"That serene little haven in Tallanstown I knew well is now no more after this week's shocking events I'm chatting to the man who fixes our lawnmowers in Tallanstown, Co Louth. Monaghan is only a few fields away and everyone comes to Denis Smyth - from there, from Ardee, from Louth village and Knockbridge and other such unshowy places - for a chat and a service."
"I realise a few minutes in that we're both cursing a lot. This is what happens when you don't have the right words to hand - you start to swear. It's a tool for slagging, but it can be a tool for dealing with truths too hard to understand as well."
A once-serene haven in Tallanstown has been upended by shocking events that have changed the atmosphere of the place. The narrator speaks with Denis Smyth, the local lawnmower repairman who serves people from nearby Monaghan, Ardee, Louth village, Knockbridge and other unshowy places. The community connection centers on everyday services and conversation. Both the narrator and Denis resort to cursing within minutes of meeting. Swearing functions as both a tool for slagging and a means to cope with truths that feel too difficult to comprehend or express directly.
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