Gin Pit Village
Great big football pitch
Run around four times
You’ve done a mile
Summer 1960
Olympics were it Rome?
Imitated athletes
Kind of style
Bernard Mannion
Led the run
Talented footballer
Nearly played for Wanderers, he did
Played for Lancashire Boys
Saw him play at Deepdale
Light under a bushel can’t be hid
Hot summer down in Gin Pit
Lads all sat around
Knew that I was going for a priest
Do you have to have your hair shaved off?
One lad asked of me
When you go to t’ monkery
As like
Coming back up Tyldesley
Next to t’ Half Moon Pub
A temperance bar and Shandy drinks sublime
‘Long Toms’ was our order
Me and David, fine
Sat there like ‘owd’ men before our time
All these memories
Stay with me
We’ve all journeyed on
Each their path in life to explore
That sunny time in Lancashire
In dear old ‘Bongs’ lives on
When I think back I love it more and more
Brian Fahy
21 May 2021
Erris Poetry 