Cabra History.Com

The first job the brother ever had was pushing one of these Messenger Bikes. He was 14 years old and not too tall. Sure his little legs could barely reach the pedals on the bike. Most times he had to scoot along by standing on one pedal and pushing himself against the edge of the footpath. You see, when the bike was fully loaded it weighed more than he did. Now the gas thing is that he got this job with a Chemist Shop in Dorset Street, so it’s not like he was delivering a ton of coal or anything like that. On one of the days the Oul Fella in the Chemist gave him a bottle of medicine to deliver to some Oul One up in Drumcondra. Now you have to keep in mind that the brother knew Cabra West like the back of his hand, he knew the Bogie Fields, the Cabra Baths and Cardiffsbridge but he hadn’t a clue where Drumcondra was. So before he got on his bike he asked some fella where it was and your man points up the road. Well, when the brother ended up at the Holy Mary statue near Lemon’s Sweet factory he realised he was lost. Like  a lot of Cabra Lads, he was out of his ‘Comfort Zone’. So, after sitting at the Holy Mary statue and asking her what he should do she finally told him to go back to the Chemist and tell that Oul Fella the Oul One didn’t answer the door when he knocked. Now, you might not think much of miracles but that one worked for the brother. He never stops talking about Holy Mary and her miracles ever since, sure he still wears a Miraculous Medal on a piece of blue string around his neck. You see, she got him out of a tight squeeze and the brother forgets nothing, except sometimes when he goes up stairs and forgets what he was going up for. So the oul Chemist ups and tells him to go home and not to come back anymore and he didn’t even give him a penny for all that hard work he had done that day. I remember when he came into the house that time and he had a lip on him and he whinging to the Ma’ about not getting paid. So the next day some of the older brothers went with him to see the Chemist about his money. Well your man took one look at the gang of Coffey kids standing in his shop and went into the back and came out and gave the brother Threepence. The brother said ‘Thanks’ and they all left the shop smiling having shoved handfuls of Barley Sticks down the front of their trousers while your man had his back turned. So there you have it, the brother’s first job…’