“My story is of an ordinary working-class youth who became involved in something extraordinary; a story of ‘armed struggle’, death, prison ships and prison camps. This morphed into life in Donegal, family and work, and then a return to academia, graduating as a ‘Teacherman’, and a new life in Galway. In writing this memoir, I’ve found it to be a story representing those I grew up with, those who embraced conflict on the streets in the ’70s and the years in Long Kesh; they were friends for life with an unbreakable bond. Many didn’t survive the conflict and others succumbed to the passage of time in recent years. It’s a story which needs to be told, a story from the streets and not a revisionist history from those who rewrite to suit an agenda. Between recuperation after surgery and the COVID-19 lockdown, I have taken the opportunity to proverbially put pen to paper. It has been a journey with many twists and turns but thankfully, I’m still here to write it all down.”