Tales from Portlaw Volume Six - The Alternative Christmas Party
Tales from Portlaw Volume Six - The Alternative Christmas Party

Author: William Forde

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2014-09-12

Total Pages: 94

ISBN-13: 1326016628

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

I grew up on my mother's stories. Although an Irish woman of small stature and imaginative mind, stories didn't come any 'taller' than those tales told by my mother. They would stretch the bounds of one's credulity beyond the realms of possibility, and yet, she always made me 'want to believe them'. I have taken the germ of her fact and added a bit of my fiction with a dash of author licence. This sixth volume of 'Tales from Portlaw', 'The Alternative Christmas Party' is the story of two Portlaw Christmas Party events that are booked by the same social events secretary for Boxing Day of 2012. One event was for the Catholic Church of Portlaw which is attended by priests, nuns and Catholic parishioners and the other event is for the 'Portlaw Rugby Club.' When the secretary of these two institutions makes a small mistake, the consequences for the people of Portlaw are enormous!

Tales from Portlaw Volume Ten - 'The Woman Who Hated Christmas'
Tales from Portlaw Volume Ten - 'The Woman Who Hated Christmas'

Author: William Forde

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2015-03-21

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1326222147

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

It was the marked contrast between people who loved and the people who hated Christmas, which inspired this story. 'The Woman Who Hated Christmas' tells the story of one such person, Beth Malone. As a child of ten years around Christmas Day Beth's mother dies in childbirth along with the stillborn infant. Sickened with grief, her father becomes emotionally unstable, is committed to the psychiatric ward of a local hospital and commits suicide. Left on her own with two younger sisters, Beth and her sisters are taken into Care of the Local Authority. The family is forcibly separated and do not see each other again. Beth rebels. Her foster homes are firstly resented by her and then come to be gravely feared by her. The story follows Beth through her life, first in Ireland, then in the mills of West Yorkshire, then on the streets of Manchester and finally back in Ireland where the story ends. For Beth, the experiences of Christmas are ones she would prefer to forget. Enjoy

Tales From Portlaw Volume Thirteen
Tales From Portlaw Volume Thirteen

Author: William Forde

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2018-07-19

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 0244400954

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is a love story is about a travelling Romany who visits the home of Lizzy Lanigan in Portlaw during the year of 1955. Lizzy is a newly-wed, who was married a mere three months earlier. The peg-selling gypsy persuades Lizzy to have her palm read for the cost of two shillings. The Romany fortune teller then informs Lizzy that she will give birth to a girl child within the year who will be named 'Mary'. Lizzy is informed that she will give birth to a total of seven children during her life, but that her firstborn will be a 'special' child, who, when her time comes, will also give birth to seven children, of whom the firstborn will be a 'special' girl, also named 'Mary'. The Romany also reveals that the Lanigan legacy of 'specialness' will be passed down for generations, providing that mother and firstborn maintain its secret. If the secret is kept as instructed, the Lanigan family will be blessed, but if the secret is told to another; the Lanigan descendants will be cursed!

Tales from Portlaw Volume Two - The Priest's Calling Card
Tales from Portlaw Volume Two - The Priest's Calling Card

Author: William Forde

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2014-09-09

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 132601322X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

I grew up on my mother's stories. Although an Irish woman of small stature and imaginative mind, stories didn't come any 'taller' than those tales told by my mother. They would stretch the bounds of one's credulity beyond the realms of possibility, and yet, she always made me 'want to believe them'. Having been persuaded to return to writing, I decided to recount some of the stories told to me by my mother long ago. Being a person with my own imagination, I have taken the germ of her tale and elaborated it with the aid of 70 years of wisdom and a splash of literary licence to come up with the final result. 'The Priest's Calling Card' is about a Portlaw Priest who leaves his walking stick outside any house he visits as a sign of his presence there and with the clear understanding he is never to be interrupted during his home visits by any other callers to the house where he is.

Tales from Portlaw Volume Four: 'The Oldest Woman in the World'
Tales from Portlaw Volume Four: 'The Oldest Woman in the World'

Author: William Forde

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2014-09-10

Total Pages: 78

ISBN-13: 1326014501

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

'The Oldest Woman in the World' is a story about the life of a Portlaw-born man, Sean Thornton who spent many years working as a reporter for an Irish newspaper before becoming a reporting investigator for the very first edition of 'The Guinness Book of Records' in 1955. Sean's task for an edition of the annual records book was to seek out and confirm the identity of the oldest person in the world. He eventually does that, but not in time to include the factual data in the record book. In later years, he is greatly surprised that the oldest person in the world and himself share a mutual connection and that she finished up living much closer to Portlaw than Sean would ever have imagined!

Tales from Portlaw Volume Seven - The Life of Liam Lafferty
Tales from Portlaw Volume Seven - The Life of Liam Lafferty

Author: William Forde

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2014-09-13

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 1326017160

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

I grew up on my mother's stories. Although an Irish woman of small stature and imaginative mind, stories didn't come any 'taller' than those tales told by my mother. They would stretch the bounds of one's credulity beyond the realms of possibility, and yet, she always made me 'want to believe them'. I have taken the germ of her fact and added a bit of my fiction with a dash of author licence. This seventh volume of 'Tales from Portlaw' tells about the life and times of Liam Lafferty. It is a story involving being reared without the benefit of parents, a life of hard work and a marriage with one's first love. The story also touches upon bereavement and its effects within the life of various family members. The tale is a story of hope for the future in the life of any good person.

Tales from Portlaw Volume Three: 'Bigger and Better'
Tales from Portlaw Volume Three: 'Bigger and Better'

Author: William Forde

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2014-09-10

Total Pages: 71

ISBN-13: 1326014439

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

I grew up on my mother's stories. Although an Irish woman of small stature and imaginative mind, stories didn't come any 'taller' than those tales told by my mother. They would stretch the bounds of one's credulity beyond the realms of possibility, and yet, she always made me 'want to believe them'. Having been persuaded to return to writing, I decided to recount some of the stories told to me by my mother long ago. Being a person with my own imagination, I have taken the germ of her tale and elaborated it with the aid of 70 years of wisdom and a splash of literary licence to come up with the final result. This third volume of 'Tales from Portlaw', 'Bigger and Better' is about a Portlaw boy with stunted growth goes to live with his Uncle and Aunt in America to avoid bullying, but finds that all things 'bigger' are not necessarily' better'.

Tales from Portlaw Volume Nine - 'The Last Dance'
Tales from Portlaw Volume Nine - 'The Last Dance'

Author: William Forde

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2015-03-20

Total Pages: 86

ISBN-13: 1326220772

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

'The Last Dance' the story evolves around the love of ballroom dancing by widower Nancy Swales and the new dancing partner in her life, married man Richard. Both dearly have one aim, to win the 'All Ireland Ballroom Dancing Championship'. Nancy and Richard pursue their dream; even at the risk of Richard becoming paralysed for life. Through their joint love of dancing, both Nancy and Richard find love once more. However, their Championship Final leads to their 'Last Dance.'

Tales from Portlaw Volume Eight - The Life and Times of Joe Walsh
Tales from Portlaw Volume Eight - The Life and Times of Joe Walsh

Author: William Forde

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2014-09-13

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1326017209

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

'The Life and times of Joe Walsh' is Volume Eight in my 'Tales from Portlaw' series. It is a story of failed relationships, broken promises, unfaithful marriages, lesbianism, betrayal, murder and revenge. Joe Walsh is an only child whose father rejects her at birth. Her mother always dreamed of becoming a writer but her husband forbade such. Joe's mother is abandoned by a cruel husband and decides to escape her unhappy marriage in Ireland and begins life anew in England as an unmarried mother in the 1950's. Mother and young child come to Liverpool where they face discrimination as foreigners and being a single parent. Over the years, Joe's mother re-establishes herself, goes through a bogus church blessing to be identified as a married woman and pursues her long held dreams of becoming a writer. Estranged from her parents, Joe's mother finds true happiness once again in the arms of a friend's husband, before setting up house and home in Haworth, West Yorkshire.

Tales From Portlaw Volume 12: 'Fourteen Days'
Tales From Portlaw Volume 12: 'Fourteen Days'

Author: William Forde

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2017-11-10

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13: 0244946639

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This love story is about a dying man and his personal assistant in his haulage firm. During the last fourteen days of his life, the dying man's lover strikes up a new relationship in the hospital ward with a patient in an adjacent bed. After her lover's death, she disappears and the new patient, who is infatuated with her, pursues his dream across the Irish Sea, only to discover that love is never smooth.