Gerald and Sheila were my parents. I set out to record their public lives, to tell their story, neither as a eulogy nor as a detraction. They were important people in Cork, not only because they were the first Jewish Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, but because of the significant contributions they made to the city's cultural life over more than 40 years and how much the city and its people meant to them. Gerald and Sheila were two very different people who were married for nearly 60 years in a close, loving relationship, and who, at times, worked together but, at others, independently. Trying to describe Gerald without including Sheila would give an incomplete picture. They grew together for more than 60 years; facing all the joys and tribulations that such a lengthy marriage brings: a remarkable relationship in every sense. This is the story of their lives, work and achievements as best I can tell it. It was a voyage of discovery, a tumultuous and fascinating journey which I pray has done them justice. It is about my parents, my own memories and those friends, and relations who have shared theirs with me.
