We practiced getting communion. Miss showed us a golden plate called a paten. That just proves how precious the Host is because the altar boys have to catch any crumbs.

‘What happens to the crumbs?’

‘The priest will take them later, Joseph. Now these are just wafers, they are so you can learn how to receive the sacrament.’

We have to stick our tongues out and say, ‘Amen’ when the priest says ‘Corpus Christi.’ It’s hard to get the words out and stick your tongue out, without making a mistake and doing them together. We have to let the wafer dissolve. No chewing. It sticks to my mouth till it gets soggy. That’s when I can swallow it.

There are mortal sins and venial sins. We are only seven, so Miss says we only have venial sins because none of us has committed murder yet, or coveted our neighbours’ wives. We have to count all the lies we told and the times we answered our mammies back. Even curses, but they are very bad, so go easy with them. Think carefully, count the number. There is a lot of thinking. Before you go in, to remember your sins. Then when you come out you have to bow your head and say your penance. Miss says if we’re not really sorry, we won’t really be forgiven, and we will go to Hell.

You have to remember all the words to say. ‘Bless me Father, for I have sinned. This is my First Confession. I told lies four times, and I answered me ma back once in the last week.’ It’s hard to think of enough sins. You have to have about four, at least, and different kinds. If you get fed up trying to think of them, you can just make them up. Nobody will ever know.

In first class we have Miss for our teacher. If she’s not in we go into second class and the nun stands at the front and says prayers. One time I kneeled beside her and used the black rosary beads hanging from her waist for praying.

‘Look what a good boy this is everybody,’ said Sister. ‘What’s your name?’

I don’t even know who everybody is. I only can see Sister’s black dress. She has a big cross on her front, and a big black and white thing on her head.

I got new Little Duke shoes, and a suit with a medal ribbon on it. I am about half as tall as the mangle in the yard where the toilets are. That’s where all the gulls come down laughing and crying when it’s going to rain. But it is sunny today. The sky is high up not low down. When we are big we will be able to wear longers, but not yet. I can’t swing on the rope or anything like that today in the yard because of my clean clothes.

It’s quite funny going around all the doors with mammy and they all say how lovely I look, a handsome devil, and give me money. Some of them give me orange paper money. Mammy minds that for me. But I can keep the silver. Well, I don’t need all of it, just enough for a child. I am rich.

The priests made a big dinner in the school, and all the communion girls and boys sat at long tables. There was jelly and custard. They were very happy with us. But I don’t know anybody here, only me. After that, they let us go. Our school is called Clarendon Street, and the way I go home is called Messer Street.

There was no traffic, no bicycles and the street is only small but the buildings are big. There were a lot of toys in a shop window. I asked the man in the shop what I could get for my money, and I showed him how much. He showed me some things, so I decided to get a fishing rod set. He said okay, and before you go you can afford one of these too, and he gave me a parachute man.

So I carried the fishing rod set, and opened the parachute man package outside the shop. Then I pointed it up at the blue sky and blew it. The parachute man flew into the air and floated down into the middle of the road. So I put him back in the tube and blew it again, and he floated far. Every time I pointed him up at the blue sky and he parachuted down far, all the way home.