"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 serene, familiar haven in Tallanstown has been changed irreversibly by recent shocking events. A local lawnmower repairer, Denis Smyth, serves people from nearby places including Monaghan, Ardee, Louth village and Knockbridge. The repair shop functions as a social hub where practical service and conversation mix. The narrator and Denis quickly find themselves cursing during their conversation. Swearing arises when suitable words are missing and serves multiple purposes. Swearing can be a tool for teasing or slagging, and it can also help people cope with truths that are too difficult to comprehend directly.
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