Ben "Larry" Lockyer
November 2008
Ben Lockyer from Wellington, New Zealand is our new featured customer. He is a keen sailor and has been living in Ireland for the past 4 and half years. This Christmas he is returning back to the Antipideon shores where he is making the move to Sydney for a career in boatbuilding.
This is an exclusive one to one interview with Sean Cronin with guest panelists Denis, Joleen and Caroline Burgess.
Ben with Joleen and Denis on a recent trip to the Beamish brewery in Cork.
Good Evening Larry
Good Evening Sean
And as you are aware, you have been selected as featured customer. This is something that we haven’t done now in a bout a year, but are delighted to have chosen you as our featured customer.
So, lets start now on a light note. Emmmm…. Give me a loan there of 20 euros will ya?
Ehhhhh…. No!
Right, emmm… that broke the ice anyway! So, how much money have you got in your wallet? Roughly speaking that is.
Ben looks hesitant as he cagely answers.
Puuuhhhhh….. about 20 euros.
Denis : and you wouldn’t give us a loan of that! Your lousy!
Sean : yeah and I thought you were that kind of a guy
Ben laughs
I suppose we better leave him enough money to have a drink in the bar.
What’s the most lucrative work that you have ever done, and did you use the fee for anything special?
He mumbles to himself and then admits….
I suppose it would have had to have been something in the construction industry. Seeing as that’s where my talent lies. You see, I’m a carpenter by trade. I cant remember exactly now, but it must have been some job along the way that I made a handy few quid off.
And did you buy anything special with the money?
Probably just some beer in the bar knowing me!
What was it that first brought you to Crosshaven, or in fact to Ireland?
Well I first lived in Kinsale, when I moved over here first, early 4 and 1/2 years ago. My sister actually got married to an Irish man from west cork. They were living in Kinsale at the time. I moved over here and gave them a hand with their house.. and well…. I’m still here!
When you first came to Ireland, did you have problems with the language? Like could you understand what people were saying?
No!, not at all. In fact the first time I came to Cork, I went to restaurant in Cork with my sister and I couldn’t understand the girl, and she had to ask me three times “would I like chips with that” I can understand you now though. At last!
Do your parents miss you?
No, I don’t think so.
You weren’t the favourite son then so?
No, no, not at all!
He laughs
What’s the most extravagant thing you have ever done? Like, did you ever do anything like a bungee jump? Shark caging? Anything like that?
Well, I did a rocket bungee once. Which is when they pull you down, instead of throw you off a cliff. Never did the shark in a cage thing though.
Have you ever traveled by bus from Cork to Dubiln?
He pauses for a long time….
No
Why not?
Only by train, it never really accoured to me to travel by bus to be honest.
It would be cheaper
It would take to long
And cheerful too! You could read a book… and have more than 20 euros now in your wallet. I think you should get the bus the next time!.
Maybe you are right.
Well have you ever been to Galway on thebus?
Ehhh… no, I could probably count on one hand the amount of times now Ive traveled by bus
Have you got a thing against buses?
I do actually. I don’t particularly like them!. Im really not a big fan of buses.
Really? And have you never taken a sight seeing tour of a city on an open top bus when you get to a place?
Oh no, no, no, never don’t that. Well, only in London, but it wasn’t a sightseeing tour. I guess Im not the touristy type.
Would you talk to a bus conductor if you met him?
Pause…. He looks quizzically at Sean… more silence.,He then begins to shake his head and says…
I don’t know, its not something that has really crossed my mind!.
Okay, well would you sit at the front or the back of the bus?
Id prefer to sit near a door. First on, first off kind of a guy. I’m the same on planes.
Sean quickly changes the subject, realizing he may be on a sensitive path
Above: Caroline Burgess, Sean Cronin and Larry
And tell us, what do you think of Cork City?
I think it’s a nice place
No, we meant the football team!
Oh, Im sorry!. I don’t really know much about them. Not a big football fan.
Wow, and we love football. We called our dog after Roy Keanes dad – Mossy! You are privy to a lot of information now as the featured customer huh?
Above: Ben with some of his friends at the Beamish Brewery in Cork, and at Cronins and below with Joleen Cronin
So, What’s your favourite colour then?
Blue!
Would that be after the colour of the buses in New Zealand?
The buses aren’t blue in New Zealand. In fact I think they are yellow in Auckland and white in Wellington.
What do you think of television in Ireland?
RTE? The national television? Terrible!
Do you ever look at TnaG? (the Irish speaking tv channel)
I would if I could understand. There is a lot of interesting stuff on though. History and things. Insightful. I like documentaries. National Geographic and that.
Would you look at the news? Or be concerned about the state of the nation?
I’d rather listen to the radio news to be honest.
And would your father call the radio, the radio or a wireless?
He’d call it a radio. It was my grandfather who would call it a wireless.
What was the last book you read?
Sailing books. Although I usually pick them up and put them down again.
Would you get one of those ipod things with lots of audio books on them that could be handy.
Not, the technical type Sean.
Can you change a plug?
Oh, I can do that alright. That’s no bother. I am technically minded in that manner.
Have you ever done any ballroom dancing?
No
Are you light on your feet?
I used to dance, but only in the night clubs
Oh so you are a Coba Cobanna person! That’s great. And are you a cat or a dog person?
I don’t mind either of them, but it depends on the nature of them.
Yeah the nature of the beast. Personally Im a dog person, cat is fine outdoors.
Above: Katarina and Ben / Jimmy, Denis, Ben and Caro
In your youth, did you read the Beano or the Dandy?
pause
The Beano ?
No
Dandy?
No
Comic Books?
Oh yeah! Well to be honest, I was probably off playing in the mud rather than reading comics
Did you have a deprived childhood?
No I did not!
If you could be an animal, what would you like to be?
An animal?
Yeah, if you were re-incarnated, what would you come back as?
That’s a strange question. Eh…Emmmm…. Probably….. emmmmm…. Some sort of African animal or something like that.
Cobra? Gorilla?
Maybe…. A tiger or something like that!
Penguin?
Too cold!
Above: Ben being congrautaulated on being the Cronin's featured customer by ZM Online Radio DJ Mark from NZ and one of the best bar maids in Ireland Mary Noonan
If you were drinking tea, would you put the milk in first or afterwards?
Afterwards. Force of habit really, if you put the milk in first, you don’t get the colour right. I like both tea and coffee
And a Kit Kat? Do you think that’s a biscuit or a bar?
Well I suppose it’s a bit of both. It’s a Bar of Biscuits!! No, no, it’s a chocolate bar really isn’t it? It’s got wafer on the inside, rather than biscuit. I’d say the jury is out on it.
What’s your favourite position in the sailing boat?
Favourite position….I like on the bow, up the front.
You wouldn’t be afraid of the waves hitting you?
No no no
Good good, how about now, are you feeling happy? Relaxed? Finally, I’ll think Ill finish up. But one more question. What do you think of Cronin’s Bar?
I think its fantastic!. Why do you think I spend so much time here!
Well, we like our customers to visit other bars too you know!
I visit others bars too, don’t worry. But I love the place, I think its very nice, very authentic in terms of an Irish pub. I like that it hasn’t changed all that much. Especially when you see other bars all over the place, modernizing and conforming. I like it just the way it is.
Okay, great and of all the questions I asked you tonight, what do you think is the most unusual one?
About the buses! That was the strangest question I think I was ever asked.
Hmmm… I don’t think so at all. Okay, have Joleen, Denis, the panel, any other questions they would like to ask?
Denis : Yes, Im just a bit concerned about the time you spent living in Douglas
Concerned!?!!?!? Well we lived there for about 9 months
And did you own a pair of slippers when you were there?
I did yeah, but I don’t have them any more
Sean : And do you wear jam jams going to bed?
I do not! I certainly do not!
Joleen : Why not?
Im not a big fan
Caroline : Just a pair of boxing shorts then or what?
Depends what day it is really
Joleen : Really? Do you have a different pair of night attire for every day of the week?
No! It just depends how I feel!
Caroline : No clothes then?
Arghhhh!!!...
The conversation and rif raf continues on this note until Sean appears with a very special Cronins Pub, Mount Gay Rum Jacket which he presents to Ben.
Above: Sean and Denis present Ben with a special Mount Gay Rum Jacket