Great War survivor Gunner Dan limped home in the sunshine. He marvelled at the greenery, birdsong and the pleasure of a pint and good company. Peace was a precious gift. His was a great country to be in at summertime. But, going up the hill to his house, he stopped with a start. He recalled the fearful night three decades earlier, when he’d buried his decorations. Ireland had not been such a wonderful country then. Even veterans’ families were not safe.
Below in Silvermines, a soldier’s 70-year-old father, George Sheehan, had been shot dead.
‘Youse may get me, but you’ll never lay hands on me decorations,’ he’d determined.