In one of Brendan Behan's pieces an Aul' Wan in a Dublin snug remarks that the 'Quality' loved their beasties.

It was true for her, and they loved them more than their human neighbours.

Christopher Isherwood, who wrote 'Mr Norris Changes Trains' and two of whose other stories were filmd as 'I Am a Camera' and 'Cabaret' published the letters of his parents under the title 'Frank and Kathleen' (or vice-versa.)

His parents were upper middle class English, his father a British Army Officer in Ireland in July 1914.

Writing to his wife following the shooting dead by the King's Own Scottish Borderers of unarmed civilians on Bachelors' Walk in Dublin he wrote that those killed were gunrunners. They were not, though hundreds of rifles had been landed at Howth earlier that day. Christopher Isherwood puts the record straight.

Within a week Britain was at war with Germany and Frank Isherwood had to embark on a troopship at Limerick. His, horse, whilst being loaded was dropped between the quay and the ship, into the Shannon, but was unhurt. Frank Isherwood was very put out at the thought of the suffering of the dumb animal.

The newsreel of the Dublin funeral of the shot civilians is accessible, free, on ITN-British Pathe. However the dead are dscribed, falsely, as gun runners.