Sixties

The ‘swinging 60s’.

Mum, dad, older brother, younger brother, and me – live in Discovery Road, Dundee.

It’s part of a big council estate on an edge of the city. From my bedroom window I see the primary school, the swing park and open fields where we throw stones at the cows. I guess that’s why I’m scared of walking through fields of cattle, just in case there’s some kind of collective communication and they try and get their own back.

The houses are odd numbered.

The Flannigan’s are at number 19 at the end of the row. He belts his kids and thumps his wife. She says she falls over, vertigo, that’s why she is bruised. When the paraffin stove sets light to the clothes hanging from the pulley in their scullery it almost burns the whole block down. It’s exciting watching the fire engine.

The McMahons live at 17. They are from Belfast. With the living room windows open he plays republican songs full volume on his record player. I can sing the words to the Dying Rebel – all of them. He disappears for months on end to Ireland to support the cause. The police knock down his front door and arrest him for gun running. It’s exciting watching him marching out handcuffed.

‘Big Liz’ is at 15. She and McMahon always argue. That afternoon as us kids sit on the swings in the playpark, the two of them start shouting and fighting in the street. He breaks her jaw. She lies stretched out on the road like a beached whale. No one comes to help. She crawls back indoors. That is exciting.

The Kirk’s are number 13. The grass on his front lawn is amazingly green and striped. He is Orange. He walks in the July marches, beating his big drum.  We stay indoors, but you hear them play outside the chapel. There must be a lot of them judging by the noise. It would be exciting to watch them.

The McLeary’s are next door to us at number 9. He has a little black dog. I stand by the window in the back bedroom, just to the side so no one can see me. I watch him take the dog into the garden shed. I didn’t see it after that. His son is two years older than me. I see him in the summer sunbathing out there. He sees me at the window and pulls his shorts down. He waves at me to come down. That was exciting.

The Morley’s live at number 7. Their son is famous. He is a Dundee United goalkeeper. He takes me to watch the team train and I get all their autographs. His dad is having an ‘affair’ with another woman on the estate. It’s only much later that I would call it an ‘affair’. He used to give me a shilling each time I went to her house and posted an envelope for him. It was our ‘secret’ he said, and I should never tell anyone. It was exciting having a secret.

Dundee was a really swinging place in the 60s.