I am very grateful to Jasper Winn (author of Paddle: A long way around Ireland) for sending me this scan from Alan Watt’s autobiography In My Own Way in which he refers to his time at King’s with Paddy in the 1930’s.

Tom, hi,

You have possibly already seen this contemporary account of the young Paddy at school. Alan Watts – self-styled mystic, very credible explainer of eastern religion, and 60s guru to a swathe of Californians and beyond – was a fellow pupil. His – Watts’ – extensive writings tend to be accurate in detail and observation, though creative in colour and tone, and perhaps in any conclusions drawn. Still one of the few people who wrote about Paddy from first hand knowledge at such an early point in his life.

I hope that the high def photo of the relevant pages from Watts’ autobiography In My Own Way makes for legible reading.

Best,

Jasper