People Memories #100DaysOfOldDays

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Gloria

Day 73 #100DaysOfOldDays

Isn’t it strange how some childhood memories stay with you forever? I’m talking people memories and things they said or done. Things that are so clear in your mind, it’s as if they happened yesterday.

Here’s a few childhood memories I have about things people said or done that I’ll always remember. And one or two things I did that I’ll never forget! Gulp!

My brother Benny stole biscuits from Woolworths in Dundalk. They had fallen out of a burst bag so he argued that he found them, he didn’t steal them. On the way home in the car we told Mam what he did and she confiscated them and realised they were dog biscuits. We barked at him for days afterwards.

Joan and Majella were making mud pies in Joan’s garden one day and they wouldn’t let me play. I was very sad about that. However, I fondly remember the day when Joan gave me two squares of her Yorkie bar in Halton’s gateway. It was my first time to taste a Yorkie bar. That was a happy day!

I went to Knock on the bus with Joan’s mother and her granny. My mother forgot to tell them I was a bad traveller. The granny gave me an orange, which I ate; it was delicious. Then I threw it up all over her. She was very nice to me about it, she lay my head on her lap and I slept for the rest of the journey. But we spent the whole day walking around Knock smelling of orangey vomit!

Anne got knocked down by a motorbike when she was about six. She wasn’t seriously hurt. Cuts and grazes and a few stitches on her knees—if I remember correctly. We all thought she was so brave and that she could’ve died!

Mrs Barnes all but ate the head off me one day because I was walking in a puddle in my good shoes. Such a lecture I got! But she was a lovely woman. She served me good vegetable soup in the Tech years later.

Eddie brought me into his hallway to show me the robot he made. He was very proud of his creation. I was sure he’d grow up to be a scientist. I don’t think he did!

Martin accidently gave me a black eye with a camogie stick; one of those ridiculous hard-as-a-rock plastic sticks that they quit making. Martin was totally forgiven for the incident. Many similar accidents happened in those days and nobody sued anyone. (That I know of.)

A friend’s dad threw his string vest at me one day because he thought it was funny…..I didn’t think it was funny.

Mr Mittens chased me one Halloween night because I was part of a group who was rapping on his door, then running away. He caught me and I knocked his glasses off in a struggle to escape. I did escape but I think his glasses broke. I still feel guilty about that.

We were crossing the fields one day to get to the park. We saw a bull that was probably just a cow. We ran like the hammers towards the ditch. Poor Carol cut the legs of herself on barb wire in her haste to get across the ditch.

My cousin’s cousin who is not my cousin… was called Mary. My parents were very fond of her. I was jealous and I pinched her on the arm while she slept in my bed. She woke up crying as I slinked away. I hated myself for it. Years later I bumped into Mary in a pub in Kingscourt, and I told her what I did and I apologised. She has no memory of it and we had a good laugh about it!

Mrs Lynch reported me to my mother for mitching fiddle lessons. Oh…I forgave her eventually!

Debbie’s mother used to give me my tea every time I was in their house. They had a toaster…or a grill. In our house we had to stick the long-handled fork in our bread and toast it at the open fire, so I thought Debbie’s house was cool because they had a real toaster. And they had two pianos—we had a piano accordion; just one!

When I was about seven, I got caught out in a really bad shower of hailstones. My bare legs were red and numb from the pelting they gave me. Mrs Coleman took me into her house and warmed me up, even though I hadn’t far to go home. I was extremely grateful to her for that.

I went to Mary’s house after school. (Not the same Mary I pinched) This Mary lived in town in a pub. She walked me home as for as my back gate. But then she was afraid to walk back to town by herself, so I had to walk her home. By the time I got back home AGAIN, I was so late that I got into terrible trouble. My mother wouldn’t believe me when I told her what happened!

Granada and the Showbands #100DaysOfOldDays

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Gloria

Day 72 #100DaysOfOldDays

I’m okay to have been born in 1967, but I’m sorry to have missed the era of the dance halls and big show bands. By the time I was old enough to go out, the dance halls were almost gone, replaced by DJs and discos. I wrote about the disco days on day 28 of our project.

The dances were the highlight of the week for most young people. The halls pulsed with young blood and enthusiasm. Young men arrived on their pushbikes, some with their girlfriends sitting on the bar. The singletons rolled in, full of hope and romantic notions. There was no alcohol served; they got hyped up on fizzy minerals and cigarettes. It was all about the dancing and socialising, and of course, courtship.

Socialising was a must back then. Going out meeting people was important. Either that or you sat at home looking at the four walls. No internet meant no Facebook and no Tinder. If you wanted to know what your friends were up to, you had to go out and meet them. If you wanted a date, you went out. It was a healthy way of life, not to mention great fun!

In the late 70’s I remember watching the older girls heading off to Granada – a dance hall in our neighbouring town, Kingscourt – all dressed up to the nines. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to go too. I wanted the dresses, the shoes and the handbags, and the cherry-red lipstick.

Granada first opened it’s doors on Sunday August 12th 1962. It was owned by Thomas Quinn and Tony Kiernan who already owned another Granada dance hall in Granard, Co Longford.

Mick Delahunty and The Miami Showband opened the night to a packed crowd of keen swingers.

The following year, 1963, Johnny Cash and June Carter played in Granada on October 9th. I bet that was a night to remember!

My sister-in-law Margaret, has fond memories of the glamour of Granada just before it came to a close. It had sparkling mirror ball lights and balconies that ran each side of the dance floor, part of which was always occupied by the iconic Cullivan sisters from Bailieborough; Teresa, Margaret, Eileen and Maura, who were big into their music and fashion.

Part of the excitement was waiting to get the Anglo Celt (local newspaper) to find out which big bands would be playing over Christmas. And it was all the more exciting when one of the most sought-after bands was listed, like The Indians, who were huge around that time. (My mam had an LP record of theirs.) They were fabulous in their feather headdresses.

Gina, Dale Haze and the Champions were another most sought-after band. They were on the scene from 1973 until 1992, so I remember them. They reunited in 2009 and have performed in several venues since.

Sha la, la la la, la la la…… 🎵 🎵 🎵 🎵 🎵 🎵

The last social event in Granada was at Easter 1982, just as I was starting to go out dancing. The dance halls were at the end of their era but a lot of the big bands were still going strong, playing in hotel ballrooms and pub function rooms. Goodbye mineral-only bars…hello dry Martini and red lemonade!

Joe Dolan was still very much on the scene right up until he passed away in 2007. He was fantastic throughout his whole singing career. A great showman. I went to hear him in the Oasis and in The Bailie Hotel. Joe was Ireland’s answer to Elvis Presley!

There’s so many bands to mention. Bagatelle, The Eagles, Smokie, Stockton’s Wing, Horselips, Dickie Rock who played with The Miami Showband.

The country singers were a big hit too. Philomena Begley, Susan McCann, Gloria, Margo, Larry Cunningham and Big Tom.

And as people of our vintage would say, those were the days! How times have changed!

Trippy Bathrooms #100DaysOfOldDays

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Gloria

Day 71 #100DaysOfOldDays

Using the bathroom in the 60’s & 70’s was often a psychedelic experience. Everyone blamed the mushrooms, but it wasn’t the mushrooms; it was the interior designers and the parents who went along with it.

If I sat in this bathroom for more than five minutes, I’d experience hallucinations too.

It was the fashion to have a coloured bathroom suite. And if you had a few pound stashed under the mattress, you might have even ripped out your boring white bath and toilet and replaced them with lovely new ones – in any colour you fancied.

I remember visiting my great-aunt Helen in the 70’s, and I’m pretty sure she had a blue bathroom. The blue ones were very popular!

My aunt Marie’s bathroom was avocado green. Although, to us it was just ‘green‘. I only remember light green and dark green! Did we know what an avocado was in the 70’s? Oh…wait, we had jade green too. That’s three shades of green we had!

I once had a pink bathroom suite and a grey one. I’ve seen them salmon coloured, peach, mustard, burgundy, even brown – Penthouse Brown I believe it was called! We had penthouses before we had avocados.

People were still putting in coloured bathrooms during the 80’s. I remember viewing a house that was for sale (it was built in the 80’s) and it had three bathrooms and a toilet downstairs, and each one was a different colour. That’s where I saw the brown one.

The thing was though, the tiles, the carpet, mats, and curtains all had to be the same colour as the bath and toilet. And…coloured toilet roll.

Look at this. It’s like a bedroom!

We couldn’t afford to replace our boring white bath with a coloured one but we could afford a very trendy vanity splashback. There were made from tough plastic and came in different colours. They had a mirror that opened up a little medicine cabinet. Two glass holders and a soap dish. They had five toothbrush holders which would have caused rows in a family of more than five. And you could have one in whatever colour you wanted…it didn’t have to match the sink!

An aunt of mine was very posh with a furry toilet seat cover. Poor mam bought one but with four young boys in the family it didn’t last too long, sadly. I’m sure she was devastated!

Antique Christening Gown #100DaysOfOldDays

Posted on April 24, 2022 by Gloria

Day 70 #100DaysOfOldDays

Another family heirloom for our 100 day project. This is the christening gown that Lucy got baptised in nearly eleven years ago. It’s about 110 years old. Her late grandfather Eymard McBreen, was baptised in this over 90 years ago and many of the McBreen family members since then.

It’s a beautiful cream colour and made from handwoven silk. Eymard’s aunt Susan sent it from America. I think it’s beautiful, and timeless!