Publisher description
This is a remarkable story of the victory of spirit over adversity. Kevin
Dalton spent his life from 1934 when he was two until he was sixteen in
orphanages. From an early age he wanted to be ordained and this is the story of
how this ambition waxed and waned through all the vicissitudes of early
disadvantage. He arrived in Dublin aged 18 with only a primary education and
without a job. 'This was 1951 when there were few jobs to be had. Unemployment
was endemic and thousands of people were emigrating to find work ...I pounded
the footpaths of Dublin calling to shops and businesses looking for work ...I
hid my torn trousers and my scruffy clothes with a long overcoat. After two
months of no success I was demoralised to the point that I considered going to
England.' He eventually got work and qualified as a miller, but still had to
confront his lifelong ambition to be ordained. While working during the day he
set about studying for the Trinity College entrance exam. After much effort, he
eventually passed, and entered Trinity in 1961. In 1966 he was ordained in the
Church of Ireland, and spent a year of post-graduate study in America. His ministry has been spent in parishes in Dublin. This is a memoir that
oscillates between pathos and humour. He describes life in an orphanage in
Limerick where he was often hungry:'life, at times, in the Havergal was no
picnic.' This was relieved by holidays on a farm in Co Tipperary where '...I
was as happy as Larry ...' Above all, this is a memoir of determination to
survive and to achieve an ambition against the odds. This is a story of the victory of spirit over adversity. Kevin Dalton spent
his life from 1934 when he was two until he was sixteen in orphanages. From an
early age he wanted to be ordained and this is the story of how this ambition
waxed and waned through all the vicissitudes of early disadvantage.
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That Could Never Be: A Memoir
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