Ita McClelland
- Childhood and Early Life
- Adolescence and Early Adulthood
- Marriage and Family
- Work and Employment
- Reflections
Description
This exhibit showcases the life and memories of Ita McClelland. Ita shares some of her life stories growing up in Co. Armagh in the 1950s and 1960s, seeing the changes of eletrification and indoor plumbing. She reminisces about the games and summer jobs of her childhood and adolescence. She shares her memories of her school days and later training to become a nurse. She describes how she advanced in that career and notes her many achievements. Ita remembered how she met her husband, Mickey, in a ballroom in Monaghan in 1980. They married in 1983 and later had two children.
Credits
McTiernan, K. & O'Donnell, D. (2012) Life Histories Archive, http://www.lifehistoriesarchive.com/exhibits/show/ita-mcclelland
Sections
Childhood and Early Life
The stories and images represented in this section of the exhibit are concerned with Ita's recollections of her childhood and early life in Co. Armagh. Ita describes her childhood home, her family, neighbours, and friends in stories both humorous and tragic.
Adolescence and Early Adulthood
In this section of the exhibit Ita provides images and stories which relate her experience of adolesence in Co. Armagh. She recollects her teen years and the social activities popular in her area. She recalls the 'Cattle Mart' style carnivals that took place as well as the fashionable hairstyle favoured by her sister.
Marriage and Family
In this section of the exhibit, Ita conveys events from her family life including her wedding day and the arrival of her two children, Meave and Michael. She remembers the devastating loss of her husband's sister Pauline at a young age leaving behind her son Darren and daughter Colleen. She describes her children and niece's journey to university and working life.
Work and Employment
This section of the exhibit displays the images and life stories of Ita which relate to her working life. She remembers her summer job strawberry picking when she was a teenager. Ita began Nurse training in 1975 after finishing school and she qualified in 1978. Her stories portray her many achievements in her nursing career specialising in the area of mental health. She remembers that she enjoyed meeting up with her former class mates in 2000 for their 25 year reunion.
Reflections
In this section of the exhibit Ita refects upon the things in her life which give her most pleasure. She shares her love of music, driving, and working in the community.