Three heads together bending br across the kitchen table. br In close heated air br the range pours comfort br from its wood-stoked belly. br Christ with gentle face br and soft brown ringlets br looks down br from his rose-embellished br oval frame. br br Three heads of close-curled hair, br three translucent pairs br of grey eyes, three smiling mouths, br murmuring conspiracies, br jokes half-spoken, br fully understood, br elaborated by the hearers’ answers, br chuckles, outright laughter br welling up in pauses. br br Three different lives, bound br by a common past, loose chains, br links of love and care, br three brothers, three sons, br three Dempseys of Kildare.