'I think that was the beginning of the end of my childhood and the start of my teenage years '

'I think that was the beginning of the end of my childhood and the start of my teenage years '

Harry Browne remembers his best friend from childhood and some of the antics the got up to.

Harry Browne

Trinity College Dublin

1954

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Harry Browne

Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Life Story

Russell Avenue, North Strand, Dublin

1950's

My best friend in those days lived across the road from us, his name was Aloysius Kennedy, nicknamed Alo. We spent all our free time together playing games and roaming the neighbourhood. At a late stage in our friendship, just before we left primary school we were walking together, there was a game we used to play called 'Kiss the Devil' if you walked on a crack in the pavement the other person would cry out 'You kissed the Devil', as we walked I suggested that we play this game. Alo replied 'No, that's a kids game'. I think that was the beginning of the end of my childhood and the start of my teenage years. Shortly afterwards Alo left to go back to Donegal where his parents lived and I never saw him again. Around about that time we had a close encounter with a motorbike. One of the older fellows in the area became the proud owner of a Triumph bike. He was riding around the streets showing off the bike and his riding skills. Finally one of the braver girls accepted his offer of a jaunt on the back of this machine. After a couple of turns around the block her skirt caught in the back wheel and she was forced to retreat red faced into her house, showing her knickers. Neither she nor he were seen about the area for some time afterwards.

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

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)