My grandfather was from the town of Midleton in Co, Cork, Ireland. His daughter, my mother, was born in Bristol in England and lived there for many years before coming to Ireland to settle in a small town in Co. Wicklow.
Sadly my grandfather died before any of his grandchildren were born, but his watch, purchased in Midleton about 60 years ago was kept by my mother.
When my eldest brother was about ten years old my mother gave him my grandfathers old watch as his very first watch. He wore it for many years until it stopped keeping time properly and was consigned to a household drawer. There it lay for many years, unused and forgotten.
Over those next thirty years or so my brother, who is still living in that small Wicklow town, went through many different watches. Then, just last week, his latest watch broke. Having heard that there was a retired German gentleman in the village who fixed watches from his home my brother decided to drop his watch in to him for a quick repair job.
As an afterthought he threw in my grandfather's old watch too, on the off chance that this man might be able to fix it.
On his return to collect the watches a few days later the man met my brother at the door with a twinkle in his eye.
'I have a story to tell you about this...'
he said as he placed my grandfather's old watch into my brother's hands.
'I made that watch'.
As it turns out, over sixty years ago this man had worked as a watchmaker in Germany. Each watch that he built had his own personal stamp on it, and as he opened up the back of my Grandfather's watch there it was.
This particular watch had been destined to travel from Germany to Midleton in Co. Cork, Ireland where my Grandfather bought it. And now, over sixty years later both the watch and the watchmaker had ended up in this small Co. Wicklow town and been reunited.
How mad is that!
