If They offer, Take It…


I’m spending the May Bank Holiday weekend in my home town of Sligo, visiting with my Dad.

Dad is full of good stories and I always try and poach a few off him when I’m here.


He’s what’s sometimes known in Ireland as a ‘Gas Man’ - a remarkable character. At 74 he has just got his first tattoo – this is a secret ambition I have had for some time. I never thought I’d inherited it genetically.

Dad has had quite a number of heart bypass operations over the last 25 years but he remains strong, vibrant and independent. So much so, that people often come to him to ask for his advice before they face into one of these somewhat daunting surgical procedures.

He was telling me yesterday about one such elderly man who came to him to learn a little about the bypass operation he was due to have.

Dad was explaining to him how he might feel afterward and how his recovery might progress.

The man interrupted him.

“I don’t want to know any of that,” the man said, “I’ll just have to take that as it comes. There’s only one thing I want to know. I’m dead scared of anaesthetics. I just need to know – will they have to give me one to do this operation?

Dad hesitated.

“Well, Tommy,” he said, “my advice would be, if they offer you one, I would take it”.

5 comments:

Fiendish said...

Great story.

There's much to be said for the "gas man" at the end of the day. Actually, now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure you're one yourself...

Tam said...

Excellent, good on the ol' boy.

Now that I think about it, being of pension age is absolutely the best time to get a tattoo.

What are the arguments against it, that you might regret having it in later life? Pur-lease, something tells me that wouldn't quite wash with yer dad.



A friend of mine, about 30ish, wants to get a tattoo, but has resolved to get fit and lose a bit of weight first.

His reason for this, in his words..."You cannae polish a turd"

Jim Murdoch said...

Now that's something I like about both the Scots and the Irish, they rarely give you a simple, "Yes" or "No" answer. I remember the end of Laidlaw where he gives the culprit a cuppa. He asks, "Is this for me?" to which Laidlaw replies: "You've got a mouth, haven't you?"

Rachel Fox said...

I wish they offered anaesthetics for lots of other features of life...I'd take one for flying, for example, and family get-togethers...all sorts of other times too.

Dave King said...

They keep talking about "popping" a camera down me to take a looksee" but I'm only agreeing to it if it's a digital - but if they offer me an anaesthetic I'll take it!