Exits and Entrances

About the Book

On a very cold morning in January 1922, the overnight boat from Glasgow to Belfast arrived at the docks four hours later than expected. Passengers disembarking made their way wearily into the sheds where some had friends and family anxiously awaiting there arrival. It had been a hazardous journey, navigation had been difficult as the captain and crew battled through the night to keep the vessel on course through the dense fog and billowy sea.

“Thank God we have arrived safe and sound ma’ I will never ever travel by boat again anywhere.” Aggie Mitchell said to her mother who accompanied her. “Aye lass it was a rough night, it will be a relief to get home an see these weans settled” Maggie replied.

In her arms she carried a tiny baby wrapped securely in blanker and shawl to keep out the cold. Aggie held a toddler in her arms who was sleeping and oblivious to what was going on around her.

They emerged from the sheds and hailed one of the horse drawn carriages that operated from the docks. Telling the driver where they wanted to go they climbed into the cab as the horses impatient to be off, nodded there heads, whinnied and stamped their feet on the cobble-stoned roadway. The interior of the carriage smelt of a combination of horseflesh, alcohol and stale tobacco. Trams rattled and clanged along the Queens Bridge as the carriage made its way across it and into the Sand Quay. A drover shouted and manoeuvred a herd of confused cows into the slaughter house, leaving behind a track of cow dung in their wake.

About the Author

P>Born in Whifflet, a mining town in Coatbridge Mary Goodlet Clyde nee Ashwood was brought up in Belfast Northern Ireland by her father's sister, when she was abandoned by her father on the death of her mother who died shortly after her birth. She travelled extensively after her marriage to Victor Clyde and lived in Canada, New Zealand, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa, before returning to Banbridge where her husband died six days after his return to his birthplace. She wrote several courses at Open University, before deciding to write a novel to overcome the boredom of living alone and mostly for therapeutic reasons. Mrs. Goodlet-Clyde is the mother of four children and eight grandchildren.