Father of all the Egans I met my father on an Italian train somewhere back in 1982. We contacted each other in a strange way. Interailing across Europe with one's father is funny enough but discovering his whole personality away from home was simply wonderful. Undoubtedly we got the Sugar Daddy stares and the Italians did hiss a bit. But we remained devoted to each other until we reached the goal of his journey - Rome.

Don't get me wrong now. I mean he has lived at home, he never absconded but somehow through thirty six years of marriage he has managed to lead a life of beautiful bachelorhood.

Ever since Dada can remember he has been surrounded by women. Born the youngest son of Katie and Michael Egan of Castlebar, Mayo's first county manager's last child, Michael Joseph - my father - was born on February 6th. 1917.

Of that family of six, Fr Tommy restored Ballintubber Abbey, Uncle John worked with CIE, Aunty Nan worked alongside Dada in his law practice, Aunty Maura, was the first woman principal of a vocational school in the provinces, while Fr Maurice is a Passionist priest and a very kindly uncle to us all.

Dada says he enjoys working with women. And wouldn't he want to with a family of eight daughters, a staff of six women and a wife? So what do all these people do? Coleesa is a reporter in the Houses of the Oireachtas, Mary Kate works in Trocaire, Eanya is a solicitor, Felicity is an aeroplane engine mechanic, Geraldine is in Bord Failte in Frankfurt, John works in RTE, Meleesa works in the Rehabilitation Centre in Castlebar, I'm just starting a career in public relations after seven years in journalism and the baby - Pauline is with Algemene Bank Nederland on Stephen's Green.

Colleagues and contemporaries of my father have always considered him a touch eccentric. Joan Kelly, solicitor, of Tipperary, bumped into me recently on one of her days in town. We chatted and she questioned me on what my dear father proposed to do with this castle he had restored. "I mean he has a family of nine to attend to."
The castle she's referring to is Redwood Castle which belonged to our kinsmen, the Mac Egans, a leading family of Brehons and Ollaves, since 1350. It's situated at the very tip of North Tipperary, on a stretch of land which crosses three provinces, counties and dioceses, Tipperary, Galway and Offaly. My father considers it was just one piece of his life's work to restore his ancestral castle. When he bought it in 1972 it was in a ruinous state, being used as a cow byre.
The locals were puzzled when they heard Redwood had been sold. But when the news crept around that a solid Mayo solicitor and not a crazed Yank, had made the purchase, they were confused even further.

The restoration which took six years intensive stone masonry and rebuilding was supervised by Paddy Egan of Bolton Street's school of architecture and helped along by our only brother John.
If it wasn't for Eanya, the daughter of Egan Daughter and Co, and Mama the brains behind the law practice, we could now all be stumped with enormous debts. However. Through the judicious sale of property and incomed we were able to finance the restoration ourselves without a penny from any State body.

I don't think, my father at the tender age of 72 could have achieved all he has done without his wife and manager, Eithne Rose Mary Moran, formerly of Morans Stores, Rathowen, County Westmeath.

Religion plays a big part in our house and both parents are daily communicants . When I was preparing for my Leaving Certificate they both suggested I join in this ritualistic practice. On the few mornings when I tried to evade these ecclesiastical duties Dada had no qualms about dousing me with a tooth mug of freezing tap water. He was always a strict disciplinarian.
Having said that, he's not a old stick and he does love films, and has been known to sit through Joan Collin's movie 'The Stud' under the pretence that it was a film about horses.
He is terribly Irish and proud of it and one of his best anecdotes and my strongest memory is of a time he and Mama took three months off, to do an around the world trip. I got my birthday telegram from Hong Kong and they both were read the riot act for delaying the coach. The tour guide who was 'awfully awfully' reprimanded my poor father by saying ''Ooh the Oirish, late again as usual." I can see the blood rush up from his cravat and burst into his face as he stood his ground and told the very same lady that when the rest of Europe were running around in bare skins, the Irish were the most learned, cultured and sophisticated nation in Europe.

Micheline Egan
After seven years in journalism - including a stint in the US - Micheline Egan is embarking on a career in public relations.