a cara......recently two items were posted .....pictures of st. mary's track .....the other a jcb in the town river.......both pictures invoked warm feelings of the town i love so well and episodes of my life that had both of these locales central to the experiences......my memories of st.marys....are long and colorful.....perhaps only those of us who lived through the '40s and '50's would have the feel for the eerieness that braced the very mention of st.mary's......the bleak coldnes of its structures .....the big green gates and front gate office.....with kathleen loftus manning the entry point......the gravel roads inside the gates that brought you either to the main hall ...or the one that took you around by the church .....the slaughter house......and other workshops.....one of which made coffins for the unfortunates that were unclaimed when they died.......the green dome could be seen for miles in the outlining countryside......i remember many a time seeing it coming in the ballinrobe road just as we passed ballyheane....it had in those days a grim ....scary feeling.....it had in fact a stigma......we as youngsters had a fear of all those prisoned in the many buidings......on mchale road ....we as kids never lost sight of the the tractor and trailer carrying many of the male incarcerees.....being driven to the fields beyond maryland.....they wee known as the assylum fields.....here the "patients" toiled in the potato fields etc.....we could even smell the harshness of the food that was brought for their dinner.....we often as youngsters referred to it as "swill"......then in the evening they would be returned to st.marys.......but st.mary's had two features that drew us to the site.......the ball alley....and the sports field.......my memories of the ball alley are magical.......way back in those good old days ....thursdays.....was a half holiday for those that worked.....in the summer most of the workers from the road that had thursday afternoon as a time off would go to saleen lake......then after a while my the lake we would walk the track to the back of the hospital....and make our way to the alley.....i remember john scully .....greg mcdonnell....frank scully.....frank fergus....danny corcoran and many more ....playing hand ball withh great skill ....i may add....they were great times.....the sports field .....had an annual sports meet ........and bicyle race.......i ran the 100 yards and 300 yards dash here many times.....it was at this meet....that in 1949....i was first in the 100 yds. race......i remember the race very well......there was michael geraghty.....franny mulligan....liam malone...and others.......i remember the several heats to the final race.......i lined up against the above mentioned got focussed......as i looked ahead at the finish line......then get ready ....set.....and then the thunder from the starters pistol......i took off like a hare....escaping the jaws of the greyhounds.......i seemed to run in effortles stride.....it appeared my feet barely touched the ground......until i crashed through the finish line....a way ahead of the pack......spectators even waged on geraghty winning as he had a reputation on the track......later in the evening i was presented with a solid silver butterdish......for years it sat in the glass cabinet in the family home....and i still think its around in the family in castlebar........in the '40s and '50s......i competed in every track and field and gymkana event......with much success....my favourite was the meet at brownes in breaffy....first prize there was seven and six....in those a "kings fortune".....in the cycling races i remember....the jennings brothers ....tommy and harry.....and a mchale chap......so the photo of stmary's sparked elecrics ....as i reflected and simmered in those glory days......the other picture that kindled warm thoughts was the picture of the jcb in the town river......during my lost weekend .....i worked on the moy drainage scheme......my first assignment was on the islandaedy river......by the three bridges.....here we dilled and bored ....and blaste some of the bedrock....so as to deepen the channel.....my ganger was a great boss and character.......who tolerated my liffey lunches.......later i was moved to the town river site......we began by damming the river by the hat factory.....as we cleaned the river bed......as the bed emptied we were entertained by rats.....eels.....and pike......i remember one morning we were working by the bridge at molloys.....a big pike tried to make a swim for it....but paddy clarke.....lampooned him with a spade ......one aim one javelin strenght throw and with the eyey of an amazonian native ...paddy speared the pike......later it made fine eatin' .......my work mate on this job was mickey{tailli} guthrie....we underpinned the wall from molloys to the bridge at lavelles.....he and i were quite a team.....we ferried concrete on the track that was laid in the centre of the river bed.....i recall so many of our lunches at my old friends pub...john kenny.....mickey....john ryan....jimmy judge...and myself.....a few pints....and we could do anything......i still see the many faces of the many onlookers that hung over the bridges to see what we were doing......getting the jcb in the river bed was easy........for an old romantic as i ....pictures of this caliber fuel......the many colorful experiences of my days in castlebar....as i think of the town river i remember with fondness brinklows flat bottomed boat.....i ended my drainage days when we got to the barrack bridge......it was a thursday about noon davy brinklow my old friend was coming out of the barracks....he wore the uniform proudly and well.....he was finished for the day.....we made it to kennys.....the rest is history.......and thats the way it was.....that summer of content......ah!......photographs......photos are secrets...about a secret.....the more it tells you ...the less you know......
......thanks for the photos......thanks for the memories.....
....tog go bog e.......