A different type of doors post from me today. 2023 Cannonball Ireland passed through Ballina last Saturday.
I’m not mad into cars to be honest – I wouldn’t know the difference between a Lamborghini and a Ferrari. I drive a Hyundai i20 and that’s amazing enough for me.
But I do like looking at them! Thanks to Google Lens, I was able to put names to these supercars. Do I fully trust Google Lens? Mmm…
Hopefully some of you Thursday-Doors fans will appreciate these pics.
This is a gorgeous photo. So much could be said about it. The cute little sailor hats, the blanket that I remember so well and the way my mam spread it out on the car for the boys to sit on. That was our picnic blanket, our beach blanket, and our throw for the couch. We had it for years.
The blue caravan on the right is the one we stayed in. It didn’t belong to us. It was borrowed from a family friend. It was quite small, but big enough for seven of us…just like the car was!
The number plate on the car—a Ford Anglia—is a number I’ve always remembered. MZJ558. Before the Anglia, we had a Morris Minor. I don’t remember that one.
I wanted Frederick O’Malley—a character in my novel—to own an Anglia, but my Dad informed me that no one had Anglias in Bailieborough in the 50’s. He said the relative of the Anglia, the Ford Prefect, was more popular in that era. So I gave Frederick the Prefect Coupe Utility model, because he needs a spacious vehicle for his regular trips to Dublin—although it is more often used by his son John.
My novel spans over three decades, and in 1976 I gave Jim Fitzpatrick an old second-hand Anglia.
A 1922 Baby Austin also features in the early years of my book and it belongs to the closeted gay character, George. He bought it at an auction; a bargain at ninety pounds!
Gloria McBreen 