In Reply to: re: mchale road christmas tree posted by joe on December 17, 2009 at 12:05:31:

a cara.....thank you ...and merry christmas....i have a volume of nostalgic stories with henry taphouse central to the tales.....perhaps after the holidays i will recount those....it was mentioned by another poster that things were more enjoyable and more simple at christmas way back when we were young......indeed they were.....we were happy with cap guns ...or a meccano set or maybe a game of snakes and ladders or ludo......a pair of roller skates was a luxury....the girls got their dolls ...tea sets...or doll prams....the old sock hung over the rangeand was replaced wby a new pair of socks stuffed with an orange or a packet of rolo...and a spining top....although we would spend days going in and out of gussie wynns and r j's looking and dreaming and wishing we were happy with what we got.....i always wanted an electric train but ...alas never got one....myself and the lads maybe michael gavin ...mick lacey....scals or perhaps pat ludden we would look at all the shop windows.....pter devers...with all his fine foods with tinsel strung around a pillar that ran down the elison street side of his window...finest hams and meats...boxes of various dried fruits .....thompson cakes ....oh the delicious aromas would waft out his shop door....peter in his white coat ...shirt and tie with a heavily starched collar....martin too dressed in collar and tie but always with a beaming comforting smile.... michael devers acroos the road from tanseys would have ducks geese and the odd turkey hanging from the rails....alogside beef and mutton...down the hill to christy hobans....he too with his array of fine foods.....and martin quinn as his number 1.......i guess we licked our lips looking at this delicious food cornucopia.....i remember been sent to rattigans on castle street for a glass of sherry and rum for for baking....my orders were go to john burke not old rattigan ......mr burke will give you better measure was the explanation....after the war my house always had a goose for christmas day.....the goose would arrive alive.....and roam around the back yard for a few days ...then i got my orders to bring him over to martha ruannes........always at lunch time...i was at lunch from school ....martha at lunch from the bacon factory.....martha would take the goose from me and suspend him by his feet....down the bak garden we'd go.....then martha would place the goose on the ground .......put a pice of a brush handle over the goose's neck and with pierpoint accuracy would stretch the goose's neck.....furious flapping of wings....until the end.....then he would hang on our house for a few days .....until plucking....feathers saved for pillows.......on christmas day our mouths smacked of delicious turkey .....stuffing....and other vegs....christmas morning was exciting running down the stairs to see what santa brought.....another cap gun with a small roll of caps....collect the goodies from the sock....and put a a piece of coloured paper on the head of the top to get a kaleidescopic effect when it was spinning......i remember often looking at the premade christmas stockings ...you know the ones in that red webbing.....i often wished i'd get one ...never did ...but i wondered whwt was in them....christmas was simple but magical.....christmas pudding in the evening.....my cap gun was out of caps ....myself and perty whittaker would play cops and robbers or cowboys and indians.....cracking and shooting until the caps were gone....but perty introduced me to another way of shooting the guns....get a box of friendly red tipped matches scrape the sulpher off and place on the firing hammer.....it worked good....mchale road buzzed on christmas day.....down behind feeneys or flanagans on the back road the boys were playing pitch and toss.....girls were out with their dolls or having a tea party on the front gardens...as the day came top a close i usually got my box ready for the wren.......up early on the 26th....i headed out ....i was jealous of paddy moylettes wren ....his was a a wooden one hand crafted and decorated by his dad john ....it used to have four crepe paper frills on each corner and was always so nicely decorated......off we went ....first stop the county hospital.....there we would visit the patients and sing a carol and load up with money.....then to the county home and the same....the nurses were always generous...but you had to sing.....i always went to the imperial hotel....the pellys and whoever might be there for a few drinks would dish out the coppers.....it was great when you saw a tanner...or a thrupenny bit....you remember those silver coins ...one with a greyhound ....the other with a rabbit....then up towards mchale road i'd stop at clarkes shop....mrs clarke and eileen were always generous........then onto the road where there was
always a coin for the wren.....after that.......down to the cinema for the matinee.....i would always go to julia heneghans and boy a small box of dairy box milk chocs.....that was my personal treat.....one year i didn't go to the matinee....i went up the railway station with my dear friend george 'give me a penny and i'll pray for you" whittaker.....we got into pitch and toss.......my booty was soon lost...and the aftermath of thaty is another story.....
the other day i was in a dept. store toy dept...in toronto....whilst gazing at an enormous electric train i couldn't help but over hear some people talk of buying a plasma tv for their kids...and other high priced gadgets.....society today with all its gadgery is more strung out than christmas lights......as i listened i wished i was back in gussie wynns with the boys....looking at hornby trains and cap guns...and glancing over a beano or dandy annual......
...to perceive christmas through its wrapping ...becomes more difficult every year.....
sin e anois....ac sceil eile ...la eile
.....tog go bog e....