..he died yesterday at 5am. I want to devote some writing to this wayward man, whose life was fraught with strife.
He was brilliant academically but like many of his peers two of whom started AA in Ireland, he battled with alcohol addiction. We have many dark comedy sketches to draw on, which depict his dysfunction. One story is when two Russian guards, on duty guarding the Russian embassy in Ireland ( Uncle Liam lived next door)...left their post to wrestle him to the ground in an effort to prevent him from driving to procure more alcohol. To have left their post would have entailed punishment had they been caught.....
He was handsome; a Paul Newman lookalike, and all his offspring ( my first cousins) were beautiful to look at ; equally as talented and equally dysfunctional. Two sons suicided and last year his 15yr old grandson chose the same route.
Liam was 80yrs old and had managed to beat the demon alcohol for the past 15yrs with but one relapse. During this relapse our family had to intervene and nurse him back to health, his own family ( those remaining alive ) were unable to show the required Love or care to do so.
The death of his grandson was the only death he dealt with whilst sober. Perhaps the strength he showed at handling the grief, exerted an inward toll and his reward for such stoicism was cancer.
He was diagnosed less than a week ago, and is now dead. So hard to believe.; so fast...
His humour was witty and layered and often inappropriate. I remember at his eldest sons funeral he drank and drank and made lewd jokes about his flaccid penis. How ''it is not everyday a man's son dies' and we should all drink up and make merry.....
The past two years were spent searching for meaning and purpose to life. Being a 'left brained' man , he was desperate to seek proof that Jesus and God existed and refuted dates and facts in the literature he accessed. He drove us insane with his critical analysis of books like the thirteenth apostle...We would joke about it. My dad, his brother ( a monosyllabic emotionally detached different kind of alcoholic )would complain about having to listen to Liam rant and rave about that f'ucking 13th apostle and who the f'ck was that apostle?
Liam resisted the idea there is a God, yet desperately wanted to find evidence to prove himself wrong.
My angelic sister was the only one who could listen to him or endure his company these past few years. His wife and daughter lamented the fact he was sober as he was ''more likeable when drunk''
And this weird pair who hibernate from the world and have understandably little Love in their hearts must now face another funeral. They will be grateful I am overseas as for some reason I am a threat to them. For some reason my female cousin has felt I have succeeded in life and she has failed. Being close in age, ridiculous comparisons were made by family when we were younger. Uncle Liam always put his daughter down in his comparisons to me. Now we are fearful of each other without really knowing why)....
In a strange way his tenacity to life in the face of so much adversity was a source of strength to all who knew him.
I am filled with sadness that he is gone.
Anyway Liam, if there is anything I wish for you, it is that you have found peace. And to request if there is an after life you send us a sign. My sister deserves it if not I.