07 1 / 2009
A story about the great aunts, from cousin Rob.
“I suppose this should be written down for posterity or something, being as it’s such a good story.
As you may or may not know, back in the day when Ethel had money, she would take all her sisters on trips overseas. Most often it was to Ireland but I know once they went to Greece. I also know of a memorable event that took place in Greece, that will come later, but this particular episode occurred in Dublin.
All the girls, that would be Helen (Bunny), Aline (Stretch), Virginia (Miz) and Ethel (Ets), after a day of sightseeing, had returned to the bar in their exclusive Hotel for tea (aka a drink). They were sitting at a table when, as my mother put it, “…a very unkempt hippy fellow” came in and sat down at the piano. They were all appalled at the sight of this unwelcome patron into their elite establishment. He starts to play a string of traditional Irish songs encouraging the patrons to all sing along. He’d obviously won-over all the Wade girls by the second song with his talent. He played for a bit then rose and strode out as quickly as he had arrived, leaving them all “tickled” as they would say. My mother called the bar maid over to the table to ask her just who was that strange man and she replied; “Why Mum, that’s the owner, Bono.”
An epilogue to this is when years later Bono met with the Pope I asked my mother if she remembered him. I’d tried over the years to convince her how big a star he was but that meeting of course, in her eyes, elevated him to Sainthood.
Lift a Pint to Ets.”
