Under grandad's cap

Autobiographies are usually the preserve of celebrities or politicians - those who were born great, achieved greatness or had greatness thrust upon them. patrick behan falls into none of the above categories. in the 87 years he spent on this planet, he lived an ordinary life, seldom straying from his native dublin. he was not a witness to momentous events - he simply got on with his life and raised his family as best he could. a popular fallacy is that an ordinary life is, by extension, uninteresting. in this random sequence of tales and reminiscences, we are led through a life full of fascinating memories, combined with recollections of a local history that is fast fading from human memory. whether it is driving the turf by horse and cart into dublin city centre, or watching film star tom mix ride a white horse up james' street in full cowboy regalia, the reader is treated to a slice of dublin life, as seen from the point of view of one of its ordinary citizens.