Tom O'Brien

Working for the Subby Tom O'Brien

JOHNJO...is the study of a man from the cradle to the grave. Forced to go on the run from his Comeragh hill farm at an early age, Johnjo washes up in Lincolnshire in war-time England. Working on farms, and often finding himself treated worse than the prisoners-of-war, he goes on the run again. And so begins a life-long association with 'the lump' - the dark underbelly of the construction industry. From building motorways and living in camps you 'wouldn't keep a decent dog in', we eventually find him working in London for a 'subby' called Bannaher - not having been home to Ireland for more than thirty years. Disillusioned and bitter at having been ground down by the harshness of his life, he, nevertheless, hangs on to a few sparks of defiance. The final straw comes when he sees his friend (lover?) buried alive in the trench they are working in, and he embarks on a rebellious 'last hurrah'.