PAT FALLON, 91 years old, was born in 1934 in an orphanage in Dublin.
He was taken to a ‘foster family’ aged five and lived there until in 1955.
As a 21-year-old he left Ireland and headed to Manchester looking for work.
He settled with his wife Nancy in Manchester in 1957.
Pat set up a construction company, and in his spare time got involved in Comhaltas, becoming chairman of the Manchester branch for three years.
He has also written a book about his life, titled Nine Pounds and a Suitcase.
This week he took time out to talk to the Irish Post...
Pat Fallon was born in DublinWhat are you up to?
During the restrictions imposed on us all by covid I made good use of being stuck indoors to start writing down various stories about my childhood and I’m happy to say it has now been published, so I have been enjoying telling people about it and selling it — with every penny of the sales going to Alzheimer’s and Derian House Hospice
Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine?
The Spinning Wheel by Delia Murphy.
What is your favourite film?
The Quiet Man.
What are your Irish roots?
I was born in Dublin but didn’t meet my birth mother until I was 22 years old when I found out my family were originally from Galway. I have been in England since 1955.
What is your favourite place in Ireland?
The Dublin/Wicklow mountains where I spent my childhood.
Which person from the past do you most admire?
President John Kennedy.
What would be your motto?
Don’t dwell on the past.
Have you a favourite quote from a play or poem that you like?
I know and can remember and recite poems and songs I learnt as a child but I wouldn’t say I have one favourite one.
In terms of inanimate objects, what is your most precious possession?
My PTF 1 number plate.
What’s the best thing about where you live?
I am lucky to live near Healey Dell so I go out for a good walk most days and I also have a bus stop right outside my house so I am able to hop on it and get myself out and about all over the place.
. . . and the worst?
Living on a main road means lots of traffic.
What is the greatest lesson life has taught you?
To be resilient and move with the times, adapting when circumstances change and look to the future!
What do you believe in?
I believe in making the most of life, taking any and all opportunities and dedicating myself to my family and friends, I believe in not wasting a moment and getting out and doing something fun every day.
Who is the greatest love of your life?
My wife Nancy who I met in 1955 and was happily married to until her death in 2014.
Nine Pounds and a Suitcase — The Life Story of Pat Fallon is available to purchase from the Irish Centre, Manchester or the Millabout Café in Rochdale.
