There was a wee Italian man we knew as kids, he had an ice cream shop in Roden Street and would also sell ice cream from a tri-cycle fridge round the streets, anyhow he had a hump on his back and one day when getting off the bus slowly as he did, an oul doll behind him said , "Hurry Up, Jump", Benny said , "Hang on Missus , this is a hump I have on my back not a F****** parachute"'

His name was (mispelled) Benny Leekio, so we would sing,

"Wee Benny Leekio..
He sells Ice Creamio ..
3d a pokieo..
That is no Jokieo" lol

Kids can be cruel

The "LEIGHIO" family still have strong Belfast connections " Rocco" who owned "The Cafe Montmartre"on the Stranmillis Rd in the Seventies was the Son in Law of the owner of the Well known" University Cafe" I came to know "Rocco"very well he was a true Gentleman in every sense of the word .I think that he and his beautiful Wife" Francesca" live in Paris these days edrite1@googlemail.com

Benny was a great and kindly man with the sharpest sense of humour imaginable. There was another well known street ice cream vendor lived down that way , she had her stall outside the Ulster Museum for years, I can't remember her name .

That same wee woman who sold the ice cream outside the museum also used to park her ice cream bike at the small gate into the Falls Park for many years , I thnk she was a local.

I think the woman was called "Annie". I remember her coming around the lower Falls. Her 'pokes' were only a penny each!

her name was nelsy and she sold penny pokes

If I am not mistaken the woman who used to sell ice cream from a tricycle ice box outside the wee gate at the Falls Park lived in Majorca Street, her name escapes my memory at the minute.

oops I meant she lived in Drew Street.

hi joe on a sunday afternoon if my da had won a couple of quid on the nags it was half a dollars with of ice cream in a bowl when the icecream van came with the accompany second verse i am italio i pick my nosio straight on your pokieo hope you no chokio we never did lol

loll very good , a cracker , jesus weren't they great oul days .

Ah, I just found my notes on who the lady was that sold Ice Cream from a tricycle outside the Falls Park in the 1950's, she was Nessie Robinson and she lived at 20 Drew Street

Thank you for your kind words, we are living in Italy and we still have wonderful memories of Belfast. We still go back at least once a year. Rocco and Francesca

I hope you have gleaned a veiw of how highly thought of you were by people in Belfast who knew you ,

Your name isn't Matassa, is it? G

what about Benny Leekio[sometimes McAlinden]he was in Oz for a while a few years ago

benny mc alinden last I heard was living in newry