Archive (334 life histories found)

All water supplies were from wells. The water was pumped into buckets and carried into the house. As for bathrooms, they were non-existent in country houses, except the grand ones. We had a dry toilet in a little shed about ten yards from the house.…

In the country area where I lived we did not have mains electricity or running water until the mid 60's. Prior to that people had Tilley or Hurricane lamps which were fuelled by paraffin oil and mentholated spirits and had little paper globes and…

My grandfather built the house at Ballyards, Armagh where I lived as a child. He and my grandmother along with their two children, my father Patrick (Paddy) and my Aunt Mary had returned from Scotland where they had lived since after their marriage…

I was born Ita Murphy on 12th of October, 1956, in Carleton Maternity House Portadown, Co. Armagh. My parents were Patrick Murphy, from Ballyards, an Insurance Agent and Sheila Kelly, from Lislea, Ballyards, a Linen factory worker in the nearby…

My grandfather was a lovely caring man. He could tell the weather by looking at the sky at night or deciding which direction the wind was coming from. My grandfather's house was a c�il�_ house, where the farms would drop in at night to chat…

Other special days when I was young was the annual Gymkhana, which was held 15th August. Business was as usual in our house but we children would escape to the park. It was a great show jumping day with all sorts of jumping for seniors and juniors…

There were lots of exciting days growing up in Dromahair. The fair day was very exciting because it spanned two days. The day before was taken up with the bustle of the business people and the ordinary households getting all sorts of '_'_'_ out to…

About a mile outside the village there was a spa well which we would visit on one day in the year. It was great for all the children, as we walked all the way up on the railway tracks. The water was great for arthritis but the smell was something…

There were always characters in the village. The Daly's lived opposite. He was a former RlC officer and Mrs Daly came from Frenchpark. Every now and again there would be a big bust up and he would fling every bit of furniture out on the street and…