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A Dublin Student Doctor; An Irish Country Novel

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842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 113

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 213

This is a work of fiction All of the characters organizations

and events portrayed in this novel are either products ofthe authorrsquos imagination or are used fictitiously

983137 983140983157983138983148983145983150 983155983156983157983140983141983150983156 983140983151983139983156983151983154 983137983150 983145983154983145983155983144 983139983151983157983150983156983154 983161 983150983151983158983141983148

Copyright copy 2011 by Patrick Taylor

All r ights reserved

Maps by Elizabeth Danforth and Jennifer Hanover

A Forge Book

Published by Tom Doherty Associates LLC175 Fifth Avenue

New York NY 10010

wwwtor-forgecom

Forgereg is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Taylor Patrick

A Dublin student doctor an Irish country novel PatrickTaylormdash1st ed

p cm

ldquoA Tom Doherty Associates bookrdquo

ISBN 978-0-7653-2673-7

1 OrsquoReilly Fingal Flahertie (Fictitious character)mdashFiction 2 Medical

studentsmdashFiction 3 Dublin (Ireland)mdashFiction I Title

PR91993T36D83 2011

81354mdashdc22 2011021543

First Edition October 2011

Printed in the United States of America

0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 313

Fingal Flahertie OrsquoReilly Doctor Fingal Flahertie OrsquoReilly edged

the long-bonnetted Rover out of the car park ldquoLord Jasusrdquo he re-

marked ldquobut this twenty-fourth day of April in the year of our

Lord 1965 has been one for the book of lifetime memoriesrdquo He

smiled at Kitty OrsquoHallorhan in the passengerrsquos seat ldquoFor all kindsof reasonsrdquo he said ldquoand now that the Downpatrick Races are over

itrsquos home to Ballybucklebordquo He accelerated

Kitty yelled ldquoWill you slow downrdquo then said more gently

ldquoFingal there are pedestrians and cyclists Irsquod rather not see any

in the ditchrdquo The afternoon sun highlighted the amber 1047298ecks in

her grey eyes She put slim fingers on his arm

ldquoJust for you Kittyrdquo He slowed and whistled ldquoSlow Boat toChinardquo ldquoAll right in the backrdquo

ldquoFine Fingalrdquo said OrsquoReillyrsquos assistant young Doctor Barry

Laverty

ldquoGrand sordquo Mrs Maureen ldquoKinkyrdquo Kincaid was OrsquoReillyrsquos

housekeeper as she had been for Doctor Flanagan Fingal had met

Kinky when hersquod come as an assistant to Thoacutemas Flanagan in 1938

Shersquod stayed on when a thirty-seven-year-old OrsquoReilly returned in

1946 from his service in the Second World War and bought the

general practice from Doctor Flanaganrsquos estate

Itrsquos a Long Long Road from Which

There Is No Return

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 413

18 Patrick Taylor

Theyrsquod been a good nineteen years he thought as he put the car

into a tight bend between two rows of ancient elms So had his

years as a medical student at Dublinrsquos Trinity College in the rsquo30sldquoJasus thundering Murphyrdquo OrsquoReilly stamped on the brake The

Rover shuddered to a halt five yards from a man standing waving

his arms

OrsquoReillyrsquos bushy eyebrows met He could feel his temper rise

and the tip of his bent nose blanch ldquoEveryone all rightrdquo he roared

and was relieved to hear a chorus of reassurance He hurled his

door open and stamped up the road ldquoWhat in the blue bloody

blazes are you doing standing there waving your arms like an out-

of-kilter semaphore I could have squashed you 1047298atter than a

1047298aming 1047298ounder-fishrdquo

The stranger wore Wellington boots moleskin trousers and a

hacking jacket He had a russet beard a squint and was no more

than five foot two OrsquoReilly expected him at least to take a stepback apologise but he stood his ground

ldquoTherersquos no need for youse rsquotil be losing the bap so therersquos not

Therersquos been an accident and Irsquom here to stop big buggers like

youse driving into it so I am See for yourselfrdquo He pointed to a knot

of people and the slowly rotating rear wheel of a motorbike that lay

on its side

ldquoAccidentrdquo said OrsquoReilly He spun on his heel ldquoBarry Grabmy bag and come hererdquo He turned back ldquoIrsquom Doctor OrsquoReilly

Doctor Lavertyrsquos comingrdquo

ldquoDoctor Thank God for that sir A motorcyclist took a purler

on an oil slick you know Somebodyrsquos gone for the ambulance and

policerdquo

ldquoHere you arerdquo Barry handed OrsquoReilly his bag ldquoWhatrsquos uprdquo

ldquoMotorbike accidentrdquo He spoke to the short man ldquoYoursquod be

safer back down the road where drivers can see you before theyrsquore

on top of yourdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 513

A Dublin Student Doctor 19

ldquoRight enough Irsquoll go sirrdquo He started walking

OrsquoReilly yelled ldquoKitty Kinky Therersquos been an accident Stay

with the carrdquo Kitty would have the wit to pull the car over to theverge ldquoCome on Barryrdquo OrsquoReilly marched straight to the little

crowd Time to use the voice that could be heard over a gale when

hersquod served on the battleship HMS Warspite ldquoWersquore doctors Let

us throughrdquo

Ruddy-cheeked country faces turned Murmuring people shuf-

1047298ed aside and a path opened

A motorbike lay on the road an exclamation mark at the end of

two long black scrawls of rubber The engine ticked and the stink

of oil and burnt tyre hung over the smell of ploughed earth from a

field and the almond scent of whin 1047298owers

A middle-aged woman knelt beside the rider The victimrsquos

head was turned away from OrsquoReilly but there could only be one

owner of that red thatch A duncher lay a few yards away It irri-tated OrsquoReilly that Ulstermen wouldnrsquot wear crash helmets but

favoured cloth caps worn with the peak at the back

He knelt beside the woman and set his bag on the ground ldquoHersquos

unconscious hersquos breathing regular his airwayrsquos clear his pulse is

eighty and regular and hersquos not bleeding There donrsquot seem to

be any bones brokenrdquo she said and added ldquoIrsquom a first-aider you

knowrdquoldquoThank you Mrsrdquo

ldquoMeehan Rosie Meehanrdquo

OrsquoReilly smiled at her ldquoDonal Donalrdquo he said gently Fifteen

minutes ago hersquod seen Ballybuckleborsquos arch schemer Donal Don-

nelly riding the motorbike from the car park

No reply

OrsquoReilly grabbed the manrsquos wrist Good Mrs Meehan was right

the pulse was strong and regular ldquoDonalrdquo he said more loudly

ldquoDonalrdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 613

20 Patrick Taylor

Donalrsquos face was chalky He wore his raincoat reversed and but-

toned over his back It was the practice of country men when rid-

ing motorbikes It stopped the wind of passage getting throughOrsquoReilly was hesitant to move Donal He could have a broken

neck Better to wait for the ambulance The first law of medicine

was Primum non nocere First do no harm OrsquoReilly bent lower

ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyelids 1047298uttered ldquoNumuhrdquo

Better OrsquoReilly thought Donal might only be concussed If

that were the case he should start regaining consciousness But

you could never be certain about head injuries The damage might

range from a simple concussion with complete recovery through

to serious brain injury leading to paralysis permanent brain dam-

age and even death OrsquoReilly gritted his teeth Donal had a new

wife and a wean on the way OrsquoReillyrsquos heart went out to the preg-

nant Julie Donnelly neacutee MacAteer He heard the nee-naw of anapproaching siren OrsquoReilly leant over ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyes 1047298ew open ldquoDoctor OrsquoReilly What are youse do-

ing hererdquo He struggled to rise ldquoI shouldnrsquot be in my bedrdquo

Donal recognised OrsquoReilly That was a good sign even if he was

unclear where he was OrsquoReilly put a restraining hand on the manrsquos

shoulder ldquoLie still You had an accidentrdquo

Donal put his hand to his head ldquoI must have hit my nut a rightclatterrdquo he said ldquoItrsquos pounding to beat Bannagher so it isrdquo

ldquoDo you know what day it isrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

Donal frowned ldquoUh Saturday We made a wheen of money on

the oul gee-gees at the racesrdquo He grinned like a small boy who had

answered the teacherrsquos question correctly ldquoAnd this herersquos the

road to Ballybucklebordquo A look of concern crossed his face ldquoJesus

is Paddy Reganrsquos motorbike all right Itrsquos only on loanrdquo Donal tried

to rise

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

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A Dublin Student Doctor 21

ldquoStay putrdquo OrsquoReilly said and smiled If Donal knew about

events immediately preceding his accident it was probable he

had suffered only a minor concussion Even so OrsquoReilly would neverforget a footballer whorsquod been knocked out recovered gone back

to finish the match and died from a brain haemorrhage two hours

later

The nee-naw nee-naw grew louder

ldquoI donrsquot need no ambulancerdquo Donal said ldquoIrsquom for going home

so I amrdquo

ldquoSorry Donalrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquobut yoursquoll be spending tonight

in the Royal Victoria Hospitalrdquo

ldquoOch Doctormdashthatrsquos daft Irsquove a motorbike to get back tomdashrdquo

ldquoThe Royal For observationrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoNo arguments

Irsquoll take care of the bikerdquo

ldquoButmdashrdquo

ldquoDonal yoursquore going to hospitalrdquo OrsquoReilly said as if speakingto a not overly bright child ldquoThatrsquos finalrdquo He stood and spoke to

Barry ldquoIrsquoll do a quick neurological exam once hersquos in the ambu-

lance Establish a baseline in case he gets worse Irsquoll go up to the

Royal with him Kittyrsquos the senior nursing sister on the neurosur-

gical ward there Shersquoll want to come too She can go with Donal

in the back of the ambulance God knows shersquos observed a hun-

dred times more head injuries than you and I put together Shersquollkeep an eye on him and warn me if his condition deteriorates You

drive Kinky and the Rover homerdquo

ldquoIrsquoll go and get Kittyrdquo Barry started to turn as a yellow North-

ern Ireland Hospitals Authority ambulance drew up and its siren

was turned off

ldquoIn a minuterdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoOnce the police have come and

done whatever they have to do measure things take photos and

statements theyrsquoll have you fill in forms When yoursquore done get

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 813

22 Patrick Taylor

them to give you a hand to load the bike into the boot of the Rover

At least Paddy Regan wonrsquot need to come all the way here to col-

lect itrdquoldquoPaddy Irsquoll let him knowrdquo Barry said

OrsquoReilly turned ldquoDo you hear that Donal Wersquoll get the bike

home for yourdquo

ldquoThanks Doc But what about Julie Shersquoll go spare if I donrsquot

get home toordquo

OrsquoReilly frowned ldquoYoursquove no phone Donal have yourdquo

ldquoNo sirrdquo

ldquoIrsquoll nip round and see Julierdquo Barry said ldquoTell her whatrsquos hap-

pened That shersquos not to worryrdquo

ldquoThanks Docrdquo

Barry turned to leave as two men approached wearing peaked

bus driversrsquo caps silver-buttoned blue uniforms and carrying a

stretcher The bigger one a burly open-faced man spoke to thefirst-aid lady ldquoWhatrsquos the story Rosierdquo Of course hersquod know her

Theyrsquod both be Downpatrick locals

She nodded at OrsquoReilly ldquoBetter ask your man there Alfie That

therersquos Doctor OrsquoReillyrdquo

The man turned to OrsquoReilly and grinned ldquoFrom Ballybuck-

lebo the wee village near Holywoodrdquo

ldquoThatrsquos right How did youmdashrdquo He frowned Alfie did look fa-miliar

ldquoI met you at a rugby game sirrdquo He pointed at Donal ldquoWhat

do you reckon about your manrdquo

ldquoHe came off the bike and hit his head He was unconscious for

a while but hersquos awake now Concussion at least and Irsquod like him in

the Royal for observation You know head injuries canmdashrdquo

ldquoI do know Too bloody wellrdquo The ambulance man frowned

ldquoMy brother God rest him got a smack on the nut with a hurley

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

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A Dublin Student Doctor 23

ball He bled into his skull and diedrdquo There was a catch in Alfiersquos

voice ldquoHe was only nineteenrdquo

ldquoIrsquom sorryrdquo OrsquoReilly saidldquoAye wellrdquo Alfie tugged at his tie ldquoStanding here both legs the

same length wonrsquot get your man there to the Royal What do you

want us to do Docrdquo

ldquoBefore you move him Irsquoll give his fore and hind legs a once-

over Then I want you to take him me and Sister OrsquoHallorhan

shersquoll be here in a minute up to the Royal Wersquoll radio ahead to

arrange for him to be seen in casualty get things rolling then have

him admitted to the observation wardrdquo

ldquoRight Doc Come on Bertrdquo The ambulance men aligned their

stretcher alongside Donal as OrsquoReilly examined Donalrsquos arms and

legs through his clothes ldquoYoursquore right Mrs Meehan There are no

bones brokenrdquo he said and stepped back to let the attendants do

their work ldquoThank you Mrs Meehanrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoYou did agreat job Now go on home and get your teardquo

She smiled bobbed her head and left

OrsquoReilly climbed aboard the ambulance ldquoFor crying out loudrdquo

Donal said and tried to sit up ldquoThis is daft so it is Going to all

this trouble Sure couldnrsquot I just get the bikemdashrdquo

OrsquoReilly made a noise like an enraged gorilla one whose last

banana had been stolen ldquoFor the last time Donal Donnelly yoursquoregoing to the Royal This is not a bleeding debating societymdashso

shut up lie down and let me examine yourdquo

ldquoI will Doctor OrsquoReilly sirrdquo a clearly chastened Donal saidmdash

and did

Fingal satisfied himself that Donalrsquos re1047298exes were normal that

his pupils were equal in size and reacting to light his pulse was

strong and steady and his blood pressure was normal The only

worrying thing was a bruise over Donalrsquos right temple The parietal

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1013

24 Patrick Taylor

bone there was thin There was a chance the skull was fractured

OrsquoReilly didnrsquot need to reassure himself that getting Donal to hospi-

tal was the right thing to do The middle meningeal artery laybeneath the parietal bone OrsquoReilly climbed out to meet Kitty

Barry was providing information to a uniformed Royal Ulster

Constabulary offi cer The man had a heavy pistol in a hip holster

Good for Barry OrsquoReilly thought one less chore for me and frankly

the sooner we get Donal to hospital the happier Irsquoll be If his condi-

tion did deteriorate speed of intervention was critical

The second ambulance attendant climbed into the back and

offered his hand to Kitty

ldquoHop inrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoAll his baseline findings are normal

but please keep an eye on him Irsquoll be in the front so if he starts to

go downhill let me knowrdquo

ldquoI willrdquo she said taking the proffered hand

He watched her climb in and as she did so her skirt rode upGod but she had a well-curved calf OrsquoReilly thought but then he

grinned she always had

Barry finished with the offi cer ldquoThanks for seeing to that Barryrdquo

OrsquoReilly said ldquoYoursquoll have to look after the practice tomorrow too

because Lord knows what time Irsquoll get homerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos all rightrdquo

ldquoOff you trotrdquo OrsquoReilly noticed his bag where hersquod left it on theground ldquoTake my bag to the car while yoursquore at it The ambulance

will be fully equippedrdquo

Barry paused ldquoHow will you and Kitty get homerdquo

ldquoKitty lives only a short walk from the hospital Irsquoll get a train

Now go on Itrsquos time we were offrdquo

OrsquoReilly stuck his head into the ambulance ldquoEverything okay

Kittyrdquo

ldquoNo changerdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo As OrsquoReilly walked to the front of the ambulance the

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 213

This is a work of fiction All of the characters organizations

and events portrayed in this novel are either products ofthe authorrsquos imagination or are used fictitiously

983137 983140983157983138983148983145983150 983155983156983157983140983141983150983156 983140983151983139983156983151983154 983137983150 983145983154983145983155983144 983139983151983157983150983156983154 983161 983150983151983158983141983148

Copyright copy 2011 by Patrick Taylor

All r ights reserved

Maps by Elizabeth Danforth and Jennifer Hanover

A Forge Book

Published by Tom Doherty Associates LLC175 Fifth Avenue

New York NY 10010

wwwtor-forgecom

Forgereg is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Taylor Patrick

A Dublin student doctor an Irish country novel PatrickTaylormdash1st ed

p cm

ldquoA Tom Doherty Associates bookrdquo

ISBN 978-0-7653-2673-7

1 OrsquoReilly Fingal Flahertie (Fictitious character)mdashFiction 2 Medical

studentsmdashFiction 3 Dublin (Ireland)mdashFiction I Title

PR91993T36D83 2011

81354mdashdc22 2011021543

First Edition October 2011

Printed in the United States of America

0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 313

Fingal Flahertie OrsquoReilly Doctor Fingal Flahertie OrsquoReilly edged

the long-bonnetted Rover out of the car park ldquoLord Jasusrdquo he re-

marked ldquobut this twenty-fourth day of April in the year of our

Lord 1965 has been one for the book of lifetime memoriesrdquo He

smiled at Kitty OrsquoHallorhan in the passengerrsquos seat ldquoFor all kindsof reasonsrdquo he said ldquoand now that the Downpatrick Races are over

itrsquos home to Ballybucklebordquo He accelerated

Kitty yelled ldquoWill you slow downrdquo then said more gently

ldquoFingal there are pedestrians and cyclists Irsquod rather not see any

in the ditchrdquo The afternoon sun highlighted the amber 1047298ecks in

her grey eyes She put slim fingers on his arm

ldquoJust for you Kittyrdquo He slowed and whistled ldquoSlow Boat toChinardquo ldquoAll right in the backrdquo

ldquoFine Fingalrdquo said OrsquoReillyrsquos assistant young Doctor Barry

Laverty

ldquoGrand sordquo Mrs Maureen ldquoKinkyrdquo Kincaid was OrsquoReillyrsquos

housekeeper as she had been for Doctor Flanagan Fingal had met

Kinky when hersquod come as an assistant to Thoacutemas Flanagan in 1938

Shersquod stayed on when a thirty-seven-year-old OrsquoReilly returned in

1946 from his service in the Second World War and bought the

general practice from Doctor Flanaganrsquos estate

Itrsquos a Long Long Road from Which

There Is No Return

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 413

18 Patrick Taylor

Theyrsquod been a good nineteen years he thought as he put the car

into a tight bend between two rows of ancient elms So had his

years as a medical student at Dublinrsquos Trinity College in the rsquo30sldquoJasus thundering Murphyrdquo OrsquoReilly stamped on the brake The

Rover shuddered to a halt five yards from a man standing waving

his arms

OrsquoReillyrsquos bushy eyebrows met He could feel his temper rise

and the tip of his bent nose blanch ldquoEveryone all rightrdquo he roared

and was relieved to hear a chorus of reassurance He hurled his

door open and stamped up the road ldquoWhat in the blue bloody

blazes are you doing standing there waving your arms like an out-

of-kilter semaphore I could have squashed you 1047298atter than a

1047298aming 1047298ounder-fishrdquo

The stranger wore Wellington boots moleskin trousers and a

hacking jacket He had a russet beard a squint and was no more

than five foot two OrsquoReilly expected him at least to take a stepback apologise but he stood his ground

ldquoTherersquos no need for youse rsquotil be losing the bap so therersquos not

Therersquos been an accident and Irsquom here to stop big buggers like

youse driving into it so I am See for yourselfrdquo He pointed to a knot

of people and the slowly rotating rear wheel of a motorbike that lay

on its side

ldquoAccidentrdquo said OrsquoReilly He spun on his heel ldquoBarry Grabmy bag and come hererdquo He turned back ldquoIrsquom Doctor OrsquoReilly

Doctor Lavertyrsquos comingrdquo

ldquoDoctor Thank God for that sir A motorcyclist took a purler

on an oil slick you know Somebodyrsquos gone for the ambulance and

policerdquo

ldquoHere you arerdquo Barry handed OrsquoReilly his bag ldquoWhatrsquos uprdquo

ldquoMotorbike accidentrdquo He spoke to the short man ldquoYoursquod be

safer back down the road where drivers can see you before theyrsquore

on top of yourdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 513

A Dublin Student Doctor 19

ldquoRight enough Irsquoll go sirrdquo He started walking

OrsquoReilly yelled ldquoKitty Kinky Therersquos been an accident Stay

with the carrdquo Kitty would have the wit to pull the car over to theverge ldquoCome on Barryrdquo OrsquoReilly marched straight to the little

crowd Time to use the voice that could be heard over a gale when

hersquod served on the battleship HMS Warspite ldquoWersquore doctors Let

us throughrdquo

Ruddy-cheeked country faces turned Murmuring people shuf-

1047298ed aside and a path opened

A motorbike lay on the road an exclamation mark at the end of

two long black scrawls of rubber The engine ticked and the stink

of oil and burnt tyre hung over the smell of ploughed earth from a

field and the almond scent of whin 1047298owers

A middle-aged woman knelt beside the rider The victimrsquos

head was turned away from OrsquoReilly but there could only be one

owner of that red thatch A duncher lay a few yards away It irri-tated OrsquoReilly that Ulstermen wouldnrsquot wear crash helmets but

favoured cloth caps worn with the peak at the back

He knelt beside the woman and set his bag on the ground ldquoHersquos

unconscious hersquos breathing regular his airwayrsquos clear his pulse is

eighty and regular and hersquos not bleeding There donrsquot seem to

be any bones brokenrdquo she said and added ldquoIrsquom a first-aider you

knowrdquoldquoThank you Mrsrdquo

ldquoMeehan Rosie Meehanrdquo

OrsquoReilly smiled at her ldquoDonal Donalrdquo he said gently Fifteen

minutes ago hersquod seen Ballybuckleborsquos arch schemer Donal Don-

nelly riding the motorbike from the car park

No reply

OrsquoReilly grabbed the manrsquos wrist Good Mrs Meehan was right

the pulse was strong and regular ldquoDonalrdquo he said more loudly

ldquoDonalrdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 613

20 Patrick Taylor

Donalrsquos face was chalky He wore his raincoat reversed and but-

toned over his back It was the practice of country men when rid-

ing motorbikes It stopped the wind of passage getting throughOrsquoReilly was hesitant to move Donal He could have a broken

neck Better to wait for the ambulance The first law of medicine

was Primum non nocere First do no harm OrsquoReilly bent lower

ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyelids 1047298uttered ldquoNumuhrdquo

Better OrsquoReilly thought Donal might only be concussed If

that were the case he should start regaining consciousness But

you could never be certain about head injuries The damage might

range from a simple concussion with complete recovery through

to serious brain injury leading to paralysis permanent brain dam-

age and even death OrsquoReilly gritted his teeth Donal had a new

wife and a wean on the way OrsquoReillyrsquos heart went out to the preg-

nant Julie Donnelly neacutee MacAteer He heard the nee-naw of anapproaching siren OrsquoReilly leant over ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyes 1047298ew open ldquoDoctor OrsquoReilly What are youse do-

ing hererdquo He struggled to rise ldquoI shouldnrsquot be in my bedrdquo

Donal recognised OrsquoReilly That was a good sign even if he was

unclear where he was OrsquoReilly put a restraining hand on the manrsquos

shoulder ldquoLie still You had an accidentrdquo

Donal put his hand to his head ldquoI must have hit my nut a rightclatterrdquo he said ldquoItrsquos pounding to beat Bannagher so it isrdquo

ldquoDo you know what day it isrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

Donal frowned ldquoUh Saturday We made a wheen of money on

the oul gee-gees at the racesrdquo He grinned like a small boy who had

answered the teacherrsquos question correctly ldquoAnd this herersquos the

road to Ballybucklebordquo A look of concern crossed his face ldquoJesus

is Paddy Reganrsquos motorbike all right Itrsquos only on loanrdquo Donal tried

to rise

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 713

A Dublin Student Doctor 21

ldquoStay putrdquo OrsquoReilly said and smiled If Donal knew about

events immediately preceding his accident it was probable he

had suffered only a minor concussion Even so OrsquoReilly would neverforget a footballer whorsquod been knocked out recovered gone back

to finish the match and died from a brain haemorrhage two hours

later

The nee-naw nee-naw grew louder

ldquoI donrsquot need no ambulancerdquo Donal said ldquoIrsquom for going home

so I amrdquo

ldquoSorry Donalrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquobut yoursquoll be spending tonight

in the Royal Victoria Hospitalrdquo

ldquoOch Doctormdashthatrsquos daft Irsquove a motorbike to get back tomdashrdquo

ldquoThe Royal For observationrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoNo arguments

Irsquoll take care of the bikerdquo

ldquoButmdashrdquo

ldquoDonal yoursquore going to hospitalrdquo OrsquoReilly said as if speakingto a not overly bright child ldquoThatrsquos finalrdquo He stood and spoke to

Barry ldquoIrsquoll do a quick neurological exam once hersquos in the ambu-

lance Establish a baseline in case he gets worse Irsquoll go up to the

Royal with him Kittyrsquos the senior nursing sister on the neurosur-

gical ward there Shersquoll want to come too She can go with Donal

in the back of the ambulance God knows shersquos observed a hun-

dred times more head injuries than you and I put together Shersquollkeep an eye on him and warn me if his condition deteriorates You

drive Kinky and the Rover homerdquo

ldquoIrsquoll go and get Kittyrdquo Barry started to turn as a yellow North-

ern Ireland Hospitals Authority ambulance drew up and its siren

was turned off

ldquoIn a minuterdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoOnce the police have come and

done whatever they have to do measure things take photos and

statements theyrsquoll have you fill in forms When yoursquore done get

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 813

22 Patrick Taylor

them to give you a hand to load the bike into the boot of the Rover

At least Paddy Regan wonrsquot need to come all the way here to col-

lect itrdquoldquoPaddy Irsquoll let him knowrdquo Barry said

OrsquoReilly turned ldquoDo you hear that Donal Wersquoll get the bike

home for yourdquo

ldquoThanks Doc But what about Julie Shersquoll go spare if I donrsquot

get home toordquo

OrsquoReilly frowned ldquoYoursquove no phone Donal have yourdquo

ldquoNo sirrdquo

ldquoIrsquoll nip round and see Julierdquo Barry said ldquoTell her whatrsquos hap-

pened That shersquos not to worryrdquo

ldquoThanks Docrdquo

Barry turned to leave as two men approached wearing peaked

bus driversrsquo caps silver-buttoned blue uniforms and carrying a

stretcher The bigger one a burly open-faced man spoke to thefirst-aid lady ldquoWhatrsquos the story Rosierdquo Of course hersquod know her

Theyrsquod both be Downpatrick locals

She nodded at OrsquoReilly ldquoBetter ask your man there Alfie That

therersquos Doctor OrsquoReillyrdquo

The man turned to OrsquoReilly and grinned ldquoFrom Ballybuck-

lebo the wee village near Holywoodrdquo

ldquoThatrsquos right How did youmdashrdquo He frowned Alfie did look fa-miliar

ldquoI met you at a rugby game sirrdquo He pointed at Donal ldquoWhat

do you reckon about your manrdquo

ldquoHe came off the bike and hit his head He was unconscious for

a while but hersquos awake now Concussion at least and Irsquod like him in

the Royal for observation You know head injuries canmdashrdquo

ldquoI do know Too bloody wellrdquo The ambulance man frowned

ldquoMy brother God rest him got a smack on the nut with a hurley

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 913

A Dublin Student Doctor 23

ball He bled into his skull and diedrdquo There was a catch in Alfiersquos

voice ldquoHe was only nineteenrdquo

ldquoIrsquom sorryrdquo OrsquoReilly saidldquoAye wellrdquo Alfie tugged at his tie ldquoStanding here both legs the

same length wonrsquot get your man there to the Royal What do you

want us to do Docrdquo

ldquoBefore you move him Irsquoll give his fore and hind legs a once-

over Then I want you to take him me and Sister OrsquoHallorhan

shersquoll be here in a minute up to the Royal Wersquoll radio ahead to

arrange for him to be seen in casualty get things rolling then have

him admitted to the observation wardrdquo

ldquoRight Doc Come on Bertrdquo The ambulance men aligned their

stretcher alongside Donal as OrsquoReilly examined Donalrsquos arms and

legs through his clothes ldquoYoursquore right Mrs Meehan There are no

bones brokenrdquo he said and stepped back to let the attendants do

their work ldquoThank you Mrs Meehanrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoYou did agreat job Now go on home and get your teardquo

She smiled bobbed her head and left

OrsquoReilly climbed aboard the ambulance ldquoFor crying out loudrdquo

Donal said and tried to sit up ldquoThis is daft so it is Going to all

this trouble Sure couldnrsquot I just get the bikemdashrdquo

OrsquoReilly made a noise like an enraged gorilla one whose last

banana had been stolen ldquoFor the last time Donal Donnelly yoursquoregoing to the Royal This is not a bleeding debating societymdashso

shut up lie down and let me examine yourdquo

ldquoI will Doctor OrsquoReilly sirrdquo a clearly chastened Donal saidmdash

and did

Fingal satisfied himself that Donalrsquos re1047298exes were normal that

his pupils were equal in size and reacting to light his pulse was

strong and steady and his blood pressure was normal The only

worrying thing was a bruise over Donalrsquos right temple The parietal

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1013

24 Patrick Taylor

bone there was thin There was a chance the skull was fractured

OrsquoReilly didnrsquot need to reassure himself that getting Donal to hospi-

tal was the right thing to do The middle meningeal artery laybeneath the parietal bone OrsquoReilly climbed out to meet Kitty

Barry was providing information to a uniformed Royal Ulster

Constabulary offi cer The man had a heavy pistol in a hip holster

Good for Barry OrsquoReilly thought one less chore for me and frankly

the sooner we get Donal to hospital the happier Irsquoll be If his condi-

tion did deteriorate speed of intervention was critical

The second ambulance attendant climbed into the back and

offered his hand to Kitty

ldquoHop inrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoAll his baseline findings are normal

but please keep an eye on him Irsquoll be in the front so if he starts to

go downhill let me knowrdquo

ldquoI willrdquo she said taking the proffered hand

He watched her climb in and as she did so her skirt rode upGod but she had a well-curved calf OrsquoReilly thought but then he

grinned she always had

Barry finished with the offi cer ldquoThanks for seeing to that Barryrdquo

OrsquoReilly said ldquoYoursquoll have to look after the practice tomorrow too

because Lord knows what time Irsquoll get homerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos all rightrdquo

ldquoOff you trotrdquo OrsquoReilly noticed his bag where hersquod left it on theground ldquoTake my bag to the car while yoursquore at it The ambulance

will be fully equippedrdquo

Barry paused ldquoHow will you and Kitty get homerdquo

ldquoKitty lives only a short walk from the hospital Irsquoll get a train

Now go on Itrsquos time we were offrdquo

OrsquoReilly stuck his head into the ambulance ldquoEverything okay

Kittyrdquo

ldquoNo changerdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo As OrsquoReilly walked to the front of the ambulance the

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 313

Fingal Flahertie OrsquoReilly Doctor Fingal Flahertie OrsquoReilly edged

the long-bonnetted Rover out of the car park ldquoLord Jasusrdquo he re-

marked ldquobut this twenty-fourth day of April in the year of our

Lord 1965 has been one for the book of lifetime memoriesrdquo He

smiled at Kitty OrsquoHallorhan in the passengerrsquos seat ldquoFor all kindsof reasonsrdquo he said ldquoand now that the Downpatrick Races are over

itrsquos home to Ballybucklebordquo He accelerated

Kitty yelled ldquoWill you slow downrdquo then said more gently

ldquoFingal there are pedestrians and cyclists Irsquod rather not see any

in the ditchrdquo The afternoon sun highlighted the amber 1047298ecks in

her grey eyes She put slim fingers on his arm

ldquoJust for you Kittyrdquo He slowed and whistled ldquoSlow Boat toChinardquo ldquoAll right in the backrdquo

ldquoFine Fingalrdquo said OrsquoReillyrsquos assistant young Doctor Barry

Laverty

ldquoGrand sordquo Mrs Maureen ldquoKinkyrdquo Kincaid was OrsquoReillyrsquos

housekeeper as she had been for Doctor Flanagan Fingal had met

Kinky when hersquod come as an assistant to Thoacutemas Flanagan in 1938

Shersquod stayed on when a thirty-seven-year-old OrsquoReilly returned in

1946 from his service in the Second World War and bought the

general practice from Doctor Flanaganrsquos estate

Itrsquos a Long Long Road from Which

There Is No Return

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 413

18 Patrick Taylor

Theyrsquod been a good nineteen years he thought as he put the car

into a tight bend between two rows of ancient elms So had his

years as a medical student at Dublinrsquos Trinity College in the rsquo30sldquoJasus thundering Murphyrdquo OrsquoReilly stamped on the brake The

Rover shuddered to a halt five yards from a man standing waving

his arms

OrsquoReillyrsquos bushy eyebrows met He could feel his temper rise

and the tip of his bent nose blanch ldquoEveryone all rightrdquo he roared

and was relieved to hear a chorus of reassurance He hurled his

door open and stamped up the road ldquoWhat in the blue bloody

blazes are you doing standing there waving your arms like an out-

of-kilter semaphore I could have squashed you 1047298atter than a

1047298aming 1047298ounder-fishrdquo

The stranger wore Wellington boots moleskin trousers and a

hacking jacket He had a russet beard a squint and was no more

than five foot two OrsquoReilly expected him at least to take a stepback apologise but he stood his ground

ldquoTherersquos no need for youse rsquotil be losing the bap so therersquos not

Therersquos been an accident and Irsquom here to stop big buggers like

youse driving into it so I am See for yourselfrdquo He pointed to a knot

of people and the slowly rotating rear wheel of a motorbike that lay

on its side

ldquoAccidentrdquo said OrsquoReilly He spun on his heel ldquoBarry Grabmy bag and come hererdquo He turned back ldquoIrsquom Doctor OrsquoReilly

Doctor Lavertyrsquos comingrdquo

ldquoDoctor Thank God for that sir A motorcyclist took a purler

on an oil slick you know Somebodyrsquos gone for the ambulance and

policerdquo

ldquoHere you arerdquo Barry handed OrsquoReilly his bag ldquoWhatrsquos uprdquo

ldquoMotorbike accidentrdquo He spoke to the short man ldquoYoursquod be

safer back down the road where drivers can see you before theyrsquore

on top of yourdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 513

A Dublin Student Doctor 19

ldquoRight enough Irsquoll go sirrdquo He started walking

OrsquoReilly yelled ldquoKitty Kinky Therersquos been an accident Stay

with the carrdquo Kitty would have the wit to pull the car over to theverge ldquoCome on Barryrdquo OrsquoReilly marched straight to the little

crowd Time to use the voice that could be heard over a gale when

hersquod served on the battleship HMS Warspite ldquoWersquore doctors Let

us throughrdquo

Ruddy-cheeked country faces turned Murmuring people shuf-

1047298ed aside and a path opened

A motorbike lay on the road an exclamation mark at the end of

two long black scrawls of rubber The engine ticked and the stink

of oil and burnt tyre hung over the smell of ploughed earth from a

field and the almond scent of whin 1047298owers

A middle-aged woman knelt beside the rider The victimrsquos

head was turned away from OrsquoReilly but there could only be one

owner of that red thatch A duncher lay a few yards away It irri-tated OrsquoReilly that Ulstermen wouldnrsquot wear crash helmets but

favoured cloth caps worn with the peak at the back

He knelt beside the woman and set his bag on the ground ldquoHersquos

unconscious hersquos breathing regular his airwayrsquos clear his pulse is

eighty and regular and hersquos not bleeding There donrsquot seem to

be any bones brokenrdquo she said and added ldquoIrsquom a first-aider you

knowrdquoldquoThank you Mrsrdquo

ldquoMeehan Rosie Meehanrdquo

OrsquoReilly smiled at her ldquoDonal Donalrdquo he said gently Fifteen

minutes ago hersquod seen Ballybuckleborsquos arch schemer Donal Don-

nelly riding the motorbike from the car park

No reply

OrsquoReilly grabbed the manrsquos wrist Good Mrs Meehan was right

the pulse was strong and regular ldquoDonalrdquo he said more loudly

ldquoDonalrdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 613

20 Patrick Taylor

Donalrsquos face was chalky He wore his raincoat reversed and but-

toned over his back It was the practice of country men when rid-

ing motorbikes It stopped the wind of passage getting throughOrsquoReilly was hesitant to move Donal He could have a broken

neck Better to wait for the ambulance The first law of medicine

was Primum non nocere First do no harm OrsquoReilly bent lower

ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyelids 1047298uttered ldquoNumuhrdquo

Better OrsquoReilly thought Donal might only be concussed If

that were the case he should start regaining consciousness But

you could never be certain about head injuries The damage might

range from a simple concussion with complete recovery through

to serious brain injury leading to paralysis permanent brain dam-

age and even death OrsquoReilly gritted his teeth Donal had a new

wife and a wean on the way OrsquoReillyrsquos heart went out to the preg-

nant Julie Donnelly neacutee MacAteer He heard the nee-naw of anapproaching siren OrsquoReilly leant over ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyes 1047298ew open ldquoDoctor OrsquoReilly What are youse do-

ing hererdquo He struggled to rise ldquoI shouldnrsquot be in my bedrdquo

Donal recognised OrsquoReilly That was a good sign even if he was

unclear where he was OrsquoReilly put a restraining hand on the manrsquos

shoulder ldquoLie still You had an accidentrdquo

Donal put his hand to his head ldquoI must have hit my nut a rightclatterrdquo he said ldquoItrsquos pounding to beat Bannagher so it isrdquo

ldquoDo you know what day it isrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

Donal frowned ldquoUh Saturday We made a wheen of money on

the oul gee-gees at the racesrdquo He grinned like a small boy who had

answered the teacherrsquos question correctly ldquoAnd this herersquos the

road to Ballybucklebordquo A look of concern crossed his face ldquoJesus

is Paddy Reganrsquos motorbike all right Itrsquos only on loanrdquo Donal tried

to rise

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 713

A Dublin Student Doctor 21

ldquoStay putrdquo OrsquoReilly said and smiled If Donal knew about

events immediately preceding his accident it was probable he

had suffered only a minor concussion Even so OrsquoReilly would neverforget a footballer whorsquod been knocked out recovered gone back

to finish the match and died from a brain haemorrhage two hours

later

The nee-naw nee-naw grew louder

ldquoI donrsquot need no ambulancerdquo Donal said ldquoIrsquom for going home

so I amrdquo

ldquoSorry Donalrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquobut yoursquoll be spending tonight

in the Royal Victoria Hospitalrdquo

ldquoOch Doctormdashthatrsquos daft Irsquove a motorbike to get back tomdashrdquo

ldquoThe Royal For observationrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoNo arguments

Irsquoll take care of the bikerdquo

ldquoButmdashrdquo

ldquoDonal yoursquore going to hospitalrdquo OrsquoReilly said as if speakingto a not overly bright child ldquoThatrsquos finalrdquo He stood and spoke to

Barry ldquoIrsquoll do a quick neurological exam once hersquos in the ambu-

lance Establish a baseline in case he gets worse Irsquoll go up to the

Royal with him Kittyrsquos the senior nursing sister on the neurosur-

gical ward there Shersquoll want to come too She can go with Donal

in the back of the ambulance God knows shersquos observed a hun-

dred times more head injuries than you and I put together Shersquollkeep an eye on him and warn me if his condition deteriorates You

drive Kinky and the Rover homerdquo

ldquoIrsquoll go and get Kittyrdquo Barry started to turn as a yellow North-

ern Ireland Hospitals Authority ambulance drew up and its siren

was turned off

ldquoIn a minuterdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoOnce the police have come and

done whatever they have to do measure things take photos and

statements theyrsquoll have you fill in forms When yoursquore done get

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 813

22 Patrick Taylor

them to give you a hand to load the bike into the boot of the Rover

At least Paddy Regan wonrsquot need to come all the way here to col-

lect itrdquoldquoPaddy Irsquoll let him knowrdquo Barry said

OrsquoReilly turned ldquoDo you hear that Donal Wersquoll get the bike

home for yourdquo

ldquoThanks Doc But what about Julie Shersquoll go spare if I donrsquot

get home toordquo

OrsquoReilly frowned ldquoYoursquove no phone Donal have yourdquo

ldquoNo sirrdquo

ldquoIrsquoll nip round and see Julierdquo Barry said ldquoTell her whatrsquos hap-

pened That shersquos not to worryrdquo

ldquoThanks Docrdquo

Barry turned to leave as two men approached wearing peaked

bus driversrsquo caps silver-buttoned blue uniforms and carrying a

stretcher The bigger one a burly open-faced man spoke to thefirst-aid lady ldquoWhatrsquos the story Rosierdquo Of course hersquod know her

Theyrsquod both be Downpatrick locals

She nodded at OrsquoReilly ldquoBetter ask your man there Alfie That

therersquos Doctor OrsquoReillyrdquo

The man turned to OrsquoReilly and grinned ldquoFrom Ballybuck-

lebo the wee village near Holywoodrdquo

ldquoThatrsquos right How did youmdashrdquo He frowned Alfie did look fa-miliar

ldquoI met you at a rugby game sirrdquo He pointed at Donal ldquoWhat

do you reckon about your manrdquo

ldquoHe came off the bike and hit his head He was unconscious for

a while but hersquos awake now Concussion at least and Irsquod like him in

the Royal for observation You know head injuries canmdashrdquo

ldquoI do know Too bloody wellrdquo The ambulance man frowned

ldquoMy brother God rest him got a smack on the nut with a hurley

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 913

A Dublin Student Doctor 23

ball He bled into his skull and diedrdquo There was a catch in Alfiersquos

voice ldquoHe was only nineteenrdquo

ldquoIrsquom sorryrdquo OrsquoReilly saidldquoAye wellrdquo Alfie tugged at his tie ldquoStanding here both legs the

same length wonrsquot get your man there to the Royal What do you

want us to do Docrdquo

ldquoBefore you move him Irsquoll give his fore and hind legs a once-

over Then I want you to take him me and Sister OrsquoHallorhan

shersquoll be here in a minute up to the Royal Wersquoll radio ahead to

arrange for him to be seen in casualty get things rolling then have

him admitted to the observation wardrdquo

ldquoRight Doc Come on Bertrdquo The ambulance men aligned their

stretcher alongside Donal as OrsquoReilly examined Donalrsquos arms and

legs through his clothes ldquoYoursquore right Mrs Meehan There are no

bones brokenrdquo he said and stepped back to let the attendants do

their work ldquoThank you Mrs Meehanrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoYou did agreat job Now go on home and get your teardquo

She smiled bobbed her head and left

OrsquoReilly climbed aboard the ambulance ldquoFor crying out loudrdquo

Donal said and tried to sit up ldquoThis is daft so it is Going to all

this trouble Sure couldnrsquot I just get the bikemdashrdquo

OrsquoReilly made a noise like an enraged gorilla one whose last

banana had been stolen ldquoFor the last time Donal Donnelly yoursquoregoing to the Royal This is not a bleeding debating societymdashso

shut up lie down and let me examine yourdquo

ldquoI will Doctor OrsquoReilly sirrdquo a clearly chastened Donal saidmdash

and did

Fingal satisfied himself that Donalrsquos re1047298exes were normal that

his pupils were equal in size and reacting to light his pulse was

strong and steady and his blood pressure was normal The only

worrying thing was a bruise over Donalrsquos right temple The parietal

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1013

24 Patrick Taylor

bone there was thin There was a chance the skull was fractured

OrsquoReilly didnrsquot need to reassure himself that getting Donal to hospi-

tal was the right thing to do The middle meningeal artery laybeneath the parietal bone OrsquoReilly climbed out to meet Kitty

Barry was providing information to a uniformed Royal Ulster

Constabulary offi cer The man had a heavy pistol in a hip holster

Good for Barry OrsquoReilly thought one less chore for me and frankly

the sooner we get Donal to hospital the happier Irsquoll be If his condi-

tion did deteriorate speed of intervention was critical

The second ambulance attendant climbed into the back and

offered his hand to Kitty

ldquoHop inrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoAll his baseline findings are normal

but please keep an eye on him Irsquoll be in the front so if he starts to

go downhill let me knowrdquo

ldquoI willrdquo she said taking the proffered hand

He watched her climb in and as she did so her skirt rode upGod but she had a well-curved calf OrsquoReilly thought but then he

grinned she always had

Barry finished with the offi cer ldquoThanks for seeing to that Barryrdquo

OrsquoReilly said ldquoYoursquoll have to look after the practice tomorrow too

because Lord knows what time Irsquoll get homerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos all rightrdquo

ldquoOff you trotrdquo OrsquoReilly noticed his bag where hersquod left it on theground ldquoTake my bag to the car while yoursquore at it The ambulance

will be fully equippedrdquo

Barry paused ldquoHow will you and Kitty get homerdquo

ldquoKitty lives only a short walk from the hospital Irsquoll get a train

Now go on Itrsquos time we were offrdquo

OrsquoReilly stuck his head into the ambulance ldquoEverything okay

Kittyrdquo

ldquoNo changerdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo As OrsquoReilly walked to the front of the ambulance the

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 413

18 Patrick Taylor

Theyrsquod been a good nineteen years he thought as he put the car

into a tight bend between two rows of ancient elms So had his

years as a medical student at Dublinrsquos Trinity College in the rsquo30sldquoJasus thundering Murphyrdquo OrsquoReilly stamped on the brake The

Rover shuddered to a halt five yards from a man standing waving

his arms

OrsquoReillyrsquos bushy eyebrows met He could feel his temper rise

and the tip of his bent nose blanch ldquoEveryone all rightrdquo he roared

and was relieved to hear a chorus of reassurance He hurled his

door open and stamped up the road ldquoWhat in the blue bloody

blazes are you doing standing there waving your arms like an out-

of-kilter semaphore I could have squashed you 1047298atter than a

1047298aming 1047298ounder-fishrdquo

The stranger wore Wellington boots moleskin trousers and a

hacking jacket He had a russet beard a squint and was no more

than five foot two OrsquoReilly expected him at least to take a stepback apologise but he stood his ground

ldquoTherersquos no need for youse rsquotil be losing the bap so therersquos not

Therersquos been an accident and Irsquom here to stop big buggers like

youse driving into it so I am See for yourselfrdquo He pointed to a knot

of people and the slowly rotating rear wheel of a motorbike that lay

on its side

ldquoAccidentrdquo said OrsquoReilly He spun on his heel ldquoBarry Grabmy bag and come hererdquo He turned back ldquoIrsquom Doctor OrsquoReilly

Doctor Lavertyrsquos comingrdquo

ldquoDoctor Thank God for that sir A motorcyclist took a purler

on an oil slick you know Somebodyrsquos gone for the ambulance and

policerdquo

ldquoHere you arerdquo Barry handed OrsquoReilly his bag ldquoWhatrsquos uprdquo

ldquoMotorbike accidentrdquo He spoke to the short man ldquoYoursquod be

safer back down the road where drivers can see you before theyrsquore

on top of yourdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 513

A Dublin Student Doctor 19

ldquoRight enough Irsquoll go sirrdquo He started walking

OrsquoReilly yelled ldquoKitty Kinky Therersquos been an accident Stay

with the carrdquo Kitty would have the wit to pull the car over to theverge ldquoCome on Barryrdquo OrsquoReilly marched straight to the little

crowd Time to use the voice that could be heard over a gale when

hersquod served on the battleship HMS Warspite ldquoWersquore doctors Let

us throughrdquo

Ruddy-cheeked country faces turned Murmuring people shuf-

1047298ed aside and a path opened

A motorbike lay on the road an exclamation mark at the end of

two long black scrawls of rubber The engine ticked and the stink

of oil and burnt tyre hung over the smell of ploughed earth from a

field and the almond scent of whin 1047298owers

A middle-aged woman knelt beside the rider The victimrsquos

head was turned away from OrsquoReilly but there could only be one

owner of that red thatch A duncher lay a few yards away It irri-tated OrsquoReilly that Ulstermen wouldnrsquot wear crash helmets but

favoured cloth caps worn with the peak at the back

He knelt beside the woman and set his bag on the ground ldquoHersquos

unconscious hersquos breathing regular his airwayrsquos clear his pulse is

eighty and regular and hersquos not bleeding There donrsquot seem to

be any bones brokenrdquo she said and added ldquoIrsquom a first-aider you

knowrdquoldquoThank you Mrsrdquo

ldquoMeehan Rosie Meehanrdquo

OrsquoReilly smiled at her ldquoDonal Donalrdquo he said gently Fifteen

minutes ago hersquod seen Ballybuckleborsquos arch schemer Donal Don-

nelly riding the motorbike from the car park

No reply

OrsquoReilly grabbed the manrsquos wrist Good Mrs Meehan was right

the pulse was strong and regular ldquoDonalrdquo he said more loudly

ldquoDonalrdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 613

20 Patrick Taylor

Donalrsquos face was chalky He wore his raincoat reversed and but-

toned over his back It was the practice of country men when rid-

ing motorbikes It stopped the wind of passage getting throughOrsquoReilly was hesitant to move Donal He could have a broken

neck Better to wait for the ambulance The first law of medicine

was Primum non nocere First do no harm OrsquoReilly bent lower

ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyelids 1047298uttered ldquoNumuhrdquo

Better OrsquoReilly thought Donal might only be concussed If

that were the case he should start regaining consciousness But

you could never be certain about head injuries The damage might

range from a simple concussion with complete recovery through

to serious brain injury leading to paralysis permanent brain dam-

age and even death OrsquoReilly gritted his teeth Donal had a new

wife and a wean on the way OrsquoReillyrsquos heart went out to the preg-

nant Julie Donnelly neacutee MacAteer He heard the nee-naw of anapproaching siren OrsquoReilly leant over ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyes 1047298ew open ldquoDoctor OrsquoReilly What are youse do-

ing hererdquo He struggled to rise ldquoI shouldnrsquot be in my bedrdquo

Donal recognised OrsquoReilly That was a good sign even if he was

unclear where he was OrsquoReilly put a restraining hand on the manrsquos

shoulder ldquoLie still You had an accidentrdquo

Donal put his hand to his head ldquoI must have hit my nut a rightclatterrdquo he said ldquoItrsquos pounding to beat Bannagher so it isrdquo

ldquoDo you know what day it isrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

Donal frowned ldquoUh Saturday We made a wheen of money on

the oul gee-gees at the racesrdquo He grinned like a small boy who had

answered the teacherrsquos question correctly ldquoAnd this herersquos the

road to Ballybucklebordquo A look of concern crossed his face ldquoJesus

is Paddy Reganrsquos motorbike all right Itrsquos only on loanrdquo Donal tried

to rise

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 713

A Dublin Student Doctor 21

ldquoStay putrdquo OrsquoReilly said and smiled If Donal knew about

events immediately preceding his accident it was probable he

had suffered only a minor concussion Even so OrsquoReilly would neverforget a footballer whorsquod been knocked out recovered gone back

to finish the match and died from a brain haemorrhage two hours

later

The nee-naw nee-naw grew louder

ldquoI donrsquot need no ambulancerdquo Donal said ldquoIrsquom for going home

so I amrdquo

ldquoSorry Donalrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquobut yoursquoll be spending tonight

in the Royal Victoria Hospitalrdquo

ldquoOch Doctormdashthatrsquos daft Irsquove a motorbike to get back tomdashrdquo

ldquoThe Royal For observationrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoNo arguments

Irsquoll take care of the bikerdquo

ldquoButmdashrdquo

ldquoDonal yoursquore going to hospitalrdquo OrsquoReilly said as if speakingto a not overly bright child ldquoThatrsquos finalrdquo He stood and spoke to

Barry ldquoIrsquoll do a quick neurological exam once hersquos in the ambu-

lance Establish a baseline in case he gets worse Irsquoll go up to the

Royal with him Kittyrsquos the senior nursing sister on the neurosur-

gical ward there Shersquoll want to come too She can go with Donal

in the back of the ambulance God knows shersquos observed a hun-

dred times more head injuries than you and I put together Shersquollkeep an eye on him and warn me if his condition deteriorates You

drive Kinky and the Rover homerdquo

ldquoIrsquoll go and get Kittyrdquo Barry started to turn as a yellow North-

ern Ireland Hospitals Authority ambulance drew up and its siren

was turned off

ldquoIn a minuterdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoOnce the police have come and

done whatever they have to do measure things take photos and

statements theyrsquoll have you fill in forms When yoursquore done get

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 813

22 Patrick Taylor

them to give you a hand to load the bike into the boot of the Rover

At least Paddy Regan wonrsquot need to come all the way here to col-

lect itrdquoldquoPaddy Irsquoll let him knowrdquo Barry said

OrsquoReilly turned ldquoDo you hear that Donal Wersquoll get the bike

home for yourdquo

ldquoThanks Doc But what about Julie Shersquoll go spare if I donrsquot

get home toordquo

OrsquoReilly frowned ldquoYoursquove no phone Donal have yourdquo

ldquoNo sirrdquo

ldquoIrsquoll nip round and see Julierdquo Barry said ldquoTell her whatrsquos hap-

pened That shersquos not to worryrdquo

ldquoThanks Docrdquo

Barry turned to leave as two men approached wearing peaked

bus driversrsquo caps silver-buttoned blue uniforms and carrying a

stretcher The bigger one a burly open-faced man spoke to thefirst-aid lady ldquoWhatrsquos the story Rosierdquo Of course hersquod know her

Theyrsquod both be Downpatrick locals

She nodded at OrsquoReilly ldquoBetter ask your man there Alfie That

therersquos Doctor OrsquoReillyrdquo

The man turned to OrsquoReilly and grinned ldquoFrom Ballybuck-

lebo the wee village near Holywoodrdquo

ldquoThatrsquos right How did youmdashrdquo He frowned Alfie did look fa-miliar

ldquoI met you at a rugby game sirrdquo He pointed at Donal ldquoWhat

do you reckon about your manrdquo

ldquoHe came off the bike and hit his head He was unconscious for

a while but hersquos awake now Concussion at least and Irsquod like him in

the Royal for observation You know head injuries canmdashrdquo

ldquoI do know Too bloody wellrdquo The ambulance man frowned

ldquoMy brother God rest him got a smack on the nut with a hurley

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 913

A Dublin Student Doctor 23

ball He bled into his skull and diedrdquo There was a catch in Alfiersquos

voice ldquoHe was only nineteenrdquo

ldquoIrsquom sorryrdquo OrsquoReilly saidldquoAye wellrdquo Alfie tugged at his tie ldquoStanding here both legs the

same length wonrsquot get your man there to the Royal What do you

want us to do Docrdquo

ldquoBefore you move him Irsquoll give his fore and hind legs a once-

over Then I want you to take him me and Sister OrsquoHallorhan

shersquoll be here in a minute up to the Royal Wersquoll radio ahead to

arrange for him to be seen in casualty get things rolling then have

him admitted to the observation wardrdquo

ldquoRight Doc Come on Bertrdquo The ambulance men aligned their

stretcher alongside Donal as OrsquoReilly examined Donalrsquos arms and

legs through his clothes ldquoYoursquore right Mrs Meehan There are no

bones brokenrdquo he said and stepped back to let the attendants do

their work ldquoThank you Mrs Meehanrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoYou did agreat job Now go on home and get your teardquo

She smiled bobbed her head and left

OrsquoReilly climbed aboard the ambulance ldquoFor crying out loudrdquo

Donal said and tried to sit up ldquoThis is daft so it is Going to all

this trouble Sure couldnrsquot I just get the bikemdashrdquo

OrsquoReilly made a noise like an enraged gorilla one whose last

banana had been stolen ldquoFor the last time Donal Donnelly yoursquoregoing to the Royal This is not a bleeding debating societymdashso

shut up lie down and let me examine yourdquo

ldquoI will Doctor OrsquoReilly sirrdquo a clearly chastened Donal saidmdash

and did

Fingal satisfied himself that Donalrsquos re1047298exes were normal that

his pupils were equal in size and reacting to light his pulse was

strong and steady and his blood pressure was normal The only

worrying thing was a bruise over Donalrsquos right temple The parietal

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1013

24 Patrick Taylor

bone there was thin There was a chance the skull was fractured

OrsquoReilly didnrsquot need to reassure himself that getting Donal to hospi-

tal was the right thing to do The middle meningeal artery laybeneath the parietal bone OrsquoReilly climbed out to meet Kitty

Barry was providing information to a uniformed Royal Ulster

Constabulary offi cer The man had a heavy pistol in a hip holster

Good for Barry OrsquoReilly thought one less chore for me and frankly

the sooner we get Donal to hospital the happier Irsquoll be If his condi-

tion did deteriorate speed of intervention was critical

The second ambulance attendant climbed into the back and

offered his hand to Kitty

ldquoHop inrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoAll his baseline findings are normal

but please keep an eye on him Irsquoll be in the front so if he starts to

go downhill let me knowrdquo

ldquoI willrdquo she said taking the proffered hand

He watched her climb in and as she did so her skirt rode upGod but she had a well-curved calf OrsquoReilly thought but then he

grinned she always had

Barry finished with the offi cer ldquoThanks for seeing to that Barryrdquo

OrsquoReilly said ldquoYoursquoll have to look after the practice tomorrow too

because Lord knows what time Irsquoll get homerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos all rightrdquo

ldquoOff you trotrdquo OrsquoReilly noticed his bag where hersquod left it on theground ldquoTake my bag to the car while yoursquore at it The ambulance

will be fully equippedrdquo

Barry paused ldquoHow will you and Kitty get homerdquo

ldquoKitty lives only a short walk from the hospital Irsquoll get a train

Now go on Itrsquos time we were offrdquo

OrsquoReilly stuck his head into the ambulance ldquoEverything okay

Kittyrdquo

ldquoNo changerdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo As OrsquoReilly walked to the front of the ambulance the

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 513

A Dublin Student Doctor 19

ldquoRight enough Irsquoll go sirrdquo He started walking

OrsquoReilly yelled ldquoKitty Kinky Therersquos been an accident Stay

with the carrdquo Kitty would have the wit to pull the car over to theverge ldquoCome on Barryrdquo OrsquoReilly marched straight to the little

crowd Time to use the voice that could be heard over a gale when

hersquod served on the battleship HMS Warspite ldquoWersquore doctors Let

us throughrdquo

Ruddy-cheeked country faces turned Murmuring people shuf-

1047298ed aside and a path opened

A motorbike lay on the road an exclamation mark at the end of

two long black scrawls of rubber The engine ticked and the stink

of oil and burnt tyre hung over the smell of ploughed earth from a

field and the almond scent of whin 1047298owers

A middle-aged woman knelt beside the rider The victimrsquos

head was turned away from OrsquoReilly but there could only be one

owner of that red thatch A duncher lay a few yards away It irri-tated OrsquoReilly that Ulstermen wouldnrsquot wear crash helmets but

favoured cloth caps worn with the peak at the back

He knelt beside the woman and set his bag on the ground ldquoHersquos

unconscious hersquos breathing regular his airwayrsquos clear his pulse is

eighty and regular and hersquos not bleeding There donrsquot seem to

be any bones brokenrdquo she said and added ldquoIrsquom a first-aider you

knowrdquoldquoThank you Mrsrdquo

ldquoMeehan Rosie Meehanrdquo

OrsquoReilly smiled at her ldquoDonal Donalrdquo he said gently Fifteen

minutes ago hersquod seen Ballybuckleborsquos arch schemer Donal Don-

nelly riding the motorbike from the car park

No reply

OrsquoReilly grabbed the manrsquos wrist Good Mrs Meehan was right

the pulse was strong and regular ldquoDonalrdquo he said more loudly

ldquoDonalrdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 613

20 Patrick Taylor

Donalrsquos face was chalky He wore his raincoat reversed and but-

toned over his back It was the practice of country men when rid-

ing motorbikes It stopped the wind of passage getting throughOrsquoReilly was hesitant to move Donal He could have a broken

neck Better to wait for the ambulance The first law of medicine

was Primum non nocere First do no harm OrsquoReilly bent lower

ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyelids 1047298uttered ldquoNumuhrdquo

Better OrsquoReilly thought Donal might only be concussed If

that were the case he should start regaining consciousness But

you could never be certain about head injuries The damage might

range from a simple concussion with complete recovery through

to serious brain injury leading to paralysis permanent brain dam-

age and even death OrsquoReilly gritted his teeth Donal had a new

wife and a wean on the way OrsquoReillyrsquos heart went out to the preg-

nant Julie Donnelly neacutee MacAteer He heard the nee-naw of anapproaching siren OrsquoReilly leant over ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyes 1047298ew open ldquoDoctor OrsquoReilly What are youse do-

ing hererdquo He struggled to rise ldquoI shouldnrsquot be in my bedrdquo

Donal recognised OrsquoReilly That was a good sign even if he was

unclear where he was OrsquoReilly put a restraining hand on the manrsquos

shoulder ldquoLie still You had an accidentrdquo

Donal put his hand to his head ldquoI must have hit my nut a rightclatterrdquo he said ldquoItrsquos pounding to beat Bannagher so it isrdquo

ldquoDo you know what day it isrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

Donal frowned ldquoUh Saturday We made a wheen of money on

the oul gee-gees at the racesrdquo He grinned like a small boy who had

answered the teacherrsquos question correctly ldquoAnd this herersquos the

road to Ballybucklebordquo A look of concern crossed his face ldquoJesus

is Paddy Reganrsquos motorbike all right Itrsquos only on loanrdquo Donal tried

to rise

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 713

A Dublin Student Doctor 21

ldquoStay putrdquo OrsquoReilly said and smiled If Donal knew about

events immediately preceding his accident it was probable he

had suffered only a minor concussion Even so OrsquoReilly would neverforget a footballer whorsquod been knocked out recovered gone back

to finish the match and died from a brain haemorrhage two hours

later

The nee-naw nee-naw grew louder

ldquoI donrsquot need no ambulancerdquo Donal said ldquoIrsquom for going home

so I amrdquo

ldquoSorry Donalrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquobut yoursquoll be spending tonight

in the Royal Victoria Hospitalrdquo

ldquoOch Doctormdashthatrsquos daft Irsquove a motorbike to get back tomdashrdquo

ldquoThe Royal For observationrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoNo arguments

Irsquoll take care of the bikerdquo

ldquoButmdashrdquo

ldquoDonal yoursquore going to hospitalrdquo OrsquoReilly said as if speakingto a not overly bright child ldquoThatrsquos finalrdquo He stood and spoke to

Barry ldquoIrsquoll do a quick neurological exam once hersquos in the ambu-

lance Establish a baseline in case he gets worse Irsquoll go up to the

Royal with him Kittyrsquos the senior nursing sister on the neurosur-

gical ward there Shersquoll want to come too She can go with Donal

in the back of the ambulance God knows shersquos observed a hun-

dred times more head injuries than you and I put together Shersquollkeep an eye on him and warn me if his condition deteriorates You

drive Kinky and the Rover homerdquo

ldquoIrsquoll go and get Kittyrdquo Barry started to turn as a yellow North-

ern Ireland Hospitals Authority ambulance drew up and its siren

was turned off

ldquoIn a minuterdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoOnce the police have come and

done whatever they have to do measure things take photos and

statements theyrsquoll have you fill in forms When yoursquore done get

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 813

22 Patrick Taylor

them to give you a hand to load the bike into the boot of the Rover

At least Paddy Regan wonrsquot need to come all the way here to col-

lect itrdquoldquoPaddy Irsquoll let him knowrdquo Barry said

OrsquoReilly turned ldquoDo you hear that Donal Wersquoll get the bike

home for yourdquo

ldquoThanks Doc But what about Julie Shersquoll go spare if I donrsquot

get home toordquo

OrsquoReilly frowned ldquoYoursquove no phone Donal have yourdquo

ldquoNo sirrdquo

ldquoIrsquoll nip round and see Julierdquo Barry said ldquoTell her whatrsquos hap-

pened That shersquos not to worryrdquo

ldquoThanks Docrdquo

Barry turned to leave as two men approached wearing peaked

bus driversrsquo caps silver-buttoned blue uniforms and carrying a

stretcher The bigger one a burly open-faced man spoke to thefirst-aid lady ldquoWhatrsquos the story Rosierdquo Of course hersquod know her

Theyrsquod both be Downpatrick locals

She nodded at OrsquoReilly ldquoBetter ask your man there Alfie That

therersquos Doctor OrsquoReillyrdquo

The man turned to OrsquoReilly and grinned ldquoFrom Ballybuck-

lebo the wee village near Holywoodrdquo

ldquoThatrsquos right How did youmdashrdquo He frowned Alfie did look fa-miliar

ldquoI met you at a rugby game sirrdquo He pointed at Donal ldquoWhat

do you reckon about your manrdquo

ldquoHe came off the bike and hit his head He was unconscious for

a while but hersquos awake now Concussion at least and Irsquod like him in

the Royal for observation You know head injuries canmdashrdquo

ldquoI do know Too bloody wellrdquo The ambulance man frowned

ldquoMy brother God rest him got a smack on the nut with a hurley

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 913

A Dublin Student Doctor 23

ball He bled into his skull and diedrdquo There was a catch in Alfiersquos

voice ldquoHe was only nineteenrdquo

ldquoIrsquom sorryrdquo OrsquoReilly saidldquoAye wellrdquo Alfie tugged at his tie ldquoStanding here both legs the

same length wonrsquot get your man there to the Royal What do you

want us to do Docrdquo

ldquoBefore you move him Irsquoll give his fore and hind legs a once-

over Then I want you to take him me and Sister OrsquoHallorhan

shersquoll be here in a minute up to the Royal Wersquoll radio ahead to

arrange for him to be seen in casualty get things rolling then have

him admitted to the observation wardrdquo

ldquoRight Doc Come on Bertrdquo The ambulance men aligned their

stretcher alongside Donal as OrsquoReilly examined Donalrsquos arms and

legs through his clothes ldquoYoursquore right Mrs Meehan There are no

bones brokenrdquo he said and stepped back to let the attendants do

their work ldquoThank you Mrs Meehanrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoYou did agreat job Now go on home and get your teardquo

She smiled bobbed her head and left

OrsquoReilly climbed aboard the ambulance ldquoFor crying out loudrdquo

Donal said and tried to sit up ldquoThis is daft so it is Going to all

this trouble Sure couldnrsquot I just get the bikemdashrdquo

OrsquoReilly made a noise like an enraged gorilla one whose last

banana had been stolen ldquoFor the last time Donal Donnelly yoursquoregoing to the Royal This is not a bleeding debating societymdashso

shut up lie down and let me examine yourdquo

ldquoI will Doctor OrsquoReilly sirrdquo a clearly chastened Donal saidmdash

and did

Fingal satisfied himself that Donalrsquos re1047298exes were normal that

his pupils were equal in size and reacting to light his pulse was

strong and steady and his blood pressure was normal The only

worrying thing was a bruise over Donalrsquos right temple The parietal

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1013

24 Patrick Taylor

bone there was thin There was a chance the skull was fractured

OrsquoReilly didnrsquot need to reassure himself that getting Donal to hospi-

tal was the right thing to do The middle meningeal artery laybeneath the parietal bone OrsquoReilly climbed out to meet Kitty

Barry was providing information to a uniformed Royal Ulster

Constabulary offi cer The man had a heavy pistol in a hip holster

Good for Barry OrsquoReilly thought one less chore for me and frankly

the sooner we get Donal to hospital the happier Irsquoll be If his condi-

tion did deteriorate speed of intervention was critical

The second ambulance attendant climbed into the back and

offered his hand to Kitty

ldquoHop inrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoAll his baseline findings are normal

but please keep an eye on him Irsquoll be in the front so if he starts to

go downhill let me knowrdquo

ldquoI willrdquo she said taking the proffered hand

He watched her climb in and as she did so her skirt rode upGod but she had a well-curved calf OrsquoReilly thought but then he

grinned she always had

Barry finished with the offi cer ldquoThanks for seeing to that Barryrdquo

OrsquoReilly said ldquoYoursquoll have to look after the practice tomorrow too

because Lord knows what time Irsquoll get homerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos all rightrdquo

ldquoOff you trotrdquo OrsquoReilly noticed his bag where hersquod left it on theground ldquoTake my bag to the car while yoursquore at it The ambulance

will be fully equippedrdquo

Barry paused ldquoHow will you and Kitty get homerdquo

ldquoKitty lives only a short walk from the hospital Irsquoll get a train

Now go on Itrsquos time we were offrdquo

OrsquoReilly stuck his head into the ambulance ldquoEverything okay

Kittyrdquo

ldquoNo changerdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo As OrsquoReilly walked to the front of the ambulance the

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 613

20 Patrick Taylor

Donalrsquos face was chalky He wore his raincoat reversed and but-

toned over his back It was the practice of country men when rid-

ing motorbikes It stopped the wind of passage getting throughOrsquoReilly was hesitant to move Donal He could have a broken

neck Better to wait for the ambulance The first law of medicine

was Primum non nocere First do no harm OrsquoReilly bent lower

ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyelids 1047298uttered ldquoNumuhrdquo

Better OrsquoReilly thought Donal might only be concussed If

that were the case he should start regaining consciousness But

you could never be certain about head injuries The damage might

range from a simple concussion with complete recovery through

to serious brain injury leading to paralysis permanent brain dam-

age and even death OrsquoReilly gritted his teeth Donal had a new

wife and a wean on the way OrsquoReillyrsquos heart went out to the preg-

nant Julie Donnelly neacutee MacAteer He heard the nee-naw of anapproaching siren OrsquoReilly leant over ldquoDonalrdquo

Donalrsquos eyes 1047298ew open ldquoDoctor OrsquoReilly What are youse do-

ing hererdquo He struggled to rise ldquoI shouldnrsquot be in my bedrdquo

Donal recognised OrsquoReilly That was a good sign even if he was

unclear where he was OrsquoReilly put a restraining hand on the manrsquos

shoulder ldquoLie still You had an accidentrdquo

Donal put his hand to his head ldquoI must have hit my nut a rightclatterrdquo he said ldquoItrsquos pounding to beat Bannagher so it isrdquo

ldquoDo you know what day it isrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

Donal frowned ldquoUh Saturday We made a wheen of money on

the oul gee-gees at the racesrdquo He grinned like a small boy who had

answered the teacherrsquos question correctly ldquoAnd this herersquos the

road to Ballybucklebordquo A look of concern crossed his face ldquoJesus

is Paddy Reganrsquos motorbike all right Itrsquos only on loanrdquo Donal tried

to rise

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 713

A Dublin Student Doctor 21

ldquoStay putrdquo OrsquoReilly said and smiled If Donal knew about

events immediately preceding his accident it was probable he

had suffered only a minor concussion Even so OrsquoReilly would neverforget a footballer whorsquod been knocked out recovered gone back

to finish the match and died from a brain haemorrhage two hours

later

The nee-naw nee-naw grew louder

ldquoI donrsquot need no ambulancerdquo Donal said ldquoIrsquom for going home

so I amrdquo

ldquoSorry Donalrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquobut yoursquoll be spending tonight

in the Royal Victoria Hospitalrdquo

ldquoOch Doctormdashthatrsquos daft Irsquove a motorbike to get back tomdashrdquo

ldquoThe Royal For observationrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoNo arguments

Irsquoll take care of the bikerdquo

ldquoButmdashrdquo

ldquoDonal yoursquore going to hospitalrdquo OrsquoReilly said as if speakingto a not overly bright child ldquoThatrsquos finalrdquo He stood and spoke to

Barry ldquoIrsquoll do a quick neurological exam once hersquos in the ambu-

lance Establish a baseline in case he gets worse Irsquoll go up to the

Royal with him Kittyrsquos the senior nursing sister on the neurosur-

gical ward there Shersquoll want to come too She can go with Donal

in the back of the ambulance God knows shersquos observed a hun-

dred times more head injuries than you and I put together Shersquollkeep an eye on him and warn me if his condition deteriorates You

drive Kinky and the Rover homerdquo

ldquoIrsquoll go and get Kittyrdquo Barry started to turn as a yellow North-

ern Ireland Hospitals Authority ambulance drew up and its siren

was turned off

ldquoIn a minuterdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoOnce the police have come and

done whatever they have to do measure things take photos and

statements theyrsquoll have you fill in forms When yoursquore done get

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 813

22 Patrick Taylor

them to give you a hand to load the bike into the boot of the Rover

At least Paddy Regan wonrsquot need to come all the way here to col-

lect itrdquoldquoPaddy Irsquoll let him knowrdquo Barry said

OrsquoReilly turned ldquoDo you hear that Donal Wersquoll get the bike

home for yourdquo

ldquoThanks Doc But what about Julie Shersquoll go spare if I donrsquot

get home toordquo

OrsquoReilly frowned ldquoYoursquove no phone Donal have yourdquo

ldquoNo sirrdquo

ldquoIrsquoll nip round and see Julierdquo Barry said ldquoTell her whatrsquos hap-

pened That shersquos not to worryrdquo

ldquoThanks Docrdquo

Barry turned to leave as two men approached wearing peaked

bus driversrsquo caps silver-buttoned blue uniforms and carrying a

stretcher The bigger one a burly open-faced man spoke to thefirst-aid lady ldquoWhatrsquos the story Rosierdquo Of course hersquod know her

Theyrsquod both be Downpatrick locals

She nodded at OrsquoReilly ldquoBetter ask your man there Alfie That

therersquos Doctor OrsquoReillyrdquo

The man turned to OrsquoReilly and grinned ldquoFrom Ballybuck-

lebo the wee village near Holywoodrdquo

ldquoThatrsquos right How did youmdashrdquo He frowned Alfie did look fa-miliar

ldquoI met you at a rugby game sirrdquo He pointed at Donal ldquoWhat

do you reckon about your manrdquo

ldquoHe came off the bike and hit his head He was unconscious for

a while but hersquos awake now Concussion at least and Irsquod like him in

the Royal for observation You know head injuries canmdashrdquo

ldquoI do know Too bloody wellrdquo The ambulance man frowned

ldquoMy brother God rest him got a smack on the nut with a hurley

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 913

A Dublin Student Doctor 23

ball He bled into his skull and diedrdquo There was a catch in Alfiersquos

voice ldquoHe was only nineteenrdquo

ldquoIrsquom sorryrdquo OrsquoReilly saidldquoAye wellrdquo Alfie tugged at his tie ldquoStanding here both legs the

same length wonrsquot get your man there to the Royal What do you

want us to do Docrdquo

ldquoBefore you move him Irsquoll give his fore and hind legs a once-

over Then I want you to take him me and Sister OrsquoHallorhan

shersquoll be here in a minute up to the Royal Wersquoll radio ahead to

arrange for him to be seen in casualty get things rolling then have

him admitted to the observation wardrdquo

ldquoRight Doc Come on Bertrdquo The ambulance men aligned their

stretcher alongside Donal as OrsquoReilly examined Donalrsquos arms and

legs through his clothes ldquoYoursquore right Mrs Meehan There are no

bones brokenrdquo he said and stepped back to let the attendants do

their work ldquoThank you Mrs Meehanrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoYou did agreat job Now go on home and get your teardquo

She smiled bobbed her head and left

OrsquoReilly climbed aboard the ambulance ldquoFor crying out loudrdquo

Donal said and tried to sit up ldquoThis is daft so it is Going to all

this trouble Sure couldnrsquot I just get the bikemdashrdquo

OrsquoReilly made a noise like an enraged gorilla one whose last

banana had been stolen ldquoFor the last time Donal Donnelly yoursquoregoing to the Royal This is not a bleeding debating societymdashso

shut up lie down and let me examine yourdquo

ldquoI will Doctor OrsquoReilly sirrdquo a clearly chastened Donal saidmdash

and did

Fingal satisfied himself that Donalrsquos re1047298exes were normal that

his pupils were equal in size and reacting to light his pulse was

strong and steady and his blood pressure was normal The only

worrying thing was a bruise over Donalrsquos right temple The parietal

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1013

24 Patrick Taylor

bone there was thin There was a chance the skull was fractured

OrsquoReilly didnrsquot need to reassure himself that getting Donal to hospi-

tal was the right thing to do The middle meningeal artery laybeneath the parietal bone OrsquoReilly climbed out to meet Kitty

Barry was providing information to a uniformed Royal Ulster

Constabulary offi cer The man had a heavy pistol in a hip holster

Good for Barry OrsquoReilly thought one less chore for me and frankly

the sooner we get Donal to hospital the happier Irsquoll be If his condi-

tion did deteriorate speed of intervention was critical

The second ambulance attendant climbed into the back and

offered his hand to Kitty

ldquoHop inrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoAll his baseline findings are normal

but please keep an eye on him Irsquoll be in the front so if he starts to

go downhill let me knowrdquo

ldquoI willrdquo she said taking the proffered hand

He watched her climb in and as she did so her skirt rode upGod but she had a well-curved calf OrsquoReilly thought but then he

grinned she always had

Barry finished with the offi cer ldquoThanks for seeing to that Barryrdquo

OrsquoReilly said ldquoYoursquoll have to look after the practice tomorrow too

because Lord knows what time Irsquoll get homerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos all rightrdquo

ldquoOff you trotrdquo OrsquoReilly noticed his bag where hersquod left it on theground ldquoTake my bag to the car while yoursquore at it The ambulance

will be fully equippedrdquo

Barry paused ldquoHow will you and Kitty get homerdquo

ldquoKitty lives only a short walk from the hospital Irsquoll get a train

Now go on Itrsquos time we were offrdquo

OrsquoReilly stuck his head into the ambulance ldquoEverything okay

Kittyrdquo

ldquoNo changerdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo As OrsquoReilly walked to the front of the ambulance the

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 713

A Dublin Student Doctor 21

ldquoStay putrdquo OrsquoReilly said and smiled If Donal knew about

events immediately preceding his accident it was probable he

had suffered only a minor concussion Even so OrsquoReilly would neverforget a footballer whorsquod been knocked out recovered gone back

to finish the match and died from a brain haemorrhage two hours

later

The nee-naw nee-naw grew louder

ldquoI donrsquot need no ambulancerdquo Donal said ldquoIrsquom for going home

so I amrdquo

ldquoSorry Donalrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquobut yoursquoll be spending tonight

in the Royal Victoria Hospitalrdquo

ldquoOch Doctormdashthatrsquos daft Irsquove a motorbike to get back tomdashrdquo

ldquoThe Royal For observationrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoNo arguments

Irsquoll take care of the bikerdquo

ldquoButmdashrdquo

ldquoDonal yoursquore going to hospitalrdquo OrsquoReilly said as if speakingto a not overly bright child ldquoThatrsquos finalrdquo He stood and spoke to

Barry ldquoIrsquoll do a quick neurological exam once hersquos in the ambu-

lance Establish a baseline in case he gets worse Irsquoll go up to the

Royal with him Kittyrsquos the senior nursing sister on the neurosur-

gical ward there Shersquoll want to come too She can go with Donal

in the back of the ambulance God knows shersquos observed a hun-

dred times more head injuries than you and I put together Shersquollkeep an eye on him and warn me if his condition deteriorates You

drive Kinky and the Rover homerdquo

ldquoIrsquoll go and get Kittyrdquo Barry started to turn as a yellow North-

ern Ireland Hospitals Authority ambulance drew up and its siren

was turned off

ldquoIn a minuterdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoOnce the police have come and

done whatever they have to do measure things take photos and

statements theyrsquoll have you fill in forms When yoursquore done get

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 813

22 Patrick Taylor

them to give you a hand to load the bike into the boot of the Rover

At least Paddy Regan wonrsquot need to come all the way here to col-

lect itrdquoldquoPaddy Irsquoll let him knowrdquo Barry said

OrsquoReilly turned ldquoDo you hear that Donal Wersquoll get the bike

home for yourdquo

ldquoThanks Doc But what about Julie Shersquoll go spare if I donrsquot

get home toordquo

OrsquoReilly frowned ldquoYoursquove no phone Donal have yourdquo

ldquoNo sirrdquo

ldquoIrsquoll nip round and see Julierdquo Barry said ldquoTell her whatrsquos hap-

pened That shersquos not to worryrdquo

ldquoThanks Docrdquo

Barry turned to leave as two men approached wearing peaked

bus driversrsquo caps silver-buttoned blue uniforms and carrying a

stretcher The bigger one a burly open-faced man spoke to thefirst-aid lady ldquoWhatrsquos the story Rosierdquo Of course hersquod know her

Theyrsquod both be Downpatrick locals

She nodded at OrsquoReilly ldquoBetter ask your man there Alfie That

therersquos Doctor OrsquoReillyrdquo

The man turned to OrsquoReilly and grinned ldquoFrom Ballybuck-

lebo the wee village near Holywoodrdquo

ldquoThatrsquos right How did youmdashrdquo He frowned Alfie did look fa-miliar

ldquoI met you at a rugby game sirrdquo He pointed at Donal ldquoWhat

do you reckon about your manrdquo

ldquoHe came off the bike and hit his head He was unconscious for

a while but hersquos awake now Concussion at least and Irsquod like him in

the Royal for observation You know head injuries canmdashrdquo

ldquoI do know Too bloody wellrdquo The ambulance man frowned

ldquoMy brother God rest him got a smack on the nut with a hurley

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 913

A Dublin Student Doctor 23

ball He bled into his skull and diedrdquo There was a catch in Alfiersquos

voice ldquoHe was only nineteenrdquo

ldquoIrsquom sorryrdquo OrsquoReilly saidldquoAye wellrdquo Alfie tugged at his tie ldquoStanding here both legs the

same length wonrsquot get your man there to the Royal What do you

want us to do Docrdquo

ldquoBefore you move him Irsquoll give his fore and hind legs a once-

over Then I want you to take him me and Sister OrsquoHallorhan

shersquoll be here in a minute up to the Royal Wersquoll radio ahead to

arrange for him to be seen in casualty get things rolling then have

him admitted to the observation wardrdquo

ldquoRight Doc Come on Bertrdquo The ambulance men aligned their

stretcher alongside Donal as OrsquoReilly examined Donalrsquos arms and

legs through his clothes ldquoYoursquore right Mrs Meehan There are no

bones brokenrdquo he said and stepped back to let the attendants do

their work ldquoThank you Mrs Meehanrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoYou did agreat job Now go on home and get your teardquo

She smiled bobbed her head and left

OrsquoReilly climbed aboard the ambulance ldquoFor crying out loudrdquo

Donal said and tried to sit up ldquoThis is daft so it is Going to all

this trouble Sure couldnrsquot I just get the bikemdashrdquo

OrsquoReilly made a noise like an enraged gorilla one whose last

banana had been stolen ldquoFor the last time Donal Donnelly yoursquoregoing to the Royal This is not a bleeding debating societymdashso

shut up lie down and let me examine yourdquo

ldquoI will Doctor OrsquoReilly sirrdquo a clearly chastened Donal saidmdash

and did

Fingal satisfied himself that Donalrsquos re1047298exes were normal that

his pupils were equal in size and reacting to light his pulse was

strong and steady and his blood pressure was normal The only

worrying thing was a bruise over Donalrsquos right temple The parietal

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1013

24 Patrick Taylor

bone there was thin There was a chance the skull was fractured

OrsquoReilly didnrsquot need to reassure himself that getting Donal to hospi-

tal was the right thing to do The middle meningeal artery laybeneath the parietal bone OrsquoReilly climbed out to meet Kitty

Barry was providing information to a uniformed Royal Ulster

Constabulary offi cer The man had a heavy pistol in a hip holster

Good for Barry OrsquoReilly thought one less chore for me and frankly

the sooner we get Donal to hospital the happier Irsquoll be If his condi-

tion did deteriorate speed of intervention was critical

The second ambulance attendant climbed into the back and

offered his hand to Kitty

ldquoHop inrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoAll his baseline findings are normal

but please keep an eye on him Irsquoll be in the front so if he starts to

go downhill let me knowrdquo

ldquoI willrdquo she said taking the proffered hand

He watched her climb in and as she did so her skirt rode upGod but she had a well-curved calf OrsquoReilly thought but then he

grinned she always had

Barry finished with the offi cer ldquoThanks for seeing to that Barryrdquo

OrsquoReilly said ldquoYoursquoll have to look after the practice tomorrow too

because Lord knows what time Irsquoll get homerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos all rightrdquo

ldquoOff you trotrdquo OrsquoReilly noticed his bag where hersquod left it on theground ldquoTake my bag to the car while yoursquore at it The ambulance

will be fully equippedrdquo

Barry paused ldquoHow will you and Kitty get homerdquo

ldquoKitty lives only a short walk from the hospital Irsquoll get a train

Now go on Itrsquos time we were offrdquo

OrsquoReilly stuck his head into the ambulance ldquoEverything okay

Kittyrdquo

ldquoNo changerdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo As OrsquoReilly walked to the front of the ambulance the

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 813

22 Patrick Taylor

them to give you a hand to load the bike into the boot of the Rover

At least Paddy Regan wonrsquot need to come all the way here to col-

lect itrdquoldquoPaddy Irsquoll let him knowrdquo Barry said

OrsquoReilly turned ldquoDo you hear that Donal Wersquoll get the bike

home for yourdquo

ldquoThanks Doc But what about Julie Shersquoll go spare if I donrsquot

get home toordquo

OrsquoReilly frowned ldquoYoursquove no phone Donal have yourdquo

ldquoNo sirrdquo

ldquoIrsquoll nip round and see Julierdquo Barry said ldquoTell her whatrsquos hap-

pened That shersquos not to worryrdquo

ldquoThanks Docrdquo

Barry turned to leave as two men approached wearing peaked

bus driversrsquo caps silver-buttoned blue uniforms and carrying a

stretcher The bigger one a burly open-faced man spoke to thefirst-aid lady ldquoWhatrsquos the story Rosierdquo Of course hersquod know her

Theyrsquod both be Downpatrick locals

She nodded at OrsquoReilly ldquoBetter ask your man there Alfie That

therersquos Doctor OrsquoReillyrdquo

The man turned to OrsquoReilly and grinned ldquoFrom Ballybuck-

lebo the wee village near Holywoodrdquo

ldquoThatrsquos right How did youmdashrdquo He frowned Alfie did look fa-miliar

ldquoI met you at a rugby game sirrdquo He pointed at Donal ldquoWhat

do you reckon about your manrdquo

ldquoHe came off the bike and hit his head He was unconscious for

a while but hersquos awake now Concussion at least and Irsquod like him in

the Royal for observation You know head injuries canmdashrdquo

ldquoI do know Too bloody wellrdquo The ambulance man frowned

ldquoMy brother God rest him got a smack on the nut with a hurley

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 913

A Dublin Student Doctor 23

ball He bled into his skull and diedrdquo There was a catch in Alfiersquos

voice ldquoHe was only nineteenrdquo

ldquoIrsquom sorryrdquo OrsquoReilly saidldquoAye wellrdquo Alfie tugged at his tie ldquoStanding here both legs the

same length wonrsquot get your man there to the Royal What do you

want us to do Docrdquo

ldquoBefore you move him Irsquoll give his fore and hind legs a once-

over Then I want you to take him me and Sister OrsquoHallorhan

shersquoll be here in a minute up to the Royal Wersquoll radio ahead to

arrange for him to be seen in casualty get things rolling then have

him admitted to the observation wardrdquo

ldquoRight Doc Come on Bertrdquo The ambulance men aligned their

stretcher alongside Donal as OrsquoReilly examined Donalrsquos arms and

legs through his clothes ldquoYoursquore right Mrs Meehan There are no

bones brokenrdquo he said and stepped back to let the attendants do

their work ldquoThank you Mrs Meehanrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoYou did agreat job Now go on home and get your teardquo

She smiled bobbed her head and left

OrsquoReilly climbed aboard the ambulance ldquoFor crying out loudrdquo

Donal said and tried to sit up ldquoThis is daft so it is Going to all

this trouble Sure couldnrsquot I just get the bikemdashrdquo

OrsquoReilly made a noise like an enraged gorilla one whose last

banana had been stolen ldquoFor the last time Donal Donnelly yoursquoregoing to the Royal This is not a bleeding debating societymdashso

shut up lie down and let me examine yourdquo

ldquoI will Doctor OrsquoReilly sirrdquo a clearly chastened Donal saidmdash

and did

Fingal satisfied himself that Donalrsquos re1047298exes were normal that

his pupils were equal in size and reacting to light his pulse was

strong and steady and his blood pressure was normal The only

worrying thing was a bruise over Donalrsquos right temple The parietal

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1013

24 Patrick Taylor

bone there was thin There was a chance the skull was fractured

OrsquoReilly didnrsquot need to reassure himself that getting Donal to hospi-

tal was the right thing to do The middle meningeal artery laybeneath the parietal bone OrsquoReilly climbed out to meet Kitty

Barry was providing information to a uniformed Royal Ulster

Constabulary offi cer The man had a heavy pistol in a hip holster

Good for Barry OrsquoReilly thought one less chore for me and frankly

the sooner we get Donal to hospital the happier Irsquoll be If his condi-

tion did deteriorate speed of intervention was critical

The second ambulance attendant climbed into the back and

offered his hand to Kitty

ldquoHop inrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoAll his baseline findings are normal

but please keep an eye on him Irsquoll be in the front so if he starts to

go downhill let me knowrdquo

ldquoI willrdquo she said taking the proffered hand

He watched her climb in and as she did so her skirt rode upGod but she had a well-curved calf OrsquoReilly thought but then he

grinned she always had

Barry finished with the offi cer ldquoThanks for seeing to that Barryrdquo

OrsquoReilly said ldquoYoursquoll have to look after the practice tomorrow too

because Lord knows what time Irsquoll get homerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos all rightrdquo

ldquoOff you trotrdquo OrsquoReilly noticed his bag where hersquod left it on theground ldquoTake my bag to the car while yoursquore at it The ambulance

will be fully equippedrdquo

Barry paused ldquoHow will you and Kitty get homerdquo

ldquoKitty lives only a short walk from the hospital Irsquoll get a train

Now go on Itrsquos time we were offrdquo

OrsquoReilly stuck his head into the ambulance ldquoEverything okay

Kittyrdquo

ldquoNo changerdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo As OrsquoReilly walked to the front of the ambulance the

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 913

A Dublin Student Doctor 23

ball He bled into his skull and diedrdquo There was a catch in Alfiersquos

voice ldquoHe was only nineteenrdquo

ldquoIrsquom sorryrdquo OrsquoReilly saidldquoAye wellrdquo Alfie tugged at his tie ldquoStanding here both legs the

same length wonrsquot get your man there to the Royal What do you

want us to do Docrdquo

ldquoBefore you move him Irsquoll give his fore and hind legs a once-

over Then I want you to take him me and Sister OrsquoHallorhan

shersquoll be here in a minute up to the Royal Wersquoll radio ahead to

arrange for him to be seen in casualty get things rolling then have

him admitted to the observation wardrdquo

ldquoRight Doc Come on Bertrdquo The ambulance men aligned their

stretcher alongside Donal as OrsquoReilly examined Donalrsquos arms and

legs through his clothes ldquoYoursquore right Mrs Meehan There are no

bones brokenrdquo he said and stepped back to let the attendants do

their work ldquoThank you Mrs Meehanrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoYou did agreat job Now go on home and get your teardquo

She smiled bobbed her head and left

OrsquoReilly climbed aboard the ambulance ldquoFor crying out loudrdquo

Donal said and tried to sit up ldquoThis is daft so it is Going to all

this trouble Sure couldnrsquot I just get the bikemdashrdquo

OrsquoReilly made a noise like an enraged gorilla one whose last

banana had been stolen ldquoFor the last time Donal Donnelly yoursquoregoing to the Royal This is not a bleeding debating societymdashso

shut up lie down and let me examine yourdquo

ldquoI will Doctor OrsquoReilly sirrdquo a clearly chastened Donal saidmdash

and did

Fingal satisfied himself that Donalrsquos re1047298exes were normal that

his pupils were equal in size and reacting to light his pulse was

strong and steady and his blood pressure was normal The only

worrying thing was a bruise over Donalrsquos right temple The parietal

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1013

24 Patrick Taylor

bone there was thin There was a chance the skull was fractured

OrsquoReilly didnrsquot need to reassure himself that getting Donal to hospi-

tal was the right thing to do The middle meningeal artery laybeneath the parietal bone OrsquoReilly climbed out to meet Kitty

Barry was providing information to a uniformed Royal Ulster

Constabulary offi cer The man had a heavy pistol in a hip holster

Good for Barry OrsquoReilly thought one less chore for me and frankly

the sooner we get Donal to hospital the happier Irsquoll be If his condi-

tion did deteriorate speed of intervention was critical

The second ambulance attendant climbed into the back and

offered his hand to Kitty

ldquoHop inrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoAll his baseline findings are normal

but please keep an eye on him Irsquoll be in the front so if he starts to

go downhill let me knowrdquo

ldquoI willrdquo she said taking the proffered hand

He watched her climb in and as she did so her skirt rode upGod but she had a well-curved calf OrsquoReilly thought but then he

grinned she always had

Barry finished with the offi cer ldquoThanks for seeing to that Barryrdquo

OrsquoReilly said ldquoYoursquoll have to look after the practice tomorrow too

because Lord knows what time Irsquoll get homerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos all rightrdquo

ldquoOff you trotrdquo OrsquoReilly noticed his bag where hersquod left it on theground ldquoTake my bag to the car while yoursquore at it The ambulance

will be fully equippedrdquo

Barry paused ldquoHow will you and Kitty get homerdquo

ldquoKitty lives only a short walk from the hospital Irsquoll get a train

Now go on Itrsquos time we were offrdquo

OrsquoReilly stuck his head into the ambulance ldquoEverything okay

Kittyrdquo

ldquoNo changerdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo As OrsquoReilly walked to the front of the ambulance the

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1013

24 Patrick Taylor

bone there was thin There was a chance the skull was fractured

OrsquoReilly didnrsquot need to reassure himself that getting Donal to hospi-

tal was the right thing to do The middle meningeal artery laybeneath the parietal bone OrsquoReilly climbed out to meet Kitty

Barry was providing information to a uniformed Royal Ulster

Constabulary offi cer The man had a heavy pistol in a hip holster

Good for Barry OrsquoReilly thought one less chore for me and frankly

the sooner we get Donal to hospital the happier Irsquoll be If his condi-

tion did deteriorate speed of intervention was critical

The second ambulance attendant climbed into the back and

offered his hand to Kitty

ldquoHop inrdquo OrsquoReilly said ldquoAll his baseline findings are normal

but please keep an eye on him Irsquoll be in the front so if he starts to

go downhill let me knowrdquo

ldquoI willrdquo she said taking the proffered hand

He watched her climb in and as she did so her skirt rode upGod but she had a well-curved calf OrsquoReilly thought but then he

grinned she always had

Barry finished with the offi cer ldquoThanks for seeing to that Barryrdquo

OrsquoReilly said ldquoYoursquoll have to look after the practice tomorrow too

because Lord knows what time Irsquoll get homerdquo

ldquoThatrsquos all rightrdquo

ldquoOff you trotrdquo OrsquoReilly noticed his bag where hersquod left it on theground ldquoTake my bag to the car while yoursquore at it The ambulance

will be fully equippedrdquo

Barry paused ldquoHow will you and Kitty get homerdquo

ldquoKitty lives only a short walk from the hospital Irsquoll get a train

Now go on Itrsquos time we were offrdquo

OrsquoReilly stuck his head into the ambulance ldquoEverything okay

Kittyrdquo

ldquoNo changerdquo

ldquoGoodrdquo As OrsquoReilly walked to the front of the ambulance the

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1113

A Dublin Student Doctor 25

last colours of the sunset 1047298ared and died A straggling clamour of

rooks 1047298apped untidily across the dimming horizon and Venus rose

a glittering forerunner of the myriad stars that would spangle theskyrsquos dark dome

He climbed into the passenger side and shut the cabrsquos door

ldquoHowrsquos about ye Docrdquo Alfie the driver asked

ldquoGrandrdquo said OrsquoReilly ldquoThe lad in the backrsquos a patient of minerdquo

And he thought as close to being a friend as Irsquoll let any of my pa-

tients be ldquoI think hersquoll be all rightrdquo

ldquoRightrdquo said the driver ldquoletrsquos get goingrdquo He switched on his

1047298ashing lights but not the siren put the vehicle in gear and started

for Belfast

ldquoCan we radio aheadrdquo OrsquoReilly asked ldquoLet the neurosurgery

people know wersquore comingrdquo

ldquoAye certainly sirrdquo The driver lifted a microphone depressed

a button and announced ldquoAmbulance despatch ambulance des-patch This is delta alpha two sixer overrdquo

In moments OrsquoReilly had relayed the details to the dispatcher

who would contact the neurosurgery registrar on call ldquoWho is the

senior neurosurgeon on call tonightrdquo Just in case and the thought

niggled at him just in case that bruise at the side of Donalrsquos head

was a sign of more ominous damage

ldquoMister Greer sirrdquo The voice from the speaker was distortedldquoThank you despatch Delta alpha two sixer Outrdquo OrsquoReilly

handed the mike back ldquoThank yourdquo he said

Charlie Greer He and OrsquoReilly went back to 1931 and that

wasnrsquot yesterday He hoped Donal would have no need of Char-

liersquos services but if Donal did deteriorate he couldnrsquot ask for a bet-

ter brain surgeon

ldquoHow long until we get to Belfastrdquo OrsquoReilly asked

ldquoAbout an hour and a halfmdashand if yoursquoll excuse me sir Irsquod bet-

ter concentrate on driving The roadrsquos twisty hererdquo

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1213

26 Patrick Taylor

OrsquoReilly said ldquoPay me no heedrdquo He sat staring through the

window as rays from the dome 1047298ashers 1047298ickered and the headlightsrsquo

beams picked out 1047298uttering moths the verges and hedges and drystone walls draped with straggling brambles He wondered about

Donal OrsquoReilly knew that no amount of worrying was going to help

anything Kitty would let him know if anything changed and if it

did Donal was well on his way to being in the hands of a bloody

good neurosurgeon Charles Edward Greer MD FRCS from

Ballymoney County Antrim A long time ago he had been a rugby-

playing medical student like OrsquoReilly at Trinity College Dublin

OrsquoReilly had met student nurse Kitty OrsquoHallorhan while he

and Charlie along with their friends Bob Beresford and Donald

Cromie and a nasty piece of work called Ronald Hercules Fitzpat-

rick who now practiced in the Kinnegar had been working in Sir

Patrick Dunrsquos Hospital Back in 1934

Hersquod been twenty-five years old and had completed nearly threeyears of his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin

Dublin had been richly described by the playwright Denis John-

ston as ldquoStrumpet city in the sunset So old so sick with memo-

riesrdquo The place had memories for OrsquoReilly all right

Trinity College with its Libraryrsquos Long Room wherein resided

the Book of Kells and the Brian Boru harp The pubs Davy Byrnes

the Bailey Nearyrsquos and the Stagrsquos Head Great broad OrsquoConnellStreet crossing Anna Livia the Dublinersrsquo name for the River Liffey

The tenement districts like the Liberties the Coombe and Monto

filthy squalid vermin-plagued but with indomitable inhabitants

OrsquoConnell Street and halfway up it Nelsonrsquos Pillar beside the Gen-

eral Post Offi ce from the steps of which Paacutedraig Pearse had read out

the Proclamation of the Irish Republic at Eastertide 1916 Its faccedilade

and Ionic columns were still pockmarked with British bullets from

the siege during the Rising

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR

842019 A Dublin Student Doctor An Irish Country Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-dublin-student-doctor-an-irish-country-novel 1313

BUY THE BOOK NOW

AmazonBarnes amp Noble

IndieBound

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

macmillancom

A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR


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