PARISH HISTORY
Schoolyard 1952
BILLY MARKEY
AND EDDIE DAYMAN REMEMBER Drimnagh and Dublin in the 1940S
More Memories
My parents brought us home from England to live in Drimnagh in 1940. I am still living in the same house in Mourne road.Our house was the third last on the road and was the last of the houses built at that particular time.
Benbulbin,Lissadell Rafters and the lower part of Galtymore, Dolphin and Keeper road were soon to follow.The Church and the schools were still three years away and we used to go to Saint Michael's in Inchicore for Mass.To get to Inchicore we had to cross the canal by the locks as there was no bridge at the time,the lockman used to keep an eye on us crossing the locks and anyone going to Mass was allowed to cross first.
As there was no place for us kids to play we would make our way to the old brickfields which was owned by dolphin brick works.There were beautiful hills of stone pathways and little streams and during the second world war our defence forces used to train there.Later Dublin corporation filled it in with refuse and it became Brickfield park where we started to play our football.Football plays a huge part in remembering my young days in Drimnagh.
After the church and schools were built some years later, Rev Father Griffith formed the road league's with some men in the parish.All of the roads took part,Dolphin won the league and Mourne road won the cup.
Some of the players to play then and find football fame as internationals or league of Ireland, included Longo White &Bobby White Sean McCarty Rory Dwyer Matt Kennelly. Rugger Ronan. Dermot Curtis. Jimmy O Neill. George Cummins.Brendan McNally. Out of the road league's came the first schoolboy club in Drimnagh called Drimnagh pioneers .Men prominent at that time were messrs Grant, Doyle McCormack and McNally.
Later came St Finbarrs St John Bosco and senior teams like Carrow Celtic Drimnagh United,Galty Celtic, Mournville.Mourne Celtic and Drimnagh Dynamo.
When we were not playing football we went tose the pictures especially cowboys. What with Roy Rogers Hopalong Cassidy Charles Starrett and of course John Wayne and Gabby Hayes .Other popular stars were Bing Crosby Bob Hope The Marx brothers Errol Flynn Clark Gable Edward G Robinson and Spencer Tracy It cost us 4pence in old money and the picture houses we frequented were the Rialto the Leinster The Inchicore and later the Star.
Billy Markey 2003
The Second World War years
During the war years certain food items were rationed, for instance you were only allowed 2ounces of butter per person and a half-ounce of tea per week, which could only be got on your ration book Gas could be used only on certain hours of the day and hence the arrival of the Glimmer man. If he knocked at the door and found you using the gas outside of the permitted hours he could get the gas turned off so everybody would be on the look out for him Cigarettes were six pence a packet of ten and one of the popular brands was woodbines, these could only be got one day a week and only if you were a customer Coal could not be got and one had to do with turf. Now when turf was wet it was pretty impossible to light a fire Alfie Byrne was Lord Mayor and was better known as the shaken hand of Dublin He was forever walking through Dublin city with a flower in his buttonhole and would always stop to shake your hand and have a chat He was a proper gentleman who always had time for the young and old At that time we also had our air raid shelters made of concrete and built in the middle of the street they were more often used as toilets A very well known figure at that time was Cyclone Warren a very big man who seemed to tower over everyone he was an ex heavyweight boxer and perhaps the only black man living in Ireland There was also an infamous gang known as the "Animal gang" and these guys were not to be messed with, Also in those war years we had the North Strand bombings. The one thing you could do then was have your hall door open while you went to the shops and neighbours would always be very helpful to each other Some say these were the good old days but not if you were poor and perhaps it could have been worse but not much
Eddie Dayman
1940's Memories
Drimnagh & North Crumlin When the Church and schools were opened in 1943,the following facts were published in the "Mourne news incorporating the Drimnagh digest and the Crumlin chronicle
"Eire Builds while Europe destroys
All over Europe to-day Churches and Monasteries are being destroyed and pillaged. We in Ireland have, so far been saved from these horrors, Ourselves Our families our homes our Churches are still under God's protection safe, while warring nations destroy, we as far as we can, build for a happier future for our own little country and for the whole world. Do we not owe something to God in return for all this,definitely the largest National Schools in Europe and is probably the largest in the world.95% of the materials used were made or produced in Ireland. Its 66 classrooms accommodating an average of 50 pupils a class and has the largest Kindergarten school and the most up to date ever attempted in this country.200, 000 hours were worked representing 35 men working continuously for three years. The Girls and infants schools is to be staffed by the Sisters of Mercy from Blackrock
The name North Crumlin was to last for a while. When the Children's hospital was opened in 1955, it was called Crumlin hospital for sick children although every part of it is in Drimnagh.From Cooley road to Dromard road and from Errigal road to Drimnagh road it is still in Drimnagh
1943 to 2003 (M.Keane)
In researching the date of our official opening of our church in April 1943 I visited the National Library to have a look of what was in the papers then So here is a flavour of what news our parents and grandparent were reading in 1943 when the price of a paper was two pence The Newspaper headlines on the 9th April 1943 were " U S bombers big attack on Naples" or "Seven Japanese ships plus two cruisers sunk" and "British and American forces line up" "Rommel draws back". One very prominent advertisement from the department of Agriculture was as follows "The soil is our security" "Farmers" grow more "Wheat, Barley, Potatoes, Oats and Roots Or a major ad read "Wanted Waste Paper" all classes. One eye catching ad was "He is in his fifties and looks great because he eats "Procea Malted Bran" The well known shops of the day advertised for "Hats from Kellets of George's street prices from 15shillings and eleven pence to 37 and 11 pence or Pims had sports jackets from 63 shillings Winston's and Cassidy's also of George's street had "Frocks from 17/11 costumes 69/11 jumpers 8/11.Lee's of Rathmines featured very big then also "Griffiths Shoes"
The entertainment in 1943 open to those people of Drimnagh who could afford it was "Gaiety" The Barrets of Wimpole street. "Olympia" Saint Joan,"The Royal" had Errol Flynn in the Sea Hawk on the "Capitol "was Gone with the wind The "Grafton" had "Monte Cristo" and the "Metropole" had "My sister Eileen? Other well known pictures doing the rounds in April 1943 were "Shadow of a doubt and "San Francisco. All of these newspapers cuttings are available from the "National Library of Ireland" Radio Eireann only came on air at one pm daily and the programme's all seemed serious and the music all operatic and such, but one of the catchy features every week was a talk on golf by Eddie Hackett
In 2003 it is hard for us to appreciate the pressure and the mindset of our people and our Parish in 1943,remember there was a world war and many Irish men and women were in the heart of the fighting both in Britain and in Europe, Those who stayed at home were in our defence forces, and for so many the emergency brought work and dignity and a feeling of togetherness to the whole country, I can remember my parents years later, paying tribute to Eamon DeValera for keeping Ireland out of the war but everybody did not see it that way. Four of my Dad's younger brothers joined up to help in the war, one died from wounds received in Dunkirk, and another one lost an eye, but this was typical of so many families in Ireland, Many young men joined up precisely because they had no work and had little prospect of getting any.
Because of the war and the prevailing economic war one can only imagine the shortages of nourishing foods required for young children, and its a huge credit to our parents that despite everything, they managed to keep going. Obviously the farmers of Ireland managed to grow the produce necessary to feed the nation. I reckon everyone was somewhat slimmer then. One of the more noticeable coincidences in checking out the 1943 papers is, that the second world war headlines and those in Iraq are so similar,"Allies advance".In 1943 the second world war was at its height with bombings and killings, all reported in our daily newspapers. The feeling of uncertainly and fear must have been paramount in the minds of the young men and women of the new parish of Drimnagh. So many couples were at the beginning of their married life with young children to feed and no guarantee of safety from the hostilities that our nearest neighbour was experiencing.Thank God for the wonderful Parents that brought us through all those years
MJK
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