My Brother Elvis

Growing up in Ireland we all had jobs to do in the day to stay alive, like finding sticks, turf, or coal to make a fire to stay warm. Or just try to grow food in any piece of land so we had something to eat. Almost everything we take for granted here in this day and age we had to hunt for. I am not sure it is that easy in this life either, " That is another story for another day." Like all children we had to have our fun except that we had to make it, with no toys or TV.

A radio came into the house in later years, controlled by the boss my Mother. When I say controlled by my mother I mean it was turned on only for the news or after the children went to bed, for whatever grown ups listen to.

When we were younger we were really good at turning every hunt, for food, water, or sticks into lots and lots of fun, but then came the teenage years and it wasn't so easy to have fun just doing chores anymore, but then came the Elvis era!

I learned about Elvis after my brother would sneak the radio on which if caught there would be Hell to pay, but it was all worth it as I recall

As a result of the sneaked radio time my brother was hooked for life on Elvis. He used a stick as his guitar,and his audience was his sisters. Of course we had to sneak behind walls, hedges or sheds wherever the boss did not catch us. I am not saying my brother was any good at being Elvis but he really made his audience happy.

From My Brother the Elvis

After we all went our own way to England, other parts of Ireland, and America, one thing never changed "My Brother the Elvis"




I have not seen my brother very ofter in the last 40 years but when I did he greeted me with an Elvis song. Everywhere he goes he is Elvis. Every party he attends he is Elvis. If you call on the phone it is answered "Elvis here". The last time I traveled for 10 hour to meet my brother all I wanted to do was to say "Hello Felix" All he wanted to say was. "Are you lonesome tonight, Do you miss me tonight, Are you sorry we drifted apart." At that moment I wished Elvis was never born!