This is the life of John Mc Grath

St Edwards Boys Home opened in 1912 and has offered help to orphanage boys trying to give them the best chance in life.

St Edwards Boys Home

This is the doorstep john was left at when he was born and found by father doogle

Father Thomas James DoogleFather Doogle was born in Hawaii in 1920 into a deeply religious and wealthy family, his father Edward Doogle set up St Edwards boys home in 1912.

When john was 13 his father sent him to England to live with his aunt so john was protected from the war, In England John trained as a catholic priest and in 1944 john was one of 160,000 brave troops to land on the beaches of Normandy, offering prayers to they wounded and dying soldiers.

In 1946 John had news that his father, the only family john new, had passed away. So he returned to Hawaii to take over as head of the boys home.

He lived the remainder of his life here, having no family left john was delivered to him in 1986, Father Doogle loved and raised him as his own.Sadly doogle died in 2004 when John was 16.

china

France

America Australia New Zealand

Africa

Nigeria

Jamaica

ItalyGermany

Russia

IndiaJapanEgypt

Father Doogle

John got this put on him when he visited china, its the symbol of love, and emotion john has never felt. He had it put on him because he felt he should be reminded on what his missing

Out of all the places John had visited his favourite was India, the Indians treated john as gift from the gods, because he was different, he was worshipped, John felt it nessersry out of respect to the Indians to honour there beliefs, so he had the elephant god tattoo.

When john visited Africa he want on a safari and came across an alpha lion and he fell in love with them. He could relate himself to a tiger he feels astho he has a lion heart and hopes one day to have a pack.

On johns visit to Germany He had this tattooed on his leg, this symbol reminded john that evil can spread, he will never escape from the judgmental eye of the world all he can do is rise above it.

John had this Roman solder on his belly, On his visit to Rome he explored and was told of tales and adventures of roman solders john related to this because he himself was on his own adventure, at this point in johns travels it wasn't about escaping from the prison that was home but rather learning and exploring the world

This was the first tattoo john had ever got it stood for father doogle, a man who loved john regardless, who raised him, protected him and taught him everything john had this painted directly over his heart.

John had this done in Nigeria, he hated Nigeria, it was a place filled with violence and war, on his visit there he saw allot of ignescent people suffer, john had this tattoo to remind him that were ever he is there's always a worse place to be.

Jamaica, johns place of relax, john had his holiday from the circus here and loved it, he lay on beach all-day smoking a joint and drinking a cocktail, this place was the happiest john had ever been, this is the only colour tattoo on johns body, he wanted it to stand out.

John had this put on him in Japan, here he was asked to take part in a very special festival, john new this was an honour and allot of people would kill for the opportunity so john got this simply to remember it by.

John spent a month in America, he made friends with a couple of hippies‘ John spent most of his time in America drugged up and loving life, he had never been in such a relaxed environmentHe got this symbol tattooed on his neck out of respect to the two hippies that fended him.

John Loved the freedom of Australia he wanted to remember the country so he had there symbolic animal tattooed on his bottom as a drunken joke.

John was forced into getting this by a tribe that let john stay with them during the circuses visit to new Zealand. By this time he had so many tattoos he just didn't care so he had his entire left arm tattooed by the elder of the tribe.

Paris, the birth place of johns circus, this was were john ran away to and joined the circus, he spent 6 months rehearsing for the circus and as a 16 year old boy who had never really left his home Paris was a new world to john. Standing at the top of the Eiffel tower made john feel like he was bigger then the world for a change.

John was used to the warm weather of Hawaii, john only remembered Russia as being a cold, grim place, he wasn't overly keen and did not like the Russians hospitality, John invented a saying that a Russians heart is as cold as there weather. This tattoo reminded him of this saying.