As a child, the first sentence I managed to read with understanding was a caption in a book of World War II photographs: ‘Little ships that did great work in Dunkirk.’ I recall it as was one of the greatest moments of my life, as one who had picked a lock to a roomful of treasure. The best of my efforts at writing were scorned by English teachers. Canings were common for almost anything. The word ‘really’ got me the most canings of all. Mr Parkinson, assistant headmaster at St Thomas of Canterbury, was tall, thin and dark-suited. He wore black library frames. Six whacks on each hand were regular punishments for writing ‘reely’ or ‘reelly’. I still have trouble spelling.

The second teacher was Father ‘Fluffy’. Well, that was his nickname. He enjoyed reading bits from my essays to amuse the rest of the class. There was one outstanding piece I researched and wrote about Hollywood publicity in which I described how press agents would invent romances between stars and declare that they were ‘on the orange blossom road to happiness’. (Laughter).
Such things did not put me off writing. But the desire show my work to anyone evaporated. When I failed to write an annual letter to the Rector of St Bede’s College, Manchester, Monsignor Thomas Duggan, I was called to his study, ordered to take down my pants and accept a dozen blows from his leather strap. He managed five before I broke free. Two months later, after the summer break, I went back to his study and knocked on his door. He opened it six inches. He was hoping for promotion as a Catholic bishop.
‘Well?’ He said.
‘I no longer wish to be a priest,’ I said. ‘I see,’ he said and closed the door. He never got the promotion he was looking for.
By then I had fallen in love with R.D. Blackmore’s Lorna Doone and soon after I started work in Henry Bronnert’s textile office, on Prince’s Street, Manchester.

Peter McNiff is Small Town Poet: author of Small Town Reporters, memoir of his reporting days on Dublin newspapers (2009); Portrait of a Small Town – A photographic study of St Patrick’s Day 2009 in Greystones Co. Wicklow; Railway Encounters, a history of the railway from Dublin to Wicklow; and Stories from a Small Town – Anecdotal history of Greystones, Co Wicklow which received a Heritage Award. He has received awards for his television work and for short fiction. He is a member of Greystones Archaeological and Historical Society, Ireland Railway Records Society. Greystones Arts Group and Kilmantin Arts to which he was chair, 2007-2009.Greystones Cultural Person of the Year Award by Greystones Town Council 2004;