Mike Mahon
- Childhood and Early Life
- Adolescence and Early Adulthood
- Marriage and Family
- Work and Employment
- Retirement
- Reflections
Description
This exhibit is concerned with the life and memories of Mike Mahon. Mike was born in Dublin in 1945 and upon finishing school in 1962 he went to Military College in the Curragh, Co. Kildare, where he trained to become an Irish Army Cadet. Mike describes these years as the best time of his life. He shares some of his memories of Cadet training and the antics he got up to with his fellow trainees. After a spell with the FCA Mike began work as an airline pilot. His stories provide a vivid and fascinating account of the London to Sidney airrace which Mike competed in, in 1969.
Credits
McTiernan, K. & O'Donnell, D. (2012) Life Histories Archive, http://www.lifehistoriesarchive.com/exhibits/show/mike-mahon
Sections
Childhood and Early Life
This section of the exhibit is concerned with the childhood and early life of Mike. Mike was born and reared in Dublin in the 1940's. In the stories exhibited in this section Mike describes the excitement of his summer holidays in Brittas Bay with his family.
Adolescence and Early Adulthood
This section of the exhibit displays the images, documents and stories of Mike which related to his adolescence and early adulthood. Mike trained as an Irish Army Cadet in the Military College in the Curragh. In this section of the exhibit he remembers his time as a trainee cadet. One of his memories includes the night President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and the Cadets were assembled in order to select a contingent to attend the funeral in Arlington cemetary.
Marriage and Family
This section of the exhibit is displays some of Mike's photographs from his wedding day and his family life.
Work and Employment
This section of the exhibit displays the documents, stories and images relating to Mike's work and employment. Although Mike started out as an Army Cadet, he subsequently became a commercial pilot. The material displayed in this section details the many countries he flew to and some of his memories from this period of his life. Also included is a vivid and highly entertaining account of the time Mike competed in an air race from London to Sidney in 1969.
Retirement
This section outlines Mike's experiences of retirement. In particular, he describes his return to education and his trips to Budapest and the Algarve.
Reflections
In this section of the exhibit, Mike reflects upon changes that have occurred during his lifetime in the Irish Defense Forces.