Dan Jones: Stonemasons, Family Life, Poetry

File 1

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Early years in Bandon and Cork

Dan speaks about his early years. He states that he was born in the Cottage Hospital in Bandon (1931). He says that he was taken to live in Cork at the age of four, where he attended Ss. Peter and Paul School for a year or two, before returning to live in Bandon until the age of sixteen. Dan explains that he feels that the separation of his parents, when he was young, contributed to making him more self-sufficient in life.

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Early jobs from the age of twelve to sixteen: delivering milk - paper boy - wheelwright’s assistant

Dan recalls that while still at school he started his first job, at the age of twelve, delivering milk in a churn each morning and evening for three shillings a week.  On leaving school at fourteen, he says that he worked as a paper delivery boy for eight or nine months.  He remembers collecting Examiners and Echos’ off the morning and evening trains from Cork city, for twelve shillings a week.  Dan is proud that his pay was increased to fifteen shillings after three weeks.  He recalls that after this in 1945/46, he went to work for a wheelwright - Louis Fulham - operating the bellows.  

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Move to Cork

Dan speaks about how he moved to Cork city with his father - a stonemason - around 1947/48; and explains that he lived ‘in digs’ from about the age of sixteen to twenty-four, while he served his time as an apprentice stonemason.

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The first return visit to Bandon after nearly thirty years

Dan explains that he did not return to Bandon for nearly thirty years as it held too many painful memories for him. He relates how he finally returned by going to sing at an old folks’ concert, on the urging of an old Bandon friend, Delia, and recalls how he met his first girlfriend there again.

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Parents separation; rift with brother

Dan discloses that the reason he stayed away from Bandon so long was due to his parents’ separation. He speaks about his mother with whom he did not get on and he also relates how the separation caused a rift between him and his only sibling, a brother, who went with his mother. He says that the separation meant that they ‘were never really brothers’.

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Early married life

Dan says that he ‘never had a home before he got married’ as he had spent so many years ‘in digs’. He reflects on early married life when he and his wife, Kay lived in a flat in Brown Street - a street which no longer exists.

CFP Note: Brown Street was located in the Paul Street area around what is now Rory Gallagher Place; it ran down to the quay at the back of the current Paul Street Shopping Centre Car Park.

See photo at:

https://www.photosales.eecho.ie/v/photos/74373pks/1351997210?pcp=21 consulted on 04/04/2017.

Dan recalls that he went to work in England for a while and he says that when he returned, it was to a home that his wife Kay had set up for them in Mary Aikenhead Place, off Cathedral Road. He says that he still lives in the same house, sixty years on.

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Dan’s present partner

Dan speaks warmly about the very good relationship that he has with his present partner, Sheila. He says that though they lived near each other for many years, they did not meet until about twelve years ago.

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Dan’s mother-in-law

Dan relates that his late wife, Kay came from the Coal Quay. He speaks about her mother, Laurie Collins, known as Laurie Connors, who ran a fruit and vegetable stall there. He recalls that she had a kidney removed at seventy but went on to live to be ninety. It is at this point that he talks about his wife’s early death at forty-four.

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Dancing days

Dan reminisces about when he used to go dancing six to eight times a week - sometimes twice on Sundays - and says that he was one of the top twenty ballroom dancers in Cork.

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Appreciation of life

Dan reveals that the highlight of his life was getting married and having six children. He says that his youngest son, Alan - forty-four, at the time of this interview - lives with him. Dan advices that it is important to make the most of life and says that he and his partner Sheila take a few holidays each year.

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Bowl-playing; Bol Cumann na hÉireann

Dan recalls how he used to go bowl-playing in Blarney and was classed as Junior B grade. He mentions strong bowl-playing areas like Fairhill, Dublin Hill, Ballyvolane, Togher and Waterfall. He then goes on to speak about the establishment of Bol Cumann na hÉireann in 1954, which he says resulted in the sport becoming more formalized.

CFP Note: Bol Cumann na hÉireann replaced the All-Ireland Bowl-playing Association.

Reflects on the great social aspect of bowl-playing, which Dan feels has been lost due to the greater emphasis on placing high bets nowadays. He also says that pubs no longer sponsor the sport like they did in the past.

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Rural Electrification

Dan says the house in Kilbrogan Street, Bandon where he was born (1931) had electricity. He says that they moved to another house, two hundred yards away, in an area known simply as Kilbrogan, which was without electricity and so he says that they used paraffin oil lamps. Though he reveals that he did not have a happy childhood, Dan expresses the belief that life would have been happier for many people, as he considers that people were generally more helpful and neighbourly to each other in the past.

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Relationship with mother

Dan speaks about the distant relationship that he had with his mother, who he describes as very ‘aloof’. He states that she was nineteen years old when he was born. He says that he did not hear of her death until weeks after and thinks that she was cremated in Wales. Dan says that his relationship with his father was much different and reveals that he ‘idolised’ him.

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Life after wife’s death

Dan reflects on being a widower with six young children, after the death of his wife, Kay. He says that Alan was seven, Frank was eleven, Martin was thirteen, Majella was fifteen, Mary was seventeen and Tim - who later died - was the eldest. He explains that it was about three years after Kay died before life started to improve. He says that when they had got married, he vowed that the family would never be broken up. Dan suggests that it was his own difficult upbringing that made him a very resilient person. He remembers that his grandmother said to him: ‘you get out what you put in’ and he lives his life with this in mind. He expresses his belief that if parents do right by their children, then the children will always respect and like them.

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Relationship with present partner

Dan speaks about his relationship with his present partner, Sheila, saying that they are great friends. He says that they enjoy travelling and going out three nights a week and generally making the most of life.

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Dan’s grand-uncle - Patrick Jones, poet mason

Dan speaks about his grand-uncle, the poet mason, Patrick Jones, who was born in Bandon.

Dan refers to Patrick as ‘an enigma, drunk, hero, one of the best bricklayers there ever was . . .’ and ‘a genius with words and stone’. He says that Finbar Wright put one of his poems about Kilbrogan Graveyard to music. He also mentions the two medals that Patrick was awarded for bravery during the Boer War. He remembers visiting him as a child in Gillabbey Rock and describes him wearing a soft hat with ‘a scowl on his face’. He says that Patrick was not a very sociable being and would prefer to go off on his own to write poetry. He also says that it was only later on that he realised that Patrick had a drink problem when he read his own story.

CFP Note: Bandon born Patrick Jones (1870-1956) served his apprenticeship as a stonemason before joining the British Army. He was soon seconded to a sapper regiment. Sapper regiments carried out a range of military engineering duties, so Patrick’s masonry skills would have made him an ideal candidate for such a regiment. On returning to Ireland after the Boer War, he combined his work as a stonemason with the writing of poetry.

See: CFP researcher Michael Moore’s Stonemasons Project.

Note: Interview is suspended temporarily as Dan receives a text message.

File 2

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Family Background

Dan resumes talking about his granduncle, Patrick Jones. He says that Patrick must have been in his eighties when he died. He goes on to speak about his father’s four brothers. He says that one was beaten by ‘the Free Staters’ and ended up in an asylum. Three other brothers migrated to the United States. He also mentions his father’s two sisters who he did not know. Dan explains that his grandfather married again after his first wife’s death. He speaks warmly about his grandfather’s second wife, Annie Dalton, describing her as ‘a pure lady’.

Family background contd.

Dan continues speaking about his grandfather’s family. He says that his grandfather was a bricklayer. As well as his brother Patrick, he states that his grandfather also had a brother, Tommy, who was a headmaster in Passage and another brother, Tim, who was manager of the West Cork Bottling Co. He says that Tim was a father of the Jones Group, who were involved in the oil business. He remembers ships on the quays, which they owned, such as the Mary J and the Eily J - the J being for Jones.

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Patrick Jones’ children

Dan says that Patrick Jones’ two daughters are still alive - one being Mary Jones O’Connor. He speaks about Patrick’s two sons, both now dead.

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Keeping family together

Dan stresses the importance of maintaining a loving, united family life.

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Patrick Jones

Dan’s final thoughts on Patrick.

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Jones family history; family trade

Dan speaks about building being the family trade. He says that his great-great-great grandfather was a Welsh protestant stonemason who came to live in Ireland. Though he continued to adhere to his protestant faith, he married a Roman Catholic and they reared their children in the Roman Catholic faith. Dan notes that he has no Jones’ relations left in Bandon now.

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Dan’s family links: Jones Group; Gerry Jones and the 1970s arms trial

Dan refers to that part of the family known as the Jones Group. He says that two of them were very senior civil servants in the

1930s. Dan’s father’s first cousin Gerry Jones, who Dan describes as a Provo (Provisional IRA member), became famous for his black patch and support of Charlie Haughey, during the gun running scandal of the 1970s. He reveals that the family suspected that Gerry Jones provided financial support for the Provos.

CFP Note: The gun running scandal and consequent arms trial saw government ministers accused of supplying arms to the Provisional IRA.

See: www.irishtimes.com/news/death-of-gerry-jones-1.243735

consulted on 04/04/2017.

Interviews Ends