Memories of By-GoneDays

by Bridie Harrington, Grangemore, Boyle.

There was no public house in Grangemore in the 1880's. The place was owned by a Mulrooney family. The late John Kennedy known as the Head Kennedy, he was a head constable in the old R.I.C., hence he got his name as the head. He bought the place and applied for a licence to sell drink and got it against the approval of the Canon Priest in 'Boyle.

He and his wife carried on a good business there until some years after she died, leaving him on his own as they had no family.

His niece Bridget Henneghan from Dunmore, Co. Galway, came to live with him. She was only 13 years but together they carried on until she was 26 years, when she married Eddie Harrington from Lacken. They had ten children, eight boys and two girls, myself being one of the children. 

We all walked to school on the very short journey to Kingsland every morning, we were joined by the neighbouring families. The Beirnes, Healys, Henneghans, Coxes and Callaghans and the Roddys, Mulrennans, Kings, Conmees and McGoverns from Cloonmacmullan road. We were aged from between four and fourteen years. 

I hated the rough road with big hard broken stones in the holes. My small little feet ached and were so tired hopping to keep up with the big ones.

We met a man every morning at 9.40 a.m. going to Boyle. He was Peter Noone and he always greeted us with 'La Brath' Fine Day. We liked to meet him because we knew we were in time for school. 

The most I can remember about my first day at school was the attention I got from the big girls. Lillie Connaughton and Delia Beirne. They carried me and played with me all through the lunch time. My only regret is I never met them after. They left school and joined the same order of Nuns as my aunt. They are now all reaping their reward R.I.P. 

Mrs. Knott was my first teacher. She was kind and knew how to encourage children. She had great pride in her lovely style of handwriting and had special headline copies to hand the class to copy, the creamer system it was called. 

I loved Mrs. Naughton as a teacher too. I had great confidence in her, and she was kind and easy to understand. 

Fr. Devine came in once a week to do the religion teaching. He was very interested in the conduct of the children. No girl was allowed to ride a man's bike. Such a practice was undignified and not moral for the ladies of his parish.

Next came the war in 1939. There was no imports, and rations of food and clothes started. Cigarettes, tea and rubber were in very short supply. Everyone had to produce wheat, oats, potatoes and all other vegetables. Thecountry people had their milk and butter and eggs which they had sold in the shops. The bread we called brown bread was now called the black bread, it was course and rough to eat, the plain white flour was most sought after but there was none. 

There was no emigration. The country was full of the young, whistling and singing at work in the bogs and fields. There was no crime, no old lonely people and anyone living alone did not have to lock their doors.

From my memory of 1946 it was impossible to save the crops which were compulsory since 1939. The hay and turf were only harvested in October and November. It never stopped raining. People from the town all came out to help in their off time. There was no dry turf for that winter and the town's people felt it most. I heard of a good strong man from the town asking his poor aged mother, "For God's sake mother, get off the chair and I can make a fire with the chair for a little heat.

You can understand how people longed for a good Spring, and what came on 25th February 1947 only the big snow, and lasted until after the fair in Boyle on April 3rd. The blizzard of small snow blew for two days and nights. Water was frozen, even the eggs froze in the houses. There was no hill or hollow to be seen. No road, everything had been covered.

The manpower was plentiful. They got out with shovels and cleared the road so they could go for food stuff and feed the cattle. There was still very little imports, the candle was still the only light. 

Paraffin was not plentiful, some could be got but not the most important thing to carry from Boyle, no other transport.

The poor horses were starved. Berney Spellman had a few and they ate the thatch off John 's Pub.

That was that, the youth had enough. Emigration started in 1948. They left in their thousands to 'Faraway places with strange sounding names' singing 'Now is the hour when we must say Goodbye'.

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