Archive (334 life histories found)
'I was born and brought up in a townland known as Lisnisk'
I was born and brought up in a townland then known as Lisnisk 2 £miles from Rathfriland, 10 miles from Banbridge South Down. I had two brothers. One older and one younger and a sister 5 years younger. When I was young my father was ill with…
'He was unemployed for long spells in the thirties, as was most of the men in our district on the Newtownards Road '
My mother and father had nine children together and 7 boys. William and Brian died when infants. Then Tommy was born. After that there was myself, David, Roy, Trevor. Trevor was given the name because he was born in May Cottage in…
'Brothers! - what can I say? '
When I was about ten years old I saw a toy for sale in the local shop, run by the Hughes sisters. It was a plastic tank with an ingenious water powered gun which fired a plastic shell. I lusted after that tank. It cost two shillings, a not…
Tags: brothers, relationship, Siblings
'The hand was to be thrust out and held there whilst this strong young man put all of his strength into a severe slap '
In St Canices School we were for the first time introduced to the Christian Brothers. One, whose name I don't recall, was a gentle pleasant man. During religion class he particularly emphasised the dictum: 'Love your enemy says Christ, Do good to…
Tags: leather, punishment, school, slap, strap
'The dead person was often buried in a religious habit, Brown for the Franciscans and Blue for mostly young girls '
People often died at home with family and friends gathered around the death bed praying and saying Rosaries. The dead person was often buried in a religious habit, Brown for the Franciscans and Blue for mostly young girls. Habits were often worn in…
'Recycling was an unknown term, perhaps because nothing was wasted'
Recycling was an unknown term, perhaps because nothing was wasted. Clothes were worn until the collars were frayed and then the collars were turned inside out for a new life. Dresses were dyed and also turned inside out for further use. When clothes…
'The delivery of turf outside the house was a signal for all the kids of the neighbourhood to assemble with every conceivable manner of vessel: buckets, basins and even zinc bathtubs '
At that time coal was hard to get and gas was still 'On the Glimmer' so my father rented a piece of bog on the Feather Bed Mountains near the present site of the RTE mast at Kippure. He and others cut turf, saved it, placed it in clamps and in…
'I slipped and fell head first into the canal'
Swimming in the canal was a favourite pastime for the boys round about. No girls swam, presumably because it would be seen as immodest. We were forbidden to swim in the canal, in the first place because we were unable to swim and secondly because the…
'...my Grandmother came rushing down the road, dressed as always in her 'Widows Weeds', shouting frantically "Come out of there, the fairies will take you away"'
The farmland in Corragh is not great and there is a lot of bogland, so turf cutting and saving was a big part of the activity during the summer. In the middle of one piece of bogland was a raised brilliant green field with a single hawthorn tree in…
Tags: berries, fairy, fairy tree, Farm
'Hay making, reaping and turf cutting and saving were co-operative efforts also and the occasion of much chat and sober merry making '
Uncle Tom always had a dog which was magically trained to respond to whistles and verbal commands. The dog was dispatched to round up the cows and bring them into the yard and also up the hills to bring the sheep down for dipping and shearing as…