Kathleen O’ Driscoll

Kathleen O’ Driscoll

Born in the 1920s Kathleen (Kitty) O’Driscoll recalls memories of the Coal Quay and its vicinity. She remembers shops including Mrs Twomeys and Mrs Punch’s. Speaks of the shawls worn by the women there. She also mentions Andy Gaw a well-known Cork “character”. Mentions Dennehy’s Pub and Cathy/ Kitty/ Kathy Barry who ran a shebeen/ síbín nearby.

5-11-98

CFP_SR00242_odriscoll_1998

Cork Folklore Project

Cork Folklore Project

English

the Glen

Sample Transcript:

M.H    : Now I’m just asking you a few basic questions , how far back can you remember the old Coal Quay ?

 

KOD  : Well I go back 30 years ago because it could be even more but as far as could remember when my Father and Mother would come in a pony and car, tie there long side Mrs Twomey’s shop at the corner  now where the old paint is. But all that Coal Quay is changed complety right there use to be Wagons belong to the traveling people there and the shawls and the old baskets and if I had clothes I sell them in the Coal Quay my mother would. We’d sell and we go away begging all day and we sell the clothes to the old women in the Coal Quay they make their few bob of them. You know like times that time now it different to all together now

 

M.H    : Would you prefer it years ago ?

 

KOD    : Well to tell you the truth if I had my way I love to go back to them days again because they were happy days they where plasent days they where poorer days we had to look for what we wanted and we aprecaite it

 

M.H     : Em could you remember you mother and all of them wearing the shawls ?

 

KOD    : I do of course I even have her shawl

 

M.H    : Have you ?

 

KOD    : I have her wrap

 

M.H    : O lovely, lovely

 

KOD   : I have yeah

 

M.H     : Em What else use they sell down there ?

 

KOD     : My mother use to come up there for her we use to call it stock and she use to have a basket and she use to sell soaps glasses niddles pins and em any thing at all to make a few bob , we use to buy them in punches , Mrs Punch

 

M.H    : Where about’s is she ?

 

KOD    : She be up about way you know  where their is a painting shop there O you know it now up there you know there is a  lane it would take you out and em the side of em you know where the Bodega now there is a lane at the side of that Mrs Punch had a shop there and my mother use to come up for the status there and em buy them and go to the country and sell them we come back then for maybe a  farpence worth maybe that time now it be as goo what I’m not a scholar in that line we say it would be as good as thirty or forthy pound now it would yeah with all black shawls and then they use to have the rugs most of the time but the Coal Quay is complety changed Mrs Dennehy’s bar and all is different altogether now Mrs Towmey is still there all the time you know her don’t yeah ?