which later....
Therefore, because of the demise of CH861 I thought I’d do a retrospective diary.
Unfortunately, a bit about my life is required to add perspective to my story...
I was born into an Irish travelling family and was the youngest of seven brothers.
My dad was also the youngest of seven brothers which meant I was the 7th son of a 7th son. I don’t have the room to elaborate on this here but many things were expected of me which I was unwilling/unable to deliver and I knew as I got older could put me in a very difficult position' ( For details of 7th son of 7th and the implications - Google is your friend)
My dad and a couple of his brothers were boxers, mostly bare knuckle, plying their trade in shows/fairs throughout Ireland. Being the youngest brother of aspiring boxers I became an unofficial punch bag and life was brutal. From a young age I somehow felt I wasn’t meant for this type of life. (More of this later)
Where’s the poker I hear you ask. Well, twice a week usually Friday nights & Sunday afternoons there was always a home game somewhere close. I wasn’t particularly interested in card games but apparently my dad was a VERY good poker player and played it all his life.
Travelling a lot meant education was spasmodic but when I got the opportunity I embraced it. I was an exceptionally bright kid (which didn’t go down well with some folk - sigh) There were very few of my elders that could read/write, but my mother encouraged me , and when I was about 9 or 10 my potential ability was spotted at one school I attended briefly which was run by Christian Brothers. They managed to persuade my folks to let me board with them for a few months. I guess it meant one less mouth to feed. I was torn, leaving home versus education. Education won.
It wasn’t long before I found out I had gone from one brutal environment to an equally brutal one but at least I was getting an education. Also, I had expected to be bullied because of my appearance, background and the fact I was 3 to 4 years behind for my age in education terms, but to my surprise I wasn’t. Many years later I learned it was because of my father & his brothers reputations!! Lolz
As you can see from my avatar I’m a climber. Have been all my life and one of my earliest memories aged 4/5 was falling out of a tree trying to retrieve a ball and breaking my left arm. 2 x weeks later In an attempt to retrieve the same ball out of the same tree… I fell and broke my right arm! My left arm was still in a plaster/stookie! I’ve broke a lot of bones climbing…………
T.B.C. Maybe………
Comments
Nice post Glenelg.
Looking forward to more.
Fascinating stuff, more please Pad.
Can I assume you were, or are, a "Traveller"?
If so, you must know all about discrimination.
My best friend, kindred spirit & soul brother in life is a man called Tom McCready, known on many poker sites as "Red-Dog", who, many years ago, used to own the "Daddy" on Ladbrokes.
He is a Romany Gypsy - proper Gypsy, lives in a caravan (well, a mobile home) in a field in Leicester.
I never in my life, met a man I could trust more than Tom, do a deal, shake hands, that's it.
It's quite strange to visit him too, Romany Gypsies, to the surprise of many, are scrupulously clean & hygienic - woe betide anyone who washes their hands in the kitchen sink.
I could write a book about Tom, & his family, & the discrimination he has faced, & faces.
Anyway, my point is, Romany Gypsies, Travellers & the like still face horrific discrimination. In both cases, they are, officially, an "Ethnic Minority", so it amounts to racism.
We live in strange times.
Please tell us more about your life. This might just be the best diary ever.
I get we are all different, & that's good, but personally I can't & don't read "poker only" Diaries, where it's just flop stories.
Nothing wrong with them, nothing at all, but it's just not my thing.
no more trees, pad.
Great stuff. I think those fights (bare-knuckle) were sometimes called "straighteners", because folks "straightened things up" by fighting.