Owen: Buskers, Homelessness, The Worlds Ills,

Owen: Buskers, Homelessness, The Worlds Ills,

Life History; Homeless

Owen was homeless at the time of this recording. He talks on how he spends his days on the streets, with his dog. He plays the tin whistle. He talks about people’s attitudes towards him and describes the course of his days.
The interview suggests that Owen is Welsh. He describes the highs and lows of his day and comments on people’s attitudes to him and about life in general. He describes his relationships with the police and with people he meets.

Note: surname of interviewee not supplied

Note; This interview was conducted as part of the Cork 2005 Project

24 February 2005

CFP_SR00362_owen_2005

Cork; Ireland; Wales; 2000s;

Cork 2005 Collection Catalogue Numbers:

CFP_SR00329_mccarthy_2004;
CFP_SR00330_odriscoll_2004;
CFP_SR00331_claffey_2004;
CFP_SR00332_hanover_2004;
CFP_SR00333_desplanques_2004;
CFP_SR00334_bale_2004;
CFP_SR00335_sheridan_1996;
CFP_SR00336_steiner-scott_2004;
CFP_SR00337_rot_2004;
CFP_SR00338_stafford_2004;
CFP_SR00339_odonoghue_2004;
CFP_SR00340_hawkins_2004;
CFP_SR00341_ocarroll_2004;
CFP_SR00342_ikebuasi_2004;
CFP_SR00343_ogeallabhain_2004;
CFP_SR00344_geaney_2004;
CFP_SR00345_wulff_2004;
CFP_SR00346_abdoulbaneeva_2004;
CFP_SR00347_gunes_2004;
CFP_SR00348_fourie_2004;
CFP_SR00349_henderson_2004;
CFP_SR00350_valdman_2004;
CFP_SR00351_carmody_2004;
CFP_SR00352_osullivan_2004;
CFP_SR00353_mahknanov_2004;
CFP_SR00354_oflynn_2004;
CFP_SR00355_akhter_2004;
CFP_SR00356_walker_2004;
CFP_SR00357_kelleher_2004;
CFP_SR00358_manresa_2004;
CFP_SR00359_wimpenny_2005;
CFP_SR00360_skotarczak_2005;
CFP_SR00361_vermeulen_2005;
CFP_SR00363_dsouza_2005;
CFP_SR00364_setter_2005;
CFP_SR00365_obrien_2005;
CFP_SR00366_botan_2005:

Published Material;
‘How’s it Goin’, Boy? radio series (six thirty-minute episodes, broadcast 2005 and available on the Cork Folklore Project website)

O'Carroll, Clíona for the Cork Northside Folklore Project (2006) How's it goin', boy? Dublin: Nonsuch Publishing.

Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive

English

Sound

1.wav File

68m 24s

Cork City, Ireland.

MiniDisc

16bit / 44.1kHz

The following is a short extract from the interview transcript, copyright of the Cork Folklore Project. If you wish to access further archival material please contact CFP, folklorearchive@gmail.com

O: Yeah exact, do you know what I mean? Do you know? Unlike, these people are way too greedy do you know?

L.C: But that’s part of Ireland I think now isn’t it – the greed!

O: Yeah, it’s taken over, I mean like all they want to know now is forty inch screen tv’s, with remote control sound systems, and remote control this or remote control that, like do you know like it’s like they’re forgetting all the basics like - how to say hello like, how you doing, are you alright like, they’ve forgotten all about that like. The amount of times these people walk past me in the street, and every now and then an old lady will fall over, yeah and I’ll bet you nine times out of ten, I’m the only one who picks her up; and like they look at me like I’m the bum, do you know, and to me no, they’re the bum, they’re walking past man. How can you walk past when someone’s in trouble do you know? I can’t do it, I can’t do that bit, that’s not in me, do you know? Someone’s in trouble, someone needs help and I’ll stay and I’ll be there for them do you know? I mean I had a girl last week - she was not from the city, she was a young girl she was about eighteen – she was a bit nervous about being here do you know what I mean, and she had to wait like almost two hours for her mate to come out of college, and I said don’t worry like, chill out there like, I said if you can handle it like, I said just get yourself a cup of tea like and just chill out, and I said no one will touch you while I’m here like, you know, you’re alright like, I said don’t worry about nothing like, and she was like well you know the lads like you know like, and I said well the lads, you’ll just have to forget about the lads, I says do you know, you’ll meet the right person when it comes along isn’t, you’ll know when it happens then and it takes time, and you go through a process, and she was just trying to get, you know she couldn’t handle being wolf whistled at and stuff like that and being are you alright darling? Do you know what I mean, do you know what I’m saying, you know, arrogant blokes.

L.C: I hear you using Cork kind of expressions there like, the lads are like, all right there like, can you think of any like Cork expressions or phrases that come to mind like?

O: Langer, em will we? As in will I? do you know – I’ll go to the shop will I? I mean well you’ve already just said that you’re going to the shop, what are you saying will I? Are you questioning yourself whether you’re going to the shop or what like? (Laughs). Do you know what I mean like? There’s been a few other ones I’m trying to think like, em ah I hate it, I hate it, just blocked, I can’t think at the moment, it will come back do you know, that was just one, have some more soup by all means do you know.