TD 1
You just don’t know and you make these little sto
ries up in your head A short while later, Grant and Brady are joined by Alan Mulligan and his girlfriend Kayley Mackey. He’s been dangling his magnets for almost six years now since he saw it on the tele. He’s even taken today off from his day job as a builder. “I get a kick out of getting bikes and scooters out, I’ve sold a few through markets. There are little goals I would like to get, I’d like to get a safe, I’d like to get a knife, I’d like to get a gun.” When asked if he ponders how they ended up there, he scoffs, “I’m from Dublin, I know how it got there.” And so, this foursome carry on over the next few hours – casting, dragging, pulling. They sidle along the canal edge, contently whiling away the time, peppering their routine with catch-up chats and chiding each other over catching things from the ‘rubbish’ end of the spectrum. They may end up with something they can recycle when they hack the rust off it. They may not. Grant knows there’s also an environmental upside to their pursuit. They frequently liaise with the Council and Gardaí should the need arise. “We leave it out for collection. You are cleaning the canal because at the same time there’s fish down there, there’s other wildlife – herons, swans and ducks. You are taking metal that shouldn’t be in the river out, so it’s good for the environment.” A few hours later down by the Luke Kelly head, they tug out a Suzuki motorbike. It takes all four of them, three magnets, three grapple hooks and Kayleigh’s Kia Sportage to haul it to the to the surface. It seems in decent nick and salvageable after a good power hose and service. They pose for our photographer Tom, brimming with glee with their prize catch of the day. Alan subsequently discovered that the bike was stolen in Co Wicklow last September. It’s on its way back to to its rightful owner. IG: @maggie.fisher.irl 24