Archive (1372 life histories found)

Dancehalls were our main way of meeting boys. There was no drinking.We'd prepare for hours with clothes and makeup. We frequented Clerys, the Metropole, The Crystal, the National in Parnell Square.In the beginning one could be put out of the hall…

Work was pleasant with the people I worked with. We were free and easy once we went to our office on the outskirts of the city. Main office was in Abbey Street, where we converged in the morning. We were known as Telecom Communications, but in…

We got an odd newspaper from England but us children were not allowed to read it. I usually got my hands on it (News of the World) and read it thoroughly. All I could see were one or two pictures of so called glamour models.Then within a few years…

After leaving school at sixteen there was a great sense of freedom. No more study or no more strict school uniform.At last having money to spend. Shopping and clothes.However there were many ups and downs. Crying, worrying, fretting, nobody…

But compensations were plenty. Time to catch up on groups and friends. Though some had moved or died there were many more left in the same position. So we have the active retirement, where we meet and plot and plan and gossip, compare notes and…

Childhood memories of oranges and fruit arriving after the war. People (young) dying of T.B. Fields, picking mushrooms, blackberries and playing games. Skipping, jackstones, buttons, rounders. Everything impromptu as there was no organising of…

Of course we remember the times good and bad. The coming of the Pope was one particular event which stands out. The whole city was moving from early morning to late at night. The excitement and the general feeling of comradeship between…

After I married, I had one child with great difficulty. I decided to stay home and rear him myself. This opened the door to marvellous opportunities. Time to take up hobbies, studies and just stand and stare. Never had much moneyBut it wasn't a…

My Father wrote an account of his time in the first world war. He didn't talk much to us of his experiences, but he retired from Guinness brewery with chest ailments, which we attributed to gas inhalation from his time there. He died at 82 years of…

Our house and the area was known by 'Little Britain', as the men my father included (were) all fought in the first world war. They were situated in Killester nr. Dublin. An inspector came around now and then to make sure they were kept in good…