Archive (15 life histories found)
'That was in 1978 and to think how famous they are now!'
I've always liked traditional Irish music and during my nurse training days some of my friends and myself went to Fleadhs on our holidays in Clare and Donegal. There was one evening my friend Patricia Murray had heard that the Chieftains were playing…
Tags: Autograph, Chieftains, Fleadhs, Irish, Music
'It was there where we were taught ballroom dancing and other essentials that were important in life at that time.'
Becoming a teenager was thankfully very different in those days. I was still involved with the choir and that filled my teenage years fully. All of our time was spent there because now we had a hall where records and photography was practiced and…
Tags: ballroom dancing, boyfriends, Choir, Fashion, Hobbies, Homeowrk, Music, Photography, Records, Shopping
'The flow of life moved on, we got older, meanwhile our interest expanded to dances and boys.'
The flow of life moved on, we got older, meanwhile our interest expanded to dances and boys. Boyfriends then were usually altar boys or boy scouts who too were attached to the Franciscans. At the time, a bicycle was a great accessory to own and I…
'In Rome, we stayed in a convent and slept in dormitories and raided the nuns' kitchen at night.'
Growing up I didn't have a favourite toy apart from some games like _�� snakes _��n' ladders or ludo'. Neither did I have a pet! My most significant relationships and memories of my childhood were being a member of a choir, a junior one…
Tags: ballroom dancing, Barry's Tea, Choir, cinema, Creamery Butter, Fashion, friendship, Games, Hobbies, Ludo, Music, Pets, Photography, Pope, religion, Rome, Snakes and Ladders, toys
'Imagine trying to sell Newry as a shopping destination at the height of the troubles! '
All my life I have been involved with various organisations covering cultural, charitable and business.On the business side, I spent almost 20 years with Newry Chamber of Trade holding the posts of PRO and President. Imagine trying to sell Newry as…
'Put a microphone under my nose or a TV Camera in my face and I became a new man. '
I have always had a thirst for knowledge so one of the first things that I did when I reduced my work load was - I joined the U3A. Now, that was a good decision. I love the two classes I joined, the 'Life Story writing Group' and 'Radio for…
Tags: friendship, Journalism, Music, Newry Chamber of Trade, Newry Telegraph, reading, Reporting, Television, Trade, travel, U3A, Writing
'We thought we were very sophisticated and 'pretty cool ' but our waitress saw through us right away and said 'you 're on your honeymoon ' '
Women are usually better at answering these questions than men, but I do remember a lot of the wedding day.At my mother's insistence, all the men were in morning suits, top hats, tails, gloves - the whole works. Although Joan and I resisted, we…
Tags: family, Fashion, food, Foodball, friends, Gordon Banks, Hillman Imp, Honeymoon, Music, Pre-Wedding Course, religion, Showbands, Troubles, wedding, World Cup
'There was also a glamorous side to the music business as we established links with all the leading promoters and entertainers '
I spent 40 Christmases in Carlin Records and I didn't regard a single day of it as 'work' or a 'job'. I just loved it and it was a major part of my life. I am sure that the fact it was our family business was the reason that I put my whole heart and…
'I became involved with the music business '
In the early days, as I was a working for my father, nothing was properly formalised. I think I started off with £3 and then I went up to £5.From an early age, I saved my money, first with an account in a Post Office Savings account and, later, I…
Tags: Credit Union, Family Business, Hillman Imp, Music, Post Office, Showband
'I turned 13 in 1958, just two years away from the 1960s, when the whole world was turned upside down. '
I think the term 'teenager' was much a late 1950s invention, most probably thought up by an American marketing man looking for a new group to sell his wares to. The music industry latched on to it and songs such as 'Teenager in love' topped the…