My name is Caith McEnaney Fairley.
I grew up in Balbriggan and still have many friends there.
Love your web page. I check most days and when I feel homesick
I walk the beach through your photographs. I went to Balrothery
National School and saw Mr. Joseph Madden, my headmaster,
when I was home this summer.( I saw his home featured in you
slide show of Balbriggan) Many of the photographs have faces
I remember but don't always remember the names(must be old
age!!) The photograph of Smyco Christmas party has Evie Bresford
and Dick Geraghity in the centre. I was a flowergirl at their
wedding and their daughter Anne(I don't know her marriage
name) was in the photograph of Tesco employees. I grew up
in Clonard street and it was facinating to see the house I
grew up in was partially burned during the Sack of Balbriggan.
Ours was the old Costello House. I now live in California
with my husband George and two sons, Gavin and Grant. I have
wonderful memories of Balbriggan. I had a great childhood,
wonderful education and have many special feelings and memories
for the people and friends in the town. My parents and sister
are buried in the graveyard. I worked in Wavin Pipes when
it was first opened. I graduated from Loreto. The late Mr.McGonigle
was our mail man. The "Dozer" McInerney was the
barber on Clonard Street. Mr. McGarry had a forge on the corner
of Clonard Street across from what used to be Derhams Pub
where we watched the horses being shoed. In your photograph
of the canal where the swans were, we also fed the swans,
saw the large nest they would build and the baby signets swiming
behind after they were born. I remember Confreys grocery store
which was called Connolly's at one time, Hagens Butchers and
Leo Manley's Chemist Store(which later moved to Dublin Street.)
I also remember the summers( which always seemed long and
sunny!!) the beach, buckets and spades and fishing nets outside
Cocorcans on the Hill(George's Hill), homemade ice cream,
the glass topped tables, icecream floats, and the tins of
Biscuits with the glass tops which carried Kimberley, Macaroons(which
were called Micadoo's) and Cafe Noir biscuits- which were
all huge treats. I remember we always knew when it was full
tide, how wonderful it was to swim when it was raining, lifesaving
classes on the back strand, picking up the library books from
the Carnagie Library, dances in the townhall and the hotel,
the weekly comic books, The Dandy, The Beano, School Friend
and Girls Crystal, with characters such as Keyhole Kate!!,
Desperate Dan, Corky the Cat, and Dan Dare and Dantro, David
Jacobs on Radio Luxenburg. I also remember reading Count Curley
Wee and Gussie Goose in the Irish Independent. We had a radio
which was powered by a car battery or an acumulator??and it
was recharged at Mackens garage in Station street. The battery
always seemed to run down on the day that the serial program
you listened to was going to be on and trying to get the garage
to let me jump the queue with my battery so I would'nt miss
my program!! Makes life seem more simple than it is to-day,
Life was lived. There was the Sunday matinee, and the 1penny
bars, Cough no more, Sailors chew, aniseed balls( which we
used to pretend was lipstick), sherbert bags, bonbons and
the the movie serials Congo Bill, Flash Gordon with the weekly
ending of "Don't miss next weeks exciting episode of".......
I have really enjoyed Roger Turner's series, They have brought
back many great memories and it is really wonderful to recap
childhood memories and experiences, peoples faces, times and
events and realize how lucky I was to grow up in Balbriggan.
Kate Fairley
Dean of Students Office
Claremont McKenna College
850 Columbia Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711
(909) 621-8114
kate.fairley@claremontmckenna.edu
www.Claremontmckenna.edu
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