'This was before any knowledge of contraception.'

'This was before any knowledge of contraception.'

Billy Gallagher describes an encounter he had as a young man with a woman who was more sexually advanced than he was.

Billy Gallagher

Trinity College Dublin

1955

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Billy Gallagher

Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Life Story

Dublin

1950's

When I was perhaps 27/28 I met a girl who was more sexually advanced. She would let you put your hand up her frock. I had never experienced this and the consequences were quite a shock to me. I decided after several bouts of this that perhaps I was in love and suggested marriage. She answered in the affirmative. She was infinitely more experienced than I was even if she had a remarkable fear of pregnancy. Not that there was much chance of pregnancy from the wrestling we performed and there was never even a suggestion of intercourse. This was before any knowledge of contraception, which was quite irrelevant in the prevailing circumstances and particularly in the prevailing conscience. She was an air hostess and had an 'old' relationship in America where she flew every 7-10 days. On one of her returns from there she dumped me.Although she contacted me subsequently to re-ignite 'the passion' I had moved on.The experience with this air hostess was liberating and I at least no knew that sexuality is a reciprocal business. (This girl never married and I met her again about a year ago and didn't even recognise her.)

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)