Declan Forde is the father of three daughters. Jane Wheatcroft, his eldest daughter came along with her father to talk to John Peel about what it was like to be the only male in a houseful of women... "It was a little bit intimitading being the only man on the premises. I'm an Irishman, from largely patriarchal society," Declan begins. "When I walked into the room, they'd ignore me completely. I didn't exist for them - other than being the wage earner." Jane chips in, "We weren't interested anything he was interested in, which was mainly football. We very girlie girls so he was pretty much excluded."
The bathroom. The battleground. What was that like? "Exactly!" says Declan. "At one stage I honestly thought my family were keeping the Body Shop in business."
Jane doesn't let that one go, "Once, my sister came bolting downstairs, and said to me, 'You've been using my perfume!' I said, I don't know what you're talking about Helen. I haven't touched your perfume!' My mum comes in. Same again, 'She's used my perfume!' 'I haven't used her perfume! Then my dad comes in, 'What's going on?' 'She's used my perfume!' 'I haven't used her perfume! Then me dad said, 'I've used your perfume!' We all stopped dead. 'You!' we all said, 'Why?'
Declan explains, "I thought it was body spray. I got a few funny looks at the football presentation the other night.'
"It was in a tin - he didn't know the difference!" says Jane.
But what happened when it got to puberty?
"It just pretty much bypassed him," says Jane.
"Actually, I used it to my advantage," says Declan, "I ran a football team. Invariably one of our players was a plumber or an electrician. If something needed doing round the house, I'd say to one of my daughters, 'Can you give one of them the eye?' They'd say they couldn't abide the lad, so I'd tell them to just let them think. Before one match, I had to to tell one player, who'd done a bit of work for me, that we'd dropped him from the team. He was totally crestfallen. 'What's wrong,' said his pal. 'That so and so has dropped me from the team, and last night his daughter said 'No'!"
Weren't the girls interested in football? Didn't they feel sorry for him?
"We felt sorry after we'd grown up, not at the time," says Jane. "We've made a conscious effort to be interested and more involved in his life now. Even football - Glasgow Celtic."
This was obviously the right move. Declan explains, "The next best feeling to getting a No. 2A Meccano set for Christmas when I was a child, was last year when my three daughters clubbed together and bought shares in Glasgow football club."
Didn't Declan ever want a son?
"Not consciously. But maybe it's why I became involved in running a football team. I thought I'd be able to settle grandsons. And two years ago, Jane gave birth to a boy."
"Funny thing is," continues Jane, "all the toys in the house are still all female. So grandad and grandson are both sit there with Barbie on their knees."
