" his mates laughed their heads off"
Gorgeous - GS

Can't remember if I posted this - the last story we recorded from Traveller, Mikeen McCarthy just before he died

Mickey Delaney was a half-Traveller, half tramp way back in Caherciveen when I was young
He never had a tent or a caravan, but would come into town carrying his tools on his shoulder at the beginning of Winter each year, find somewhere to sleep rough and look for work to feed himself until the Spring   
Every year he'd arrive in town, go straight to Dr Clifford's house, knock on the door and ask - "Do you have anything for a back back" or "do you have anything for a stomach ache" or "do you have anything for a pain in the head".....
The Doctor would always invite him in, give him a slap-up meal and a £5 note and send him on his way

This went on for years until, one particularly bad winter Mickey was spotted on the outskirts of town but after that, there was no sign of him
The townspeople became worried and set up a search - they eventually found him frozen to death in an old barn
They went to see Dr Clifford for a death certificate and when they explained what had happened
Clifford said, "I came to this town as a young man intending to marry and raise a family here, so I bought a family plot in the graveyard - I never married, so you might as well bury Mickey up there - plenty of room for two
They did just that, had a drink in the bar to his memory and buried him -Doctor Clifford paid for the funeral

Years rolled by and eventually the Doctor passed away - the townspeople buried him next to Mickey
After the mourners went home, Clifford lay in his box waiting for the journey up when he heard a knocking to the side the coffin
"Who's that" he calls out ?
"It's Mickey", came the reply
"What do you want ?"
"Do you have anything for worms ?"
Jim Carroll