A Long Long Way

At “the withering end” of 1896, on a stormy winter night in Dublin, Ireland, a baby is born. The baby’s father names him William after the Orange King. In the Rotunda Hospital, where nurses’ uniforms are stained with blood like butchers’ aprons, William’s mother holds him to her breast. A small, thin child, Willie is a mere “scrap of song” but also “a point of light in the sleety darkness.”

Willie is one of millions of boys in the world who have been born on the cusp of terrible, conflict-ridden times. Their ordinary, peaceful childhoods will be forgotten, and the stories of many of their lives will end in ashes and death due to the impending war.

When Willie is six or seven years old, his mother takes him to Phoenix Park. There, the visiting King of England is reviewing the Dublin Metropolitan Police. Willie’s father is a member of the police. As an inspector, he sits atop a white horse during the marches and drills. In Willie’s eyes, the king is impressive, but his own father looks even more grandiose. Afterward, Willie believes his father always rides a white horse on duty, but this isn’t true.

Throughout his childhood, Willie receives loving attention from both of his parents. Willie’s mother adores his singing voice and often asks him to sing for her. Listening to Willie’s singing makes her remember her own childhood, feel young and whole again, and marvel at the power of words to evoke distant memories. Meanwhile, Willie’s father—a tall man in a dark uniform—scoops Willie up after his bath every day and says that Willie will soon make a fine policeman himself. Every year, as Willie grows, his father also marks his new height on the wall.

The year Willie turns 12, his mother dies giving birth to his youngest sister Dolly. Four years later, Willie’s family moves from their house in Dalkey into their new quarters in Dublin Castle. Now 16 years old, Willie misses his mother and cries in bed thinking of her, although he hides his tears from his three younger sisters. Willie also cries privately about his height, which is a source of sadness for his father, too. Willie will never grow to be six feet tall, the height required to become a policeman. Despairing of his short stature, Willie becomes an apprentice to a builder named Dempsey.

When Willie is almost 17, his father sends him to bring two pheasants to Mr. Lawlor, who lives in a tenement under Christ Church Cathedral. During the Dublin lockout, Mr. Lawlor received a severe head injury from a policeman in the fighting on Sackville Street. As a supporter of James Larkin, Mr. Lawlor was in the crowd when Willie’s father led a baton charge against the civilians gathered to hear Larkin speak. Now, Willie’s father often brings food to Mr. Lawlor to try to make amends with him.

When Willie arrives at the tenement where Mr. Lawlor lives—a room shared by four families—he sees Mr. Lawlor’s 13-year-old daughter, Gretta, for the first time. Instantly, Willie finds Gretta beautiful and thinks of her as “his princess.”

Mr. Lawlor walks in and asks Willie what his business is. Learning that Willie is the son of James Dunne, the chief superintendent, Mr. Lawlor expresses his bitterness toward the police. He asks Willie what he thinks about policemen assaulting citizens. When Willie says he doesn’t know, Mr. Lawlor replies that every man should have his own opinions, saying, “I don’t care what a man thinks as long as he knows his own mind.” Mr. Lawlor thanks Willie but refuses to accept any of his father’s gifts. He also recalls that four people died during the riot on Sackville Street. Willie didn’t know this, and he’s shocked and disturbed by Mr. Lawlor’s words.

Mr. Lawlor loses his job as a carter and joins the army to support himself and his daughter. Willie’s father continues sending Willie to deliver food and gifts to Mr. Lawlor, despite Mr. Lawlor’s protests. Willie uses his visits as an excuse to spend time with Gretta while Mr. Lawlor is away. Willie is in love with her, but he keeps his crush a secret from his family. He’s afraid his family will disapprove of their relationship because Gretta is poor. Willie thinks Gretta is as beautiful as an angel, and his love for her is enough to make him weep.

After Willie turns 17, the war starts, and Willie decides to join. He can’t articulate why he wants to go. He tells Gretta that he needs to protect innocent people from the Germans, that he wants to please his father, and that he intends to follow his own mind. Skeptical of Willie’s reasoning, Gretta tells Willie that her father’s principle about knowing one’s own mind is just an idea he got from St. Thomas Aquinas.