Hannah sipped her tea. ‘Then the story went sour. After three years, Martin upped and left. He ran away to London and rarely came home. His parents were devastated. And, to make matters worse, none of the girls was showing any interest in becoming a nun. We’re talking now about the late 1950s, and there was a growing sense that life didn’t have to be quite so drab. Even in Knockgreelish, we heard about the high times being had in London – and in Dublin. One by one, the three girls left home. Gregory was married. Martin was in disgrace. So the Galvins’ ambitions were pinned on Leo.’

She stopped for another sip. ‘You’re probably thinking, What’s this old woman on about? Aren’t you? Don’t worry, I’m getting there.’

Conor gave what he hoped was an encouraging smile. ‘No. I promise you, I’m not. I’ve plenty of time.’

‘Poor Leo. God rest him, he was never given a choice. He was going to become a priest, and that was that. His mam and dad bamboozled him into believing he had a vocation.’ She gave her head a gentle shake. ‘He should never have been ordained. I’m not saying he wasn’t a good person – he was a great fellow – but he loved life too much to be tied to the Church.’

‘For what it’s worth, people in Kilmitten thought he was fantastic at the job.’

‘I don’t doubt it. He was impossible to dislike, was Leo.

‘Anyway, about a year before he was killed, he came to me and said he wanted to talk. I should explain that, even though I was a few years older, we’d always been friendly. In some ways we were what you’d call kindred spirits. We both had faith but we asked questions too. I don’t think it ever occurred to most people that priests could get lonely. I can still see him sitting in the kitchen with a mug of tea.’ Hannah winced at the memory. Her thumbs resumed their rubbing. ‘He told me he’d met a woman and that he was in love with her. I’ll never forget the tears in his eyes. He was distraught.’

‘What did you say to him?’ asked Conor.

‘Whatever I said, it wasn’t enough. I asked him if he was sure. Honestly, though, I didn’t have to ask. His love for her was plain. It was there in how he spoke about her. “What are you going to do?” I said. He told me he didn’t know. He wanted to be with her, but even thinking about it was tough.’

‘From what you’ve said about his mother and father, I can imagine how they would’ve reacted.’