Archive (1372 life histories found)
'I don't know how the press got the wind of it but the next night at our meeting a photographer arrived and took pictures and wrote an article which went into all the papers. Our parents of course saw it and we had a lot of explaining to do.'
Our leisure time was all spent with the Legion as well as attending meetings and doing our two hours Legion work on the bookbarrow on O'Connell Bridge we had plenty of outings. On St Patrick' day we usually started our hiking. We climbed most of…
Tags: fog, hiking, leisure time, press, rescue
'We had one little blanket on the bed so we always ended up with everything we had on the bed to keep warm'
At seventeen I got the Civil Service exam and came to Dublin. I started work in the GPO on the 8th August 1949. I stayed with my Aunt in Blackrock for a few months. I remember having to memorise different areas on the route in and out of the city.…
'… this boy had seen me and sent me a letter via his sister who was in my cousin's class so she would bring the letters to me and they would be read in the toilet at lunchtime'
The only time Auntie got mad with me was when Olive O'Hara a girl from school and a few other class mates decided to row up to the Holy Well to do the Stations. We had to go up the river and then skirt a bit of the lake. I wouldn't mind but I was…
Tags: boyfriend, dates, priesthood, school
'I don't know why somethings stand out in ones memory but I remember saying goodbye to him standing on Aunties doorway the same way I remember saying goodbye to him in the hospital in Brooklyn as I knew I would never see him again'
Dessie had a bad accident and our grandfather took him out to live with him. Dessie had the highest regard for him. Even though he was living on the farm he would come into our house and him and Frank were like brothers. I'm sure they got up to…
Tags: apprenticeships, convent school, leaving home, Siblings, Sligo, work
'Before any of the family moved away a group in the village decided to put on a play.'
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…
Tags: first of May ritual, play, well
'At certain times of the year the travelling players came to the village. That was a magic time'
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…
'I didn't get to visit Dublin until I was in my teens and Aunt Lizzie brought me back for a week. She bought me a lovely pair of blue shoes'
A great source of interest in the village was the trains which ran from Sligo to Inniskillen. They were people in the village who would go to meet the train and then relate who got on or off or if packages arrived for different people. It was the…
'During the war things were very tight. The tea was very scarce so my mother used to buy it blackmarket from someone she knew'
In those days there was no such word as diet as I think we never suffered from too much food. We got good wholesome food. Bread was baked every day and that is why flour was bought by the big bags which were utilised for sheets. On special…
Tags: black market, food, food shortage, fresh products, war
'It always seemed to be beautiful and sunny with the perfume of stock through the air. We would come home with loads of produce from their garden'
Relations on my father's side were the Mc Namara's . They lived about four miles outside. My earliest recollection of them visiting us was when they came on a big side car and when the visit was over they had lanterns which had to be lit - I…
Tags: garden, gramophone, produce, relatives, vistis
'When war was declared seemingly the concensus in the village was that no one supported the Hotel, but Daddy donned his hat and walked down the main street and into the Hotel as if nothing was wrong'
We played a lot around the barracks and were a bit afraid of the black hole - the cell. After a fair if somebody was the worse for drink the sergeant gave him lodgings for the night. At that time there were five garda and one sergeant in the…