2001-08-22 My Tattoo Getting a tattoo was something I had wanted to do since I was in my early teens, but my family (sensibly enough) discouraged me until I was a bit older. So one Sunday a few weeks after my 21st birthday I headed off to Coleraine with a friend to visit the tattoo parlour. These days there's parlours everywhere,but back then you had a choice of either going to Coleraine or Belfast. My brother had his done in Coleraine, so I decided to pay a trip to Sailor Bill's. Bill had retired but his son Bruce was well-known. It was such a popular place there was already quite a queue on a Sunday morning, so I had to wait four or five hours. Without anything to eat or drink, so by the time it was my turn I was already a bit queasy. I'd picked out the design I wanted, a little swallow, and I knew I wanted it on my shoulder blade because I could show it off or cover it up as I wanted to. I wouldn't advise anyone to get designs on their arms. You have to remember that this is something that's going to stay for the rest of your life. Now Bruce warned me that the shoulder blade wasn't the smartest choice for your first piece of body work, because it's quite close to the bone - but he knew my reasons and went with them. Then he started in with the needle.......I can honestly say I've never felt pain like it before or since - and I've got a pretty good pain threshold. It just felt like someone was slowly carving a piece out of my shoulder blade with a knife. He must have been halfway through the outline when I started to faint. I just felt everything slipping away and the next moment Bruce was round in front of me, grabbing me by the hair and shoving my head between my knees, then my head was jerked up and he sprayed water in my face before putting my head back down again. "Come on," he said. "I've had blokes pass out, but never a woman - you don't want to be the first do you - there's a crowd of fellas in here, you don't want to let the side down." He gave me a couple of minutes and started work again. I'd asked if we couldn't just leave it, but that wasn't the way he worked - and I can't blame him. If I'd spent the rest of my life with a half finished tattoo, it would have reflected back on him. The worst was over once we got the outline done because the pain had numbed my back so getting the colours wasn't too bad. I only had one problem and that was trying to drive back home. I had to recline the seat back so I wasn't touching it. I'd been instructed to keep it dry for a week and under no circumstances to pick at the scab which formed. I remember seeing my brother's so I knew the score on that one anyway. So, after a while my little bird was looking fresh and well - and I loved it. I was so incredibly proud and it was quite unusual. Over the past few years more and more girls are getting body art, but when I had mine it was rare for a woman who didn't dress in biker gear to have one. You have to remember that this is Northern Ireland - we're always about 10 years behind everybody else. Body art has changed an awful lot now. I was showing my bird to a tattooist last year and he said it was very primitive compared to what could be done now. Black lines are much thinner and the new inks are much more vibrant. Perhaps with the outlines being finer it's a much less painful experience. Still, I don't regret having it done - and I never will. I'm kind of looking forward to being this little old lady who can pull her blouse down and show the young 'uns that she had a bit of a spark about her in her time.
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