Welcome to Northern Ireland, which is a small statelet on the North Eastern corner of the island of Ireland. In 1921 the island was partitioned. It had thirty-two counties and twenty-six of those gained dominion status. The remainder, i.e. the counties of Antrim, Down, Armagh, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry remain an integral part of the U.K.

The twenty-six southern counties of Ireland, formerly entitled The Irish Free State are now an independent Irish Republic (and incidentally, the most prosperous member of the E.U).

My name is PATRICK SMYTH and I live at LURGAN. Co. ARMAGH.

I served with the Northern Ireland (British) civil service from 1935 until 1976. From 1935 until 1962, I was on the staff of the Unemployment/National Assistance Board, as an area manager in West Tyrone 1943/53, I launched the Welfare State and administered means-tested benefits and old age pensions.

I found the case histories, the reminiscences, and the characters of our clients a fascinating study, so much so, that when I retired in 1976, I took up the collection and recording of memories, as a hobby.

Twenty-five years on, I have amassed unique library of memories (reminiscences) recorded in print and on tape. My own early memories going back to nineteen twenty are included.

I grew up on my father's farm in South Antrim and I helped (wrought) there until I got married. I have had a long and happy life and I shall delight in rehearsing the highlights of it, plus the stories rehearsed for me by people born in the late nineteenth century and later 'Characters' of the kind no longer encountered in this age of electronic communications.

The media, viz BBC Radio, Ulster, Downtown Radio, Radio Eireann, 'Irish News', 'Irish Times', 'Belfast Telegraph', and the 'Lurgan Mail' and 'Ulster Star' have given me wide coverage in the past fifteen years.

The feedback has been so encouraging that I have written and self-published six books, all of which have been good sellers locally. Messrs. Easons have distributed all of them. Three are out of print.

Pat Smyth on a selling encounter.