Ballinrobe Memories

Ballyouskill Vita Friends of Fr. Kevin Doheny group presented a giant cardboard cheque for €9,000 to Vita. They had raised the funds from events held throughout the year. From l-r are: Asfaw Merkuria, Kathleen Mooney, Frank Brennan, chairman of Ballyouskill Vita Friends of Fr. Kevin Doheny group, Patsy Cody, Ballyouskill, Fr. Norman Fitzgerald, Cssp, president and co-founder with Fr. Kevin Doheny, Ballinakill, of Vita, formerly The Irish Refugee Trust.

C.S.S.P

Extract from article 'Memories' in A chronicle of Ballinrobe

By Fr. Norman Fitzgerald, C.S.S.P.

I always remarked that there were so very few of my class in school who were still living locally. One, two or three come to mind Auggie McDermot, Pad Daly, Tommy Kelly, P. J. Hare, Dan Loughrey – all the others like Jimmy Morris, Abbey St. Tommy Glynn, Cornmarket, Paddy Scahill, Bridge St., Des Cronin, New St., the Carroways and the Flannerys, the Hingertons, The Powers, Christy Leech and many others are amongst those who settled in other places maybe in foreign lands.

Ballinrobe

Ballinrobe is so richly endowed by nature with its rivers, its lakes, its mountains: its woodlands, hills and vales that it was a marvellously stimulating environment to spend one’s youth.  

Games and pass times

My memories range from playing cowboys and indians in the Nicholas McDermott fields between the Race Course and the Creagh Road, kicking football and running in The Green and the Lough; playing tennis in the courts behind the Army Barracks, fishing off Aughnish and swimming at Keel Bridge or of the pier at Cahir and even trying to play golf in the old course beside the Bulkaun near the railway station.  

Further afield

But think further of the hinterland, of cycling down to Partry and on to Tourmakeady or Loch na Fouie; or going to the Neale or Cong and Clonbur and Cornamóna and what about Ashford itself on the Corrib where there is some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.   Let us never forget, the Bower’s, Lough Mask, Lough Carra, Cahir Pier and the ring of mountains from Partry to Clonbur.

Businesses and entertainment

The people themselves were as diverse and colourful as the scenery.  J.J. Hession was the grocer per excellence.  He always offered the big jar of sweets to the youngster. 

J.B. Staunton could easily be Henry Ford himself.  His Model T. Ford cars were about 3120.00 and petrol was one shilling and a farthing.  

Mick Walsh was a flamboyant character.  He had the American Hotel, a shop and was an undertaker and ran a cinema.  What wonderful entertainment we had in the large corner shed in the yard behind the gateway under our offices on the Main Street.  Tom Mix, Roy Rogers and his white horse, cowboys and Indians, trailers and Pate News.   I was on my way there one night when to my horror and disappointment the projection room went on fire.  That ended that enterprise.  Car Hire was big business – Michael Morris and Tom Monaghan were slow and careful drivers.  We, as youngsters, liked Mikedy Gannon – at least he was quicker.  Pat Walsh had another car hire business – he too was careful and slow.

Politician

Bernard Joyce who had the shop at the corner the Ulster Bank was the old time politician.  He really looked the part and invariably appeared during elections speaking from the platform.  It was then common entertainment.

Shops

The O’Malley sister in Regan’s Clothes shop on the Main Street were gentility itself while opposite McCormack’s was the Clery’s of Ballinrobe.

There was Gibbon’s Bakery and Colgan’s Hardware and Newton’s Chemists in Bridge St.,  the Berminghams – Paddy and Brian Moran, the Costellos and Feericks on Abbey St; Emmet especially and Tom Duggan come to mind and Davy O’Connor, Frank Hynes – Tom Fitzpatrick – stalwarts for the Race Committee.

The local Doctor

Can we forget Dr. Hawkshaw who brought many of us into the world and Dean Dalton whose habit of dropping off to sleep in the confessional kept us out of class so we didn’t mind!

The Blacksmith

I can never forget the forge, the bellows creaking under the hand of John O’Malley or Paddy – known to us as a ‘Maillie’.  The fire glowed hotter and brighter as John or Paddy held the iron with a tongs.   When it was glowing red he beat it into shape on an anvil as crusts of glowing iron fell to the floor.  In and out the iron came until it was finally shaped and pierced for the mails.  Then it was cooled in the water trough and finally still not it was put on the hoof of the gorse which gave an acid small of burning.   After the hoof was pared and wrapped, the shoe was finally nailed home and the protruding ends of the nails clipped off.   The process continued until the four shoes were fitted – hard work, but intriguing for us.   Many an afternoon we spent there absorbed in this wonderful art.

Fr Norman is a native of Ballinrobe and brother of Mr. Frank Fitzgerald, Solicitor, Main St., Ballinrobe.   He spent 28 years of his life working on the missions in Sierra Leone as a member of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers.   

He is highly regarded for his work in alleviating suffering in poverty-stricken regions of the world which he continues to this day.

Source:

Kierans, Jim, A Chronicle of Ballinrobe featuring snippets from the Ballinrobe Chronicle newspaper (1866-1903) compiled from the archives at Castlebar County Library, 2000.