Slaughtneil conjuring magic once again

Have you ever experienced something in your life that was so magical that you’ve come to doubt that it actually took place? It has happened to me only once, writes Paddy Heaney.

Before telling the story, I need to provide some background. As a boy, I mainlined Westerns. Cowboys and Indians. Despite the fact that they usually got whipped, I always aligned myself with the Indians — or native Americans, as they should be called.

In fact, I always felt slightly aggrieved with God that I was born in a hospital. It should have been a teepee. Hunting buffalos. Riding horses on the open plains. Ambushing the American cavalry. That was the life for me. I had school: spellings, tables and my awful paintings. It was such a raw deal.