Tom Jones: Shandon Street, Murphy’s Rock, Television
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Description
He mentions the arrival of televisions to Cork around 1963. Tom also describes how some children dammed some water at Murphy’s Rock to make a swimming pool.
Date
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Coverage
Relation
CFP_SR00387_sheehan_2010; CFP_SR00388_sheehan_2010; CFP_SR00389_healy_2010; CFP_SR00390_kelleher_2010; CFP_SR00391_crean_2010; CFP_SR00392_mckeon_2010; CFP_SR00393_twomey_2010; CFP_SR00394_stleger_2010; CFP_SR00395_speight_2010; CFP_SR00396_lane_2010; CFP_SR00397_obrienoleary_2010; CFP_SR00398_jones_2010; CFP_SR00399_saville_2010; CFP_SR00400_magnier_2010; CFP_SR00401_marshall_2010; CFP_SR00402_marshall_2010; CFP_SR00403_murphy_2010; CFP_SR00404_prout_2011; CFP_SR00405_walsh_2011; CFP_SR00406_prout_2011; CFP_SR00407_newman_2010; CFP_SR00408_newman_2010; CFP_SR00409_leahy_2011; CFP_SR00411_newman_2010; CFP_SR00412_newman_2010; CFP_SR00413_finn_2011; CFP_SR00414_ohorgain_2011; CFP_SR00415_oconnell_2011; CFP_SR00416_sheehy_2011; CFP_SR00417_mcloughlin_2012; CFP_SR00418_gerety_2012; CFP_SR00419_kelleher_2012; CFP_SR00420_byrne_2012; CFP_SR00421_cronin_2012; CFP_SR00422_ohuigin_2012; CFP_SR00423_meacle_2012; CFP_SR00424_horgan_2012; CFP_SR00425_lyons_2012; CFP_SR00427_goulding_2011;
CFP_SR00491_fitzgerald_2013.
Heritage Week 2011: CFP_SR00429_casey_2011; CFP_SR00430_tomas_2011; CFP_SR00431_newman_2011; CFP_SR00432_stillwell_2011; CFP_SR00433_oconnell_2011; CFP_SR00434_lane_2011; CFP_SR00435_montgomery-mcconville_2011; CFP_SR00436_ocallaghan_2011; CFP_SR00437_corcoran_2011; CFP_SR00438_jones_2011; CFP_SR00439_ohuigin_2011; CFP_SR00440_mccarthy_2011; CFP_SR00441_crowley_2011; CFP_SR00442_obrien_2011; CFP_SR00444_mcgillicuddy_2011; CFP_SR00445_delay_2011; CFP_SR00446_murphy_2011;
Video Interview: CFP_VR00486_speight_2014
Published Material:
O’Carroll, Clíona (2011) ‘The Cork Memory Map’, Béascna 7: 184-188.
O’Carroll, Clíona (2012) ‘Cork Memory Map: an update on CFP’s Online Project’, The Archive 16: 14. https://www.ucc.ie/en/media/research/corkfolkloreproject/archivepdfs/archive16.PDF
Dee, Stephen and O’Carroll, Clíona (2012) ‘Sound Excerpts: Interviews from Heritage Week’, The Archive 16: 15-17. https://www.ucc.ie/en/media/research/corkfolkloreproject/archivepdfs/archive16.PDF
O'Carrol, Clíona (2014) 'The children's perspectives: Place-centred interviewing and multiple diversified livelihood strategies in Cork city, 1935-1960'. Béaloideas - The Journal of Folklore of Ireland Society, 82: 45-65.
The Curious Ear/Documentary on One (Cork City Memory Map) http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2011/0816/646858-curious-ear-doconone-cork-city-memory-map/
To view the Cork Memory Map Click Here
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Transcription
TJ: My name is Tom Jones, and I’ve given a story before. It’s an incident and I just wonder how many people would actually remember this. It had to be, let’s see, somewhere between ‘50s and ’61. We were playing in what was called the field, at the bottom of Spangle Hill, and this helicopter and it really looked like it was flying low and of course just the fact that there was something in the air at that time was really dramatic. It was flying really low and it circles Spangle Hill, and every kid chased the thing. Eventually, it landed. There is an ESB power station right there between Mallow Road and Dublin Hill. It’s right there. It’s and ESB substation. It landed there, and of course every other kid rushed out to see this thing and I remember looking, when I got there, I remember looking back and there’s an indentation in the field there called Tuckers Field it’s directly opposite the main offices of Harrington’s paint factory. I remember looking across at that and seeing multitudes of kids cascading down there almost like locusts. Everyone wanted to get out there and see this helicopter. I guess years later, it just reminded me of the fact. It’s almost like the helicopter was our Moses. And all these kids were just swarming down there, as if this helicopter, this Moses was going to take them to the Promised Land. I know we talked about it a number of years later as we were kids. It’s just a simple incident and I just wonder how many people actually remember it. Cause there had to be, cause there was thousands of kids. I mean they were just flowing down from Spangle Hill, to get across to see this helicopter. That was quite an event. That’s basically it. I thought of that the other day as I left here. I wonder how many people would actually remember that incident.
GoD: So, you’re saying it happened between ’58 and ’61.
TJ: Somewhere there. I would have had to be of course under the age of twelve. Somewhere between ’57 and ’62. I would have to have to place myself somewhere between ages eight and twelve at the time.
GoD: And you think other people of that age, would, of course, have to remember something like that. Wouldn’t they. So maybe it’s something we should start asking for. So, where would you give the exact location. If you were saying to them. Would you remember the helicopter where it landed?
TJ: Yeah, it landed right in the substation?
GoD: In the electricity sub station between the Old Manor Road and Dublin Hill.
TJ: Right. Actually, the road heads up to Murphy’s Rock. From the Old Manor Road, there’s a road that heads up to Murphy’s Rock where we used to play. And the Mallow Road. There’s an ESB sub station right there and that’s where the actual helicopter landed. I’ve no idea why or what. I’m sure it had some business.
GoD: Obviously.
TJ: To us, that would have pre the airport. Also hadn’t been opened.
GoD: Sure, there’d have been nothing in the sky before then.
TJ: Right. And that fact that it was a helicopter alone.
GoD: It would probably have been the first time people even saw it.
TJ: And this would have been pre-television.