My Mother, who had she lived would have been a hundred next month, used to tell this story of a whale to me when I was young.

She and her brothers and sisters, she was one of six, were being rowed from Cobh (then known as the Cove of Cork or Queenstown) about Cork harbour by her father.
Cork harbour it must br remembered is a particularly deep berthing, Cobh was used by translantic liners for many years.

So as my Grandfather happily rowed his children in the deep waters of the harbour, singing and dabbling hands in the water I am sure, they suddenly heard a huge sigh.

Looking up they discovered that a whale, a large whale had come to the surface of the water just a few yards from their row boat.
My mother’s recollection of the event was dominated by my Grandfather, who must have been more terrified than any of his children, saying to them “Everyone is to stay completely silent.Not a sound”

They did as they were told and the whale descended to the deep.

Now this story really left its mark on me.
The picture of six children, terrified but silent has remained through the years.

Of course I told this story to my children and, again of course, it became a favourite bed time story.
” Daddy Daddy Tell us about Granny and the whale!”
It also became linked into Youghal which previous to the by-pass we used to drive through on our way from Waterford to Cork and which boasted a pub called “The Moby Dick” in memory of that film being shot there.

It became such an institution in our house that it became the song for getting the kids to eat up their dinner.
You know the story, just two bites left to finish and you are saying “Just one bite for Mummy and it’s all gone”

Instead they became the whale and the spoon of food was the rowboat paddling in the harbour.
I would just dangle the spoon in front of their mouth and sing (imitating the imagined sond of the children in the harbour);

“Row, row , row your boat.
Merrily Down the stream”

Then the whale would always surface and eat all the children.
I don’t think I ever got to finish the song;

“Merrily Merrily Merrily Merrily
Life is but a dream”

Next week my grandson is coming to stay, he has just started eating solids.
Time to get “Row, Row, Row” out of mothballs.