Fortune's Wheel

Andy Massey:
I put the wheel down on the path to pump it up. Something hit me in the back and I saw a big paw go over my shoulder... I thought it was a dog at first, but when I saw the big paw I knew it was a lion.

John Ross:
A lion? I thought it was a lioness?

Andy Massey:
Mister, if you were pumping up a wheel and something hit you, you wouldn't worry if it was a lion or a lioness.

John Ross:
[Radio commentary] At 5.30 on the evening of November 11th, the peaceful Dublin suburb of Fairview was startled by a sound that might have come from the African jungle: a lioness had escaped from her trainer's cage in the yard of a garage beside the local cinema. It was dark at the time. A solid line of cars was heading for home along the main coast road... A straggly queue was beginning to form outside the cinema.

John Ross:
[Radio Commentary] In front of the garage an apprentice mechanic named Andy Massey rolled a spare wheel out on to the pathway and bent down to blow it up. That was the scene. A normal suburban moment. And then down to the garage came the big yellow cat. She saw Andy Massey...

John Ross:
That was the end. A moment later a powerful flashlight from the wall picked up the lioness. The .303 rang out and Fairview's wild beast fell dead among the nettles and bicycle frames

Lorraine Kennedy:
We were always told growing up that Mai was from "the East". She was from the East alright... the East Wall [Dockland area bordering Fairview... to the East!]