Tommy Rooney: Second City Jazzband, Cork Academy School of Music
Interview exploring the ‘showband era’ (late 1950s to early 1970s) in Ireland from the perspective of Cork-based musicians and family members.
Tommy Rooney was born in 1931. He was reared in Crosshaven and was the eldest of nine. His father’s family were from Dublin. He joined the army in 1945 at the age of 14 and remained in the service for 12 years. He played music during some of that time with civilian bands. After the army, he played with Donny Collins in Limerick for 9 years and with Michael O’Callaghan for 7 years. He then formed The Second City Jazz Band and played with them for 20 years. Recently he has begun teaching music at the Cork Academy School of Music in Sunbeam industrial estate. He married one of the Creedon's, a well-known sporting family from Shandon Street.
Tommy talks about his life as a musician. His early days in the army as a teenager. He talks about the very start of the showband era, the bands and Cork venues, such as the Arcadia. The experience of playing in Protestant halls in Northern Ireland.
Cork Folklore Project
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Cork Folklore Project
8 January 1997
Interviewee: Tommy Rooney
Interviewer: Stephen Hunter
Cork Folklore Project
<strong>Showbands Collection Catalogue Numbers: <br /><br /></strong>Accession number for collection [CFP Acc. No. 1997-004]; <br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/56" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00051_dixies_1996;</a><br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00053_nolan_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/59" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00054_power_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/60" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00055_foley_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/61" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00056_various_1997</a>:
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English
Sound
CFP_SR00052_rooney_1997
Cork City; Ireland; 1930s-1990s
Sean Lucey, Terry McCarthy: Blackpool, Dixies Showband
Interview exploring the ‘showband era’ (late 1950s to early 1970s) in Ireland from the perspective of Cork-based musicians and family members.
Seán Lucy was born in 1936. Seán is from a family of four. He started work as a radio and television repairman in 1950, before becoming a professional musician in 1960. He played the clarinet. He played with the Butter Exchange Band, a brass and reed band that started in the late 1940s.
Terry McCarthy was born in 1948. Terry is from a family of eight. He became a stonecutter in 1963. He joined a band in 1968 and began a career in music; he was a vocalist. Both were educated by the Christian Brothers at the North Monastery.
Seán and Terry talk about the Irish showband scene, and their band, the Dixies. The band started playing Trad Jazz as the Dixieland band, copying English bands who copied American bands. Terry had been in a band called The Sunset; joined the Dixies in 1985. The Dixies went professional in 1961, toured England and America. Showbands had to leave the country during Lent and play elsewhere. They identify the heyday of the showbands as being approximately from 1965 to 1971. Seán’s favourite venue in Cork was the Arcadia, in Lower Road, later the CIE club, with audiences of 3,000. They played in Northern Ireland before The Troubles began.
Rory Gallagher played support to The Dixies when he was very young. Terry saw Rory’s band Taste play their first gig, at the Cavern Club, Leitrim Street.
The arrival of discos killed the live music scene.
They discuss the extent of the Northside area.
They topped the bill at Carnegie Hall, New York in 1964. The band has an entry in the Guinness Encyclopaedia of Popular Music.
Cork Folklore Project
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Cork Folklore Project
9 December 1996
Interviewees: Seán Lucy and Terry McCarthy
Interviewer: Stephen Hunter
Cork Folklore Project
<strong>Showbands Collection Catalogue Numbers: <br /><br /></strong>Accession number for collection [CFP Acc. No. 1997-004]; <br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/57">CFP_SR00052_rooney_1997</a>;<br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00053_nolan_1997</a>;<br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/59" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00054_power_1997</a>;<br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/60" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00055_foley_1997</a>;<br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/61" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00056_various_1997</a>:
1.wav File
English
Sound
CFP_SR00051_dixies_1996
Cork: Ireland; 1930s-1990s.
Noreen Cronin: Shandon, The North Infirmary, Childhood
Life History:
Noreen grew up in a tenement in Dominick Street next to Shandon in the early 1950s. She went to the North Pres School and worked at the North Infirmary. Her mother used to deliver babies in the area and helped to wash and lay out the dead. Her father worked in the Asphalt Company and had an extra job at the Opera House.
Noreen remembers American tourists giving her money in Shandon because she looked ‘real’ Irish with her red hair and freckles.
She talks about the Firkin Crane and the Butter Factory.
Noreen also mentions working sewing caps and hats in O'Gorman's factory and how the men all drank tea out of jam jars.
She recalls shops in Shandon Street; Spithere’s where they used to get salted butter and they’d bring a jug to get milk direct from the churn; Paddy Twomeys for offal and bodice and tails, Ormonde and Aherns where you got bread for 50c, JJ Welch’s sold perfume and face cream and operated a book system and Buckleys which sold dresses and uniforms
Noreen goes on to describes the milk and cake shops they went to. Mentions An Stád on Leitrim Street and Nosey O’Keefe’s where they bought sweets.
Recalls Jerry Healy's pawn shops and the return of the Sunday suits on a Monday.
Noreen describes how her grandmother, sister, herself worked at The North Infirmary.
She remembers the childhood games they played, skippy, picky, rounders, release, marbles, spin the bottle, Bob and Joan’s and the songs they used to sing whilst playing. Swimming at the Mardyke and the Lee. At that time children could be arrested for playing football on the street.
Delivering babies and the washing and laying out of the dead and wakes.
Describes the household chores: washing the ware and old washing boards.
She also talks about her aunts going for half pints in the snug. Mentions Jack Brown’s pub in Dominick Street and Nellie Naughton and Paddy Donoghue who sang there.
Recalls the food they ate; tripe, Drisheen, offal, hack bone and stews. They drank beef tea when sick. Rasa and currant cake at Christmas.
Talks about the night the Opera House burned down.
Ceilis and old-time waltzing, and watching The Dixielanders (The Dixies) at St Francis Hall. Watching other Big bands at The Arcadia.
Bonfire Night and drinking Rasa and orange juice.
Travelling on the Inisfallen and emigration.
Cork prisons and a man being arrested for stealing a loaf of bread.
Cork Folklore Project
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Cork Folklore Project
9 August 2012
Interviewee: Noreen Cronin
Interviewer: Geraldine Healy
Cork Folklore Project
<div class="element-text">
<div class="element-text"><strong></strong><strong>Other Interviews in the Colection:</strong> <br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/101" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/101" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00387_sheehan_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/101" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00388_sheehan_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/103" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00389_healy_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/104" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00390_kelleher_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/105" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00391_crean_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/106" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00392_mckeon_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/107" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00393_twomey_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/108">CFP_SR00394_stleger_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/3">CFP_SR00395_speight_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/109" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00396_lane_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/110" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00397_obrienoleary_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/111" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00398_jones_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/112" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00399_saville_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/113" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00400_magnier_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/114">CFP_SR00401_marshall_2010</a>;<a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/115" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> CFP_SR00402_marshall_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/116">CFP_SR00403_murphy_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/117">CFP_SR00404_prout_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/118">CFP_SR00405_walsh_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/119" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00406_prout_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/120">CFP_SR00407_newman_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/121" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00408_newman_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00409_leahy_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/123" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00411_newman_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/124" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00412_newman_2010</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/125" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00413_finn_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/126" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00414_ohorgain_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/127" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00415_oconnell_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/128" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00416_sheehy_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/129" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00417_mcloughlin_2012</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/130" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00418_gerety_2012</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/131" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00419_kelleher_2012</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/132" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00420_byrne_2012</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/134" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00422_ohuigin_2012</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/135" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00423_meacle_2012</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/136" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00424_horgan_2012</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/137" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00425_lyons_2012</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/138" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00427_goulding_2011</a>; <br /><br />CFP_SR00491_fitzgerald_2013. <br /><br /><strong>Heritage Week 2011:</strong> <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/139" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00429_casey_201</a>1; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/140" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00430_tomas_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/141" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00431_newman_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/142" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00432_stillwell_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/143" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00433_oconnell_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/144" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00434_lane_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/145" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00435_montgomery-mcconville_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/146" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00436_ocallaghan_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/147" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00437_corcoran_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/148">CFP_SR00438_jones_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00439_ohuigin_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/149" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00440_mccarthy_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/150" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00441_crowley_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/151" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00442_obrien_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/152" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00443_jones_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/153" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00444_mcgillicuddy_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/154" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00445_delay_2011</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/155" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00446_murphy_2011</a>; <br /><br /><strong>Video Interview:</strong> CFP_VR00486_speight_2014</div>
<div class="element-text"><br /><strong>Published Material: </strong> <br /><br />O’Carroll, Clíona (2011) ‘The Cork Memory Map’, Béascna 7: 184-188. <br /><br />O’Carroll, Clíona (2012) ‘Cork Memory Map: an update on CFP’s Online Project’, The Archive 16: 14. <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/archive16.pdf">https://www.ucc.ie/en/media/research/corkfolkloreproject/archivepdfs/archive16.PDF</a> <br /><br />Dee, Stephen and O’Carroll, Clíona (2012) ‘Sound Excerpts: Interviews from Heritage Week’, The Archive 16: 15-17. <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/archive16.pdf">https://www.ucc.ie/en/media/research/corkfolkloreproject/archivepdfs/archive16.PDF</a> <br /><br />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. <br /><br />The Curious Ear/Documentary on One (Cork City Memory Map) <a href="http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2011/0816/646858-curious-ear-doconone-cork-city-memory-map/">http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2011/0816/646858-curious-ear-doconone-cork-city-memory-map/</a></div>
</div>
<div class="element-text"><br /><strong>To view the Cork Memory Map Click </strong><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/memory-map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Here</strong></a></div>
1 .wav File
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CFP_SR00421_cronin_2012
Cork, Ireland, 1920s-2000s
Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ O’Sullivan: Ballyphehane
Life History: Ballyphehane, Childhood, Emigration
Lizzie hails from Wolfe Tone Street on the Northside of the city. After spending a few years in England as a young adult she returned to Cork and was an early resident of the Corporation development in Ballyphehane. Lizzie has lived in Ballyphehane ever since.
Elizabeth talks about her places of growing up, Wolfe Tone St, Gurranabraher. Her schooling and first job. Emigration to England and marriage. Returning to Cork and establishing herself in Ballyphehane where she raised her family. Her father’s experience of the First World War. Her grandparents. The Development of Ballyphehane. Ballyphehane Church and Credit Union. Consumer history. TB in Cork. Arrival of Electricity. Family outings around Ballyphehane. Bonfire night. Sense of Community in Ballyphehane. The Bandon Train. Pre-marriage social life and dances. Musgrave Park.
Cork Folklore Project
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Cork Folklore Project
30 November 2017
Interviewee: Elizabeth O'Sullivan
Interviewer: James Furey
Cork Folklore Project
<div class="element-text"><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/72" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00586_lyons_2016</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/73" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00587_walker2016</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/76" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00592_chute_2016</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/77" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00617_mcallen_2017</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/79" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00643_osullivan_2017</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/80" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00665_falvey_2018</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/84" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00672_EdwardsCrowley_2018</a>:</div>
<div class="element-text"><br />Furey, Jamie (2012) ‘Boxcars, broken glass and backers: A Glimpse at the Ballyphehane Oral History Project’, The Archive 21: 24-25. <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Archive21-WebEdition-1.pdf">http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Archive21-WebEdition-1.pdf</a></div>
.wav
English
Sound
CFP_SR00643_osullivan_2017
Cork; Ireland; Ballyphehane; England; 1920s-2000s
Liam Foley: Blackpool, Showbands, Arcadia
Interview exploring the ‘showband era’ (late 1950s to early 1970s) in Ireland from the perspective of Cork-based musicians and family members.
Liam is originally from the Northside, from Great William Street in Blackpool. His whole family were musical, and even though his father worked as a cabinet-maker, he and the rest of the family were very keen on playing music at home. He went to Blackpool National School, Commons Road, where corporal punishment was the norm; the building was later demolished.
Liam talks about his experience of the showband scene. He tells a funny story about a gig where the marquee tent blew down on the band in a storm. He had a natural musical ability and settled first on playing the drums and afterwards the guitar, which became his favoured instrument. Showbands were prohibited from playing during Lent, and travelled to London to play; some of them approached a bishop for aid, but he closed the door in their faces. The bands spent half an hour playing a particular artist’s hits, such as Elvis Presley, The Shadows. The bands were usually given a meal before playing, but sometimes not much of one, and they had to hang around a cold ballroom before playing. Bands were comprised of 8 or 9 instruments, and they could play for 5 hours at a time. The rise of the discos put an end to the showband scene. Audience behaviour and clothing styles at ballrooms. The story of The Devil appearing at ballrooms; of a ghost at the Arcadia Ballroom.
Cork Folklore Project
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Cork Folklore Project
29 April 1997
Interviewee: Liam Foley
Interviewer: Stephen Hunter
Cork Folklore Project
<strong>Showbands Collection Catalogue Numbers: <br /><br /></strong>Accession number for collection [CFP Acc. No. 1997-004]; <br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/56" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00051_dixies_1996;</a> <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/57">CFP_SR00052_rooney_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00053_nolan_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/59" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00054_power_1997</a>;<br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/61" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00056_various_1997</a>:
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English
Sound
CFP_SR00055_foley_1997
Cork; Ireland; 1940s - 1990s;
Frances McCarthy and Betty O’Mahony: The Dixies, Christy O'Mahony
Interview exploring the ‘showband era’ (late 1950s to early 1970s) in Ireland from the perspective of Cork-based musicians and family members.
Frances has always lived on the Northside. She was born in Poulraddy, went to school in North Presentation school. When she was seven she moved to Ballyvolane and went to school at St Patrick’s College, Gardiner’s Hill, and Mayfield Community School. After she married she lived in Fairhill, and then in Tivoli. (The other interviewee, Betty O’Mahony, is her mother.)
Frances talks about her father, Christy, who was a musician with The Dixies showband. She describes the extent of the Northside area, which she says consists of Fairhill, Churchfield, Farranree, and Blackpool.
Cork Folklore Project
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Cork Folklore Project
26 May 1997
Interviewees: Frances McCarthy and Betty O’Mahony
Interviewer: Stephen Hunter
Cork Folklore Project
<strong>Showbands Collection Catalogue Numbers: <br /><br /></strong>Accession number for collection [CFP Acc. No. 1997-004]; <br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/56" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00051_dixies_1996;</a> <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/57">CFP_SR00052_rooney_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00053_nolan_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/59" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00054_power_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/60" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00055_foley_1997</a>;
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English
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CFP_SR00056_various_1997
Cork; Ireland; 1930s - 1990s;
Philomena Cassidy: Grattan Street, Healthcare, The Marsh
<p>Phil grew up in a tenement on Grattan Street and worked in O’Gorman’s Hat Factory and Dunlop’s before getting married and starting a family. She gives a very detailed description of the lanes, houses, shops and families on Grattan Street and the surrounding area of the Middle Parish.</p>
<p>She discusses a variety of childhood games, a strong sense of community and friendly relationships with neighbours that have lasted a lifetime. </p>
<p><span>Phil recalls the dispensary, subsequently the Grattan Street Health Centre. Inside patients waited on benches for the doctor who tended to their area of the city. She also remembers the dispensary caretaker and pharmacist who lived in the dispensary building. </span></p>
<p><span>Her family’s daily routine is described including going to school, family meals and shopping. Her father was very strict about timekeeping, especially when Phil and her siblings were attending dances. This timekeeping came in useful at work where lateness resulted in docked pay, and where there was no sick pay.</span></p>
<p><span>Rationing in the 1940s is described, including the amounts of various foodstuffs allowed per person, and how it was circumvented by a neighbour who travelled to England.</span></p>
<p><span>Phil speaks of the diseases which we common when she grew up including tuberculosis. She also mentions her relatives who contracted diphtheria and measles and how they were treated. Refers to the vaccines for these diseases too.</span></p>
<p><span>Phil would have liked to stay working in Dunlop’s after her marriage as she enjoyed working with the people there but it was not an option. Nonetheless she enjoyed being with her own children at home and watching them grow, something she thinks happens less today.</span></p>
<p><span>Specific pawn shops and their locations are also recalled, how they functioned and their role in helping people make ends meet. </span></p>
Cork Folklore Project
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
4 September 2019
Cork Folklore Project
<strong>Other Interviews in this Collection </strong><br /><br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/240" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00696_O'Regan_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/242" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00704_Collins_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/243" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00706_Higgisson_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/244" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00712_O'Brien_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/245" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00713_Kearney_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/246" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00714_Cunning_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/247" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00717_Ward_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/248" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00727_OhUigin_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/249" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00728_Scanlan_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/250" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00729_Mulcahy_2019</a>;<br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/252" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00760_Morrissy_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/253" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> CFP_SR00762_OConnell_2019</a>;
1 .wav file
English
Sound
CFP_SR00732_Cassidy_2019;
Don Morrissy: Grattan Street, Healthcare, Working Life
<span>Ireland; Cork; Dublin; Middle Parish; The Marsh; Grattan Street; Occupational Lore; University; </span>
<p><span>Don recalls his entrepreneurial great-aunt who owned the Grand Hotel in Fermoy. </span></p>
<p><span>Recounts early years in the Grattan Street Dispensary building where his father was the pharmacist. </span></p>
<p><span>Describes growing up on the Mardyke close to St Joseph’s School and Presentation Brothers School which he attended. Talks about the violence of corporal punishment. </span></p>
<p><span>His mother ran a guesthouse in the family home, including preparing all the meals for the customers who were mostly university students and commercial travellers with their own cars which was rare.</span></p>
<p><span>Remembers summer holidays on a cousin’s farm.</span></p>
<p><span>Describes his time in University College Cork as the most important in his life. Discusses student societies, debating and the university grounds.</span></p>
<p><span>Outlines his working life in pensions, career direction, marriage as well as living accommodation.</span></p>
<p><span>Expresses his hopes for building developments in Cork and the emerging opportunities of remote working there. </span></p>
<p><span>Reflects on how his background has formed his outlook on life.</span></p>
<p><span>Describes cycling to collect cream from Bradleys Dairy on Sheare’s Street in an Andrews Kruschen Salts jar. Also mentions his distaste for tripe and drisheen.</span></p>
<p><span>Talks about a hierarchy of respectability in Cork based on types of clothing, with shawlies being the lowest rank.</span></p>
<p><span>Discusses Cork dancehalls in the 1960s including UCC, the Arcadia and the people who organised them.</span></p>
Cork Folklore Project
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Cork Folklore Project
<strong>Other Interviews in this Collection </strong><br /><br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/240" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00696_O'Regan_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/242" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00704_Collins_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/243" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00706_Higgisson_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/244" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00712_O'Brien_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/245" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00713_Kearney_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/246" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00714_Cunning_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/247" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00717_Ward_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/248" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00727_OhUigin_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/249" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00728_Scanlan_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/250" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00729_Mulcahy_2019</a>; <br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/251" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00732_Cassidy_2019</a>;<br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/253" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> CFP_SR00762_OConnell_2019</a>;
1 .wav file
English
Sound
CFP_SR00760_Morrissy_2019;