In Reply to: Re: golden memories posted by Roadieo on August 22, 2008 at 00:07:12:

in my recalling mchale road families i overlooked 3 families close to myself....my aunt bab murray.....who moved into the road from lucan street.....the house was originally occupied by tom mcgreal and family....john murray was a well known roofer.....my cousins tommy {toddy} patsy, doris, may, madge, peter, oliver, and pauline....for awhile peter and i were close...we were both in the same class in school...peter worked for martin quinn provisioner and grocer on castle street...martin was the lead hand at christy hobans before he opened up his own store....martin was brother of austin quinn blacksmith, iron worker...he had a plant on lucan street....the quinns hailed from derrycoosh....the other omissions were also relatives....my uncle willy ocallaghan....barber extroardinair...willy was father conny callaghan....anne...and michael john....i don't know why we were never allowed to have too much contact with our cousins today this still puzzles me....however in later years i made more meaningful contact.....a rather funny story about my uncle willy.....one saturday night....my friend michael gavin went to him for a haircut i went with him ...the barber shop was in the front room...michael got into the hot seat....willy got to work....you have very wirey hair ...willy stated you'll ruin my machines....these were incidentally hand operated clippers....as i sat watching...half way through the haircut willy asked michael had he the money....and to give it to him....michael complied.....willy said .....i'll be back in a minute....and he made a b-line for the pub....well a half an hour passed then an hour other clients left....and eventually michael with the back of his head scalped.....willy did repair the head the following day.....the other family i forgot to mention was my other uncle....tommy ocallghan....and julia...one of my favourite characters.....in 1950 they moved to mons terrace and the house was taken over by johnny waters and family....johnny was atailor.....and was known as ..."the rat"...michael waters was in my class....and later he became a godfather to one of my sons....there was vincent who worked in the lard room....ester, maureen, and eamon,....later in england myself and the waters re-connected ....i have some rather funny stories of some of the stuff we got up to in london.....vincent married annie mcdonagh from mchale road...annie was a first cousin to my wife mary mcdonagh.....another family i forgot was the cleary's...mary cleary, johnny, tommy, ....tommy was in my class....a nostalgic comment ....was that one night mary cleary was been chatted up by a member of the military by the barrack bridge.....and mary said i'll go out with you ....if that other soldier goes out with my mother......another family i forgot... mchales....mouseen mchale ...annie and mary....and packie....annie worked for a time in the connaught telegraph....before going to new york and marrying clem collins of wesport.....another family comes to mind was the mcgoughs....with no tv ....limited radio....families on the road would visit each other more often than in todays climate.....card playing was an activity that was common....schools of 25.....well cards were played in the moylettes .....i had my eye on polly ....and peggy....kept her periscope on the both of us.....we were young....and we were hot for each other....polly worked for awhile at obriens the dentist then ...she was about 2 years older than me...i was in st.geralds....every summer the obriens would go for a week to lahinch...and polly went with them....i pined in her abscence....we were innocent....but curious....alas i was foiled by peggy every time i tried to kiss her....cards were played in my house.....but the place i enjoyed the most was going over to fairs....across the street from our house.....ther'd be george and annie fair, my mother and father, yank cunninghams wife...molly...old pat moylett....well they played partners......talk about the craic when they came into their partner with a heavy card......ya bastard ya.....don't you know this is coming into me...its my trick...now i'll have to use me jack of hearts....ya@@@@##**.....there'd be match sticks thrown everywhere...every sunday morning the boys down by the sports field would play pich and toss.....there'd be pa flanagan, josie feeney.....frank scully....jimmy foy....fortunes were lost and made in an hour......if only!
bon fire night was a great night on the road ....a huge pyre would be built down outside scullys.....and when it was dark it was set alight.....old tyres....bogdail....turf ...sticks were dumped on it smoke....billowed like mount vesuvius...the singing and the dancing started....until into the dawn......another bonfire that was popular ws the fire at spencer street.....outside horkans....i remember my last year in town....going to that fire ....the crowds gathered....seated on the shop side of the fire was none other than paddy kelly......with his mother o'pearl accordion....paddy played his heart out ......until lar bourke....a great baritone if ever there was one....asked paddy to play the tennessy waltz....it went something like this......paddy would you play the tennessy waltz and i'll sing it....paddy turned around....and said...bourke ...i'll play no requests for no one....about that time tommy horkan opened the window up stairs and dumped a bucket of water on paddy.....jeeesus ...paddy shouted ....my mother o' pearl accordion will be ruined ...tossy kelly will kill me...horkan i'll have you in the dock .....i'll have you before fitzgerald kenny....after the commotion paddy swished off in his ....usual way.....paddy was a character....noted for his sale of irish hospital sweepstakes tickets.....his approach was ......hello-o...i see the luck in your eye....now...will you buy a ticket....he usually had two or three terriers on his heel....more known was his favourite dog lulu...i had many an encouter with paddy....hillarious....and fun.....i remember one time i was at downes garage waiting for my father....patto kelly....was talking to my father.....about paddy...well jimmy....paddy is about to join his own....he's off to join john duffy's circus.....patto was another character....a man of the world....his story was well....one night in philadelphia...i was on the skids....the next morning i was the richest man in america......during the war patto could be seen on a horse and cart with crates of chickens .... which he sold to the bacon factory....joe mitchell was the main man in that department....the factory bought chickens.....killed them....and sold them....but the plucking shed was a lot of fun....there was marthe ruanne ,biney gannon, mrs munnelly,mary cannon...who later became mrs paddy jennings....hotellier...and entreprenneur....paddy developed the travellers from a sweet and gift shop that he opened to service the county hospital....from that ...castlebar now has royal....i was a friend of paddy and knew him when he had boarding houses in chiswick london these are other stories ....anois slan....agus tog go bog e.....