1
20
2
-
https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/files/original/47998d1b6000a76e70981ad7252a7f04.jpg
e245f89b3e8cbbb2c200a3033ee23a69
https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/files/original/859e801dd14591ec7d7a25917a9ecc6c.wav
42cd57234548f74e7bc3b88c245586c0
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
<p>Grattan Street Stories: Memory of Place</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Occupational Lore; Life History; Built Heritage; Health; Ireland; Cork; Middle Parish
Description
An account of the resource
<p>This collection focuses on a building on Grattan Street which has served as a Quaker Meeting House, a public Dispensary and as the Grattan Street Health Centre. The project was a collaboration between the CFP and the Cork North Community Work Department, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, Health Services Executive HSE. </p>
<p>The interviewees fall into two main groups: those who worked in the building and those who lived in the surrounding area and availed of the services provided in the building.</p>
<p>This project follows on from the collaboration with the HSE in the “<a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/collections/show/10" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HSE Orthopaedic Hospital Oral History Project (d'Orthopaedic)</a>”. There is a further connection between the two projects as many of the staff and services once provided in the Grattan Street Health Centre have now relocated to St. Mary's Health Campus (St Mary’s Primary Care Centre) Gurranabraher, the former site of the Orthopaedic Hospital. This topic of the relocation of services is also covered in some staff interviews. <br /><br />To date (October 2021) 13 interviews have been completed for the project.<br /><br />Interviewees discuss the Grattan Street building itself in terms of its historic significance, its benefits and drawbacks as a workplace. Broader themes related to or inspired by the building are also touched on including: personal relationship with the building, staff camaraderie, the problems with parking, memorable incidents at work, patient experiences and descriptions of the people and services for which the building catered.<br /><br />Healthcare professional interviewees detail their training, career progression and comparisons between Grattan Street and other workplaces. Their testimonies also provide a link with the community of patients they served giving further insight into attitudes to healthcare, diseases, vaccines, description of social conditions and the changes in medicine and technology in their working lives.<br /><br />Non-healthcare professional interviewees describe childhood experiences in or around Grattan Street (The Marsh or The Middle Parish), the social, cultural and economic conditions of the area, tenements, businesses, attitudes to and experiences of healthcare, vaccines, diseases, medicines and medical professionals as well as observed changes in these areas over time.<br /><br />Interviewees also reflect on the possible future uses of the Grattan Street building.<br /><br /><strong>Related Reference Sources</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Barrington, R.<em> (</em>1987) <em>Health, medicine and politics in Ireland, 1900–1970</em>. Dublin: Institute of Public Administration.</li>
<li><span>Butler D.M. (2004) <em>The Quaker meeting houses of Ireland</em></span>. Dublin : Irish Friends Historical Committee.</li>
<li><span>Byrne, J. (2004) <em>Byrne's dictionary of Irish local history.</em> Cork: Mercier Press.</span></li>
<li>Cooke, R. T. (1999) <em>My Home by the Lee</em>. Irish Millennium Publications: Cork.</li>
<li><span>Dempsey, P. J. & White, L. W. ‘Childers, Erskine Hamilton’. <em>Dictionary of Irish Biography</em> </span>[Accessed 18 October 2021]</li>
<li>Harrison, R.S. (1991) <em>Cork City Quakers 1655-1939: A Brief History</em>. Cork.</li>
<li>Houston, M. (2004). ‘Life before the GP’. <em>The</em> <em>Irish Times. </em>Available at : <<a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/life-before-the-gp-1.1158599">https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/life-before-the-gp-1.1158599</a> > [Accessed 18 October 2021]</li>
<li>Keohane, F. (2020) <em>The Buildings of Ireland Cork City and County</em>. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.</li>
</ul>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-2020
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
<p>Interviewees: Edith O’Regan, 'Mary', Sean Higgisson, Aoife O’Brien, Eileen Kearney, Imelda Cunning, Jane Ward, Liam Ó hUigín, Joe Scanlan, Mary Mulcahy, Philomena Cassidy, Don Morrissy, Derek O’Connell</p>
<p>Interviewer: <a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=2&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Kieran+Murphy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kieran Murphy</a>, (<a href="https://corkfolklore.org/community-oral-history-outreach-officer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP Community Oral History Outreach Officer</a>)</p>
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
<p>Cork, Ireland 1940s-2020s; Waterford, Ireland; Dublin, Ireland; Limerick, Ireland;</p>
Relation
A related resource
<p><strong>Exhibition</strong></p>
<p>Artist Edith O’Regan-Cosgrave (also an interviewee for the project) created a visual artwork based around the Grattan Street Medical Centre building itself, as a workplace and health centre. The artwork incorporated direct quotations from the oral history interviews conducted for the project, and also included brief historical paragraphs about the building researched, written and edited by the <a href="https://corkfolklore.org/community-oral-history-outreach-officer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP Community Oral History Outreach Officer</a> Kieran Murphy. This exhibition was launched on 6<sup>th</sup> February 2020 in “St Peter’s” on the North Main Street where a “Listening Event” was also held to mark the occasion.</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:10%;"><br /><br /><img src="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Grattan-Poster-for-Email-286-by-400.jpg" alt="Grattan-Poster-for-Email-286-by-400.jpg" /><br /><br /></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:10%;"></p>
<p><strong>Presentation and Listening Event</strong></p>
<p>To coincide with the launch of the Grattan Street Stories Exhibtion on 6<sup>th</sup> February 2020 a listening event and presentation of the history of the Grattan Street Medical Centre building and description of the project was given by <a href="https://corkfolklore.org/community-oral-history-outreach-officer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP Community Oral History Outreach Officer</a> Kieran Murphy.<br /><br /><img src="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/427A7714-1.jpg" alt="427A7714-1.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Presentation</strong></p>
<p>In 2019 at the OHNI conference the <a href="https://corkfolklore.org/community-oral-history-outreach-officer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP Community Oral History Outreach Officer</a> Kieran Murphy discussed social media and oral history which included audio excerpts from the Grattan Street Stories Project along with photographs of the building.</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:150%;"><img src="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Kieran-OHNI-e1634041838937.jpg" alt="Kieran-OHNI-e1634041838937.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Audio Visual Presentation</strong></p>
<p>An audio-visual slideshow was produced featuring oral testimony from the Grattan Street Stories Project and combined with suitable images of Grattan Street and from Edith O’Regan-Cosgrave’s exhibition. This was created by <a href="https://corkfolklore.org/community-oral-history-outreach-officer/">CFP Community Oral History Outreach Officer</a> Kieran Murphy.<br /><br /></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:10%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnjEtQeOb3I&t=1s&ab_channel=CorkFolklore" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Audio Visual Presentation Available to listen and view here.</a>
<p><strong>Health and Vaccines Oral History Research<br /></strong><br />Many of the interviews conducted for the Grattan Street project formed an integral part of the testimonies and research for the innovative<br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/health/about" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">'Catching Stories'<span> </span>of infectious disease in Ireland </a>project funded by the Irish Research Council.<br /><br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/health/about" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Catching-Stories-Poster.jpg" alt="Catching-Stories-Poster.jpg" /></a></p>
<strong>Social Media</strong> <br /><br />Numerous suitable audio excerpts from the oral history interviews have been edited and shared on CFP's social media channels.<br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1139167201582288901" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1139167201582288901</a><br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1140909542240391168" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1140909542240391168</a><br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1141264486768238592" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1141264486768238592</a><br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1189872295923376133" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1189872295923376133</a><br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1228322700415860736" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1228322700415860736</a>
<strong>Orthopaedic Hospital</strong><br />Cork Folklore Project in collaboration with the HSE conducted an oral history project focussing on the Orthapaedic Hospital in Gurranabraher. <br /><br /><span>Many of the staff and services once provided at the Grattan Street Health Centre site were moved to St. Mary's Health Campus (St Mary’s Primary Care Centre) Gurranabraher, the former site of the Orthopaedic Hospital. </span><br /><br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/collections/show/10" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HSE Orthopaedic Hospital Oral History Project (d'Orthopaedic)</a>
<strong>Swimming Article</strong><br /><br />Kieran Murphy and James Furey co-authored an article about<br /><a href="https://tripeanddrisheen.substack.com/p/swim-city?s=r" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Swimming in Cork</a> which appeared in the online magazine Tripe + Drisheen. This article features a number of interview extracts collected as part of the Grattan Street Stories Project.
<strong>Related Interviews<br /><br /></strong>CFP_SR00756_Quilligan_2019;<br />CFP_SR00758_Broderick_2019;<br />CFP_SR00670_OShea_2018;<strong><br /><br /></strong>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Cork Folklore Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Audio
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
16 .wav Files
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed
Aoife O'Brien
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview
Kieran Murphy
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
80 Minutes 1 Second
Location
The location of the interview
Grattan Street Medical Centre
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
.wav
Bit Rate/Frequency
Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio)
24bit / 48kHz
Time Summary
A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.00.00 - 0.00.52</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Role in Grattan Street Medical Centre</strong></p>
<p>Clerical Officer in Grattan Street Medical Centre for 18/19 years. From Cathedral Road originally. Only Northsider working in Grattan Street Medical Centre!</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.00.52 - 0.02.44</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Background, Childhood and Games</strong></p>
<p>Grew up in cul-de-sac terrace called School Avenue.</p>
<p>Primary school: St Vincent’s.</p>
<p>Games: “piggy”, skipping ropes. Convinced her friends that there were fairies in trees by her house. Took over older sister Sinead’s job in Grattan Street Medical Centre. They played together with Sinead as the teacher and Aoife as the student in their grandmother’s room using chalk which got on grandmother’s clothes and she never knew when it came from. Started school with boys & girls she was friends with and still friends with many of them today.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.02.44 - 0.03.37</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Childhood Games: Piggy</strong></p>
<p>Describes the game how it’s made and its rules (also known as hopscotch or pickey) chalk on the road and use a shoe polish tin. Very popular where Aoife was from.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.03.37 - 0.05.06</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Grand Mother’s shop on Churchfield Green</strong>.</p>
<p>Grandmother’s surname was Stephens and people who know Aoife from the shop know her as Aoife Stephens. Had friends up near the shop. Shop closed 20 years ago. Her dad drove her and siblings from school to the shop after school. Her mom worked up there.</p>
<p>Aoife and her friend Paula went to the “Pound Shop” or collected old wool from people’s houses to make ponytails in imitation of Like “Rainbow Brite Dolls”.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.05.06 - 0.07.37</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Grandmother’s Shop- description, shopping notes, fun </strong></p>
<p>Shop was hub of activity. Customers sent up notes with the items they wanted. Children played hiding in fridges. “Light-fingered”- as children they took things from the shop. It was a grocery shop selling: milk, bread, cold meats, sweets, cigarettes.</p>
<p>Recalls a funny incident when her cousin Leonard got a note which had “S. Towels” meaning sanitary towels but he asked his dad “what are stowels?”</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.07.37 - 0.13.23</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Grandmother: Description, her Funeral, Summer Holidays with her, Christmas Day, Caring for others, Cooking Tripe and Drisheen</strong></p>
<p>Aoife thought her grandmother wasn’t patient because she had a quick tongue. Now looking back she thinks she was very patient. Aoife’s sister went to live with their grandmother when granddad died.</p>
<p>Used to stay in caravans down in Youghal. Eventually they rented a house from a woman called Maureen. About 13 children stayed there in Youghal with grandmother for the summer. Grandmother doted on all of them.</p>
<p>At her funeral people had very fond memories of her. She was an agony aunt and confidante. A neighbour could chat in the shop for 3 hours with her.</p>
<p>Family always went to grandmother’s house for Christmas Day. When grandmother sold the house she came to live with Aoife’s family and the rest of the family came to them for Christmas. <br /><br />Grandmother always had an apron or pinnies [pinafores]. She was glamourous at the time. She used to go to the Isle of Man and she used to wear wigs because they were in fashion. Aoife called her grandmother Mrs Bijoux because she had so much jewellery. She would put so much jewellery on for special occasions that she probably couldn’t bend some of her fingers! She had fur coats. A lovely old lady. Grey hair and loved her cigarettes. She never really inhaled them it was just a habit and for comfort. Loved chocolate. Went for a nap after dinner. She woke at dawn and put the washing on.</p>
<p>She cooked tripe and drisheen for Aoife’s dad who worked nights in Irish Steel. Grandmother loved feeding people. Steak and gravy could be cooked in the morning so Aoife’s mom only had to heat it up. “The smell alone would turn me off” the tripe and drisheen. “Fairly gruesome now to be honest”. “she knew by my face not to even ask” if Aoife wanted to taste any.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.13.23 - 0.14.55</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Christmas Day</strong></p>
<p>Start 10am. Aoife’s parents & her 3 sisters. Uncle Jim now deceased. Aunt Geraldine. Grandmother had 2 girls and 2 boys. Neighbours would call in. Everyone in a small kitchen. It was the hub of the family. Fighting over toys and batteries.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.14.55 - 0.16.53</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>School</strong></p>
<p>Enjoyed it. As admin for the vaccinations department in Grattan Street Medical Centre she has goes back to St Vincent’s twice a year for vaccines: HPV (human papillomavirus), Men C (meningitis C) and Tdap (tetanus and low dose diphtheria and low dose pertussis (whooping cough) booster). School still looks and smells the same. Saw her picture on the wall sitting next to two girls who she is still best friends with now.</p>
<p>Liked the subjects Art, French and Business Organisation (“Biz Org”).</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.16.53 - 0.20.11</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>After School: Courses and Jobs</strong></p>
<p>Did a secretarial course in Terence MacSwiney Community College and a City and Guilds Course. Work experience in solicitor’s office in Washington Street doing dictation and typing but felt a little bit like it was over her head. Worked in Dovertron Electronics in Dublin Hill which had the contract for the Sky Box where she worked for 6 months.</p>
<p>Worked in Bourns Electronics: 8 months soldering. Saturday job in a butchers in North Main Street- she hated smell of meat lasted 3 Saturdays!</p>
<p>Handed in CV to line manager and staff officers in HSE. Offered job 2 weeks after the interview. Feels like Grattan Street Medical Centre won’t let her go. Feels like part of the furniture.</p>
<p>The secretarial skills course she took included: computer skills, typing, floppy disks, word processing, dictation, typing, telephone manner,</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.20.11 - 0.22.31</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Recalls Grattan Street when visiting her sister before working there</strong></p>
<p>Aoife used to call into Grattan Street Medical Centre to visit her sister who worked there. She attended Michael O’Sullivan in the eye clinic when she was in school. She was familiar with the building. It is strange to be working in the building where she had been as a patient. There was a school nurse who she was afraid of and Aoife became her secretary.</p>
<p>Smoking: Canteen was halved at the time and smokers were on one side of it. People could smoke in their offices.</p>
<p>She stepped into her sister’s job. She felt very welcomed.</p>
<p>Aoife says that she doesn’t take direction very well, she prefers to do things her way. Her sister was very particular.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.22.31 - 0.25.00</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Memories as a Patient- and pretending to need glasses!</strong></p>
<p>Dark room, waiting to be called. As a child she was desperate to get glasses and braces. She used take silver foil from cigarette packets to put around teeth to imitate braces. She wore her grandfather’s glasses which had thick lenses “like jam jars” in the hope that she herself would need to wear glasses. She told Dr (Michael) O’Sullivan that she couldn’t see much of the (eye-test) board. Later on, after a year or two working in Grattan Street Medical Centre, she discovered that she did need glasses.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.25.00 - 0.26.23</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Difficult to leave Grattan Street Medical Centre</strong></p>
<p>Sister loved Grattan Street Medical Centre and was heartbroken to leave. Aoife has been in her office since March 2001. In facy she has been there longer than she has been in her own home. “My whole life story is been in the walls”. Leaving Grattan Street Medical Centre is tough for her and some of the others working there.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.26.23 - 0.32.57</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Description of Role and duties</strong></p>
<p>Every child in junior infants is offered a vision check MMR, booster vaccination and senior infant child is offered hearing check. Aoife and Síle (Sheila?) in Grattan Street Medical Centre cover the North Lee area from Macroom to Youghal, not the city, Glounthaune, Carrigtwohill, Cobh, Midleton area. Aoife works from the city to east Cork, there’s a very big workload so she must be organised. It’s a very rewarding job. It requires building a rapport with primary schools and secretaries.</p>
<p>As part of her work she needs to: send out forms to 58 primary schools and get packs ready for the schools and all the students and get the forms back by courier. The form have to be sorted based on the vaccination date schedule and people removed from the list if they refuse the vaccine. They also check that children weren’t vaccinated before eg. a “repeat student” (a student repeating a class or year) or maybe the student has lived in another country where they were vaccinated so that must be followed up. </p>
<p>They are almost busier in the summer months because the details of every child that has been vaccinated must be inputted into the system.</p>
<p>Aoife gets called a lot because she has been in Grattan Street Health Centre for so long that she has many answers to questions, for instance she buys all of the stationery for the building.</p>
<p>The computer system has changed in the last few years, it’s now a national system. Previously there was one system for Cork and Kerry but a different one for Galway etc. The new system is more time consuming at present but will be easier in the long run.</p>
<p>Cards on the database. Notes written on the cards which are kept as well.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.32.57 - 0.36.55</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Vaccinations in Secondary Schools</strong></p>
<p>Aoife goes to secondary schools providing administrative support as part of the vaccine programme. Visits a school twice: once for 1<sup>st</sup> dose of HPV and Men C and then 2<sup>nd</sup> dose of HPV and the Tdap. Boys aren’t given HPV at present but they will next year (2020) which will make things very busy.</p>
<p>Either Aoife brings the forms or the AMO Area Medical Officer will. Sometimes the school secretary sends 4<sup>th</sup> years (fourth year /transition year students) to help them. Checks that the students have the right consent forms. Ensures that the students get back to class after waiting 15 minutes after the vaccination.</p>
<p>First time the students have been at an appointment or vaccination without a parent. A bit of nerves from them.</p>
<p>Tdap is Tetannus. Men C for meningitis. HPV the cervical cancer vaccine.</p>
<p>Aoife says that nobody wants to get a vaccine but generally it’s fine.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.36.55 - 0.40.30</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Rare cases of people refusing vaccines and possible reasons why</strong></p>
<p>Not many people refuse the vaccinations. Some consent forms are confusing for people, especially if English is not their first languages. Aoife sees form where people sign to accept and refuse a vaccination so those have to be cleared up.</p>
<p>When a child is vaccinated a parent has to be present.</p>
<p>People refuse vaccines for personal reasons- don’t agree with them or have never taken them and won’t start now. Aoife mentions the controversy around the MMR but says that she cannot get involved as an admin. If she or a parent is unsure about something there is a doctor on call to answer any questions re vaccines.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.40.30 - 0.42.52</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>The Building itself in Grattan Street Medical Centre</strong></p>
<p>Aoife thinks that the Grattan Street Medical Centre building has character, it is quirky. It is not clinical like you think a medical centre might be. “There’s probably music in the walls of this building”, “It’s a happy building”. The roof leaks, door hinges break, things crack and things break. She has shared the office with the same girl for a few years and they will be separated when they leave. They know when to talk to each other or leave each other alone.</p>
<p>Pigeon poo has come down from the ceiling onto people.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.42.52 - 0.46.30</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Neighbourhood around Grattan Street Medical Centre</strong></p>
<p>So near town. On lunch can go to the bank. Few houses that live around them know them. Car park has been a source of hatred because so many use it and the school as well. No point in falling out with staff or neighbours over cars. A few people “fond of the drink” would come into the building there was never trouble there were always characters about the area. Could find people sleeping rough at the side of the building.</p>
<p>Will miss the location. Know the people in the local shops and chemists with whom she’s built up relationships. Goes to the furniture shop on North Main Street, they ask when she’s leaving Grattan Street Medical Centre and she says “don’t mention the war! Just don’t talk about it because I can’t talk about it.” Feels it’s the end of an era and it’s sad.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.46.30 - 0.50.41</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Moving to St Mary’s Primary Care Centre Gurranbraher</strong></p>
<p>Aoife’s workplace is moving to the old orthopaedic hospital now the St Mary’s Primary Care Centre in Gurranabraher. She feels institutionalised being in Grattan Street Medical Centre so long. Aoife has organised social aspect of Grattan Street Medical Centre eg. the Christmas party and lunch parties for people leaving. She even once served lunch after she had made the orders. It’s like a family away from home. There’s about 50 staff but never there at the same time.</p>
<p>GPs, mental health, public health nursing, dental will all be up in St Mary’s. Aoife wonders about how they will keep the soul of Grattan Street Medical Centre when they move. Some people are delighted to be moving to a new building. But for Aoife it’s the people that make it.</p>
<p>Change is good even though it’s scary. Will ensure they still do nights out, lunches, Christmas events. Wants to keep something about Grattan Street Medical Centre as well.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.50.41 - 0.54.30</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Social Aspects of Grattan Street Medical Centre</strong></p>
<p>Tradition before Christmas breakup day bring some food to the canteen between 12:30-2:30 big lunch in canteen. A feast- people make the effort. Aoife puts Christmas music on an old CD player. Some people play instruments eg. Violin.</p>
<p>Party night at the airport hotel, plays. You can’t please everyone- you’ll never get the date right or the venue right.</p>
<p>Takes lots of patience and organisation to do the social events. Recommends that people pay for the meal beforehand and she gives the restaurant the money and then everyone pays for everything extra themselves.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.54.30 - 0.56.45</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Organising Social Events and responsibility for money</strong></p>
<p>People think when you work for HSE they may think you get subsidised nights out. Mindful that she’s handling other people’s money. Bad snow one Christmas and only 2 members of staff made it to the party in Oriel House Ballincollig. There was no refund and that may have affected the turnout the next years.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.56.45 - 0.59.20</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Stories from Grattan Street</strong></p>
<p>Wasps coming through the decorative vents in the ceiling one year.</p>
<p>Leaks in the roof.</p>
<p>Boiler broke down and Aoife spotted smoke on the way to work.</p>
<p>Flooding prevented staff from getting to work in Grattan Street.</p>
<p>Professor Drumm (Brendan Drumm) head of HSE was visiting and there was new cutlery arrived and lots of scones from Duggan’s cake shop around the corner. Aoife was giving the scones to people as they were leaving even Prof Drumm.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.59.20 - 1.04.00</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Assumptions about the HSE</strong></p>
<p>Aoife has a pensionable job and works hard for it. And HSE is in the news a lot, eg the cervical test issues. But Aoife can only account for the work she does. Elderly people would always ask her the same two questions; can you get me a medical card and can you get me glasses?</p>
<p>Welfare officers used to be downstairs in Grattan Street Medical Centre there could be an array of different characters. Sometimes there would be uproar with someone trying to skip the queue for the welfare officer.</p>
<p>Gone to look at the style in weddings in the registry office in the front of the building.</p>
<p>First gay marriage in Cork in the registry office.</p>
<p>Everyone gets on there’s never been a major falling out between staff. Nice, friendly place to work even though shabby.</p>
<p>Taken phone calls from elderly people who are looking for a different department and Aoife goes out of her way to help them.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.04.00 - 1.06.39</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Crimes and Old Dispensary</strong></p>
<p>Doctor’s handbag was taken and the thief got disorientated ran into the clinic room not out front door and dropped his mobile phone.</p>
<p>Someone covered Sean (the porter’s) duties and a laptop was stolen.</p>
<p>Aoife’s car was broken into one day.</p>
<p>People had a misconception that Grattan Street Medical Centre was the old dispensary that there was drugs there. Only thing they could get was head lice lotion, bandages.</p>
<p>Says the building belonged to the Mormons [means Quakers] who gave it to HSE to help the poor of Cork.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.06.39 - 1.09.15</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Accidents: Windows and Filing Cabinet</strong></p>
<p>Window have been here for a while. Sign on her office window which said “brrrrrr” and that was the noise the window made when it was windy! The window came away from the fitting one day while opening it.</p>
<p>Hit her head into an open filing cabinet after answering phone once. Went to the Mercy (hospital) with the cut which wasn’t able to be stitched.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.09.15 - 1.11.13</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Cars</strong></p>
<p>Aoife was youngest in Grattan Street Medical Centre for a long time. “The baby of Grattan Street”. Aoife has a thing for cars. Could go out at lunchtime and could come back with a new car. Went to move her car and someone told her to call her parent to move it because she looked so young.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.11.13 - 1.12.00</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Ghost of Grattan Street Medical Centre</strong></p>
<p>Someone had a meeting and something fell and Sean the porter told them it was the ghost. Aoife says the “Ghost is actually real” heartbroken and traumatised by having to leave.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.12.00 - 1.12.58</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Different Dynamics in new Primary Care Centre</strong></p>
<p>Dynamics will be different in St Mary’s: won’t all be meeting in the canteen or chatting</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.12.58 - 1.13.42</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Changes to job in new</strong> <strong>Primary Care Centre</strong></p>
<p>Currently all files and printer are in her office but in St Mary’s those are all centralised. Expects teething problems. </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.13.42 - 1.16.32</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Grattan Street can’t let go of Aoife</strong></p>
<p>Would still take the job if she had the time over. Even though Aoife has tried to leave her job a few times something has always happened so that she ended up staying eg. an application form she sent off was blank, once there was a mix up with a panel, another time the job she went for changed from HSE to social work, she lost 6 family members in 6 or 7 years.</p>
<p>Always had someone to turn to, support, friendly ear and chat in Grattan Street Medical Centre.</p>
<p>“Burning the place down so no one can have it!”</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.16.32 - 01.18.40</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Hopes for future of Grattan Street Medical Centre</strong></p>
<p>Disability services, child adolescent mental health, eating disorder clinic. Hate to see it turned into apartments. Lovely community- it should be kept. Food after Christmas parties is brought up to Edel House and food brought to Penny Dinners as well. Lots of vulnerable people in the area and lots of elderly people. Hopes podiatry can keep a room for foot care for the elderly with diabetes etc. prefer to see it remain as something that’s giving to the community.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.18.40 - 1.19.01</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Reflections on Grattan Street as Workplace</strong></p>
<p>Quirky characters. Fun place to work.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.19.01 - 1.19.50</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Fairies</strong></p>
<p>Aoife imagined fairies in the trees at her childhood home. Says she has a great imagination. She perhaps took the idea from The “Secret Garden”, she also loved “The Never Ending Story”.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.19.50 - 1.20.01</strong></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Outro</p>
<p><strong>Interview Ends</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Aoife O'Brien: Grattan Street, Healthcare, Working Life
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
CFP_SR00712_O'Brien_2019;
Relation
A related resource
<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/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/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>;
Language
A language of the resource
English
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
16 May 2019
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 .wav file
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Ireland; Cork; Northside; Middle Parish; The Marsh; Occupational Lore; Medicine; Family; University; Built Heritage
Description
An account of the resource
<p><span>Aoife describes growing up on the Northside near Cathedral Road and playing games with her friends.</span></p>
<p><span>Describes her grandmother who ran a shop on Churchfield Green. Her grandmother was a confidante to many locals. Her grandmother eventually moved into their family home, where Aoife describes how she cooked tripe and drisheen. Aoife also speaks about a typical Christmas day with her family and neighbours visiting. </span></p>
<p><span>Recalls her school days and subsequent courses and jobs before her clerical officer role in Grattan Street, taking over her sister’s role.</span></p>
<p><span>Remembers her first experiences of Grattan Street as a child patient wanting to get glasses. Is reluctant to leave Grattan Street as she has so many memories there. </span></p>
<p><span>Explains her work in administration for the schools vaccination programme. Mentions rare cases of vaccine hesitancy or refusal. </span></p>
<p><span>Describes the quirky character of the Grattan Street Medical Centre building and as a happy place to work despite its defects. It’s location in the centre of the city is also beneficial. </span></p>
<p><span>Aoife talks about her role organising social events for the medical centre staff- Christmas parties and leaving parties. Hope to maintain these traditions when the staff move to St Mary’s Health Campus Gurranabraher. </span></p>
<p><span>Recalls stories from Grattan Street including wasps, pigeons, floods, characters and the boiler.</span></p>
Accident
Accidents
Admin
Administration
Apron
Build Heritage
Building
Buildings
Built Heritage
Cake
Cake Shop
Canteen
Car
Car Park
Car Parking
Career
Career Decisions
Career Path
Cars
Cathedral Road
CD
CD Player
Cervical Test
Chalk
Change
Childhood
Childhood Games
Children’s Games
Christamas
Christamas Dinner
Christmas
Churchfield Green
Cigarettes
Clerical Officer
Clerical Work
Clinic
Colleagues
Community
Computer
Crime
Crimes
Database
Disability
Dispensary
Disrepair
Dolls
Drisheen
Dublin Hill
Duties
Fairies
Fairy
Family
Father
Floods
Food
Friends
Games
ghost
Glasses
Grandparents
Grattan Street
Grattan Street Medical Centre
Gurranabraher
Health Centre
HPV
HPV Vaccine
HSE
Instruments
Irish Steel
Job
Leaks
Lunch
Marriage
Meals
Medical Centre
Medicine
Memory
Music
Name
Names
Neighbour
Neighbourhood
Neighbours
News
North Main Street
Northside
Nurse
Office
Organising
Parents
Parking
Parties
Party
Patient
Patients
Perceptions
Picky
Porter
Poverty
Registry Office
Responsibility
Sanitary Towels
School
Schooldays
Scone
Scones
Secretarial Skills
Secretary
Shop
Shopping
Shops
Sibling
Sister
Skills
Skipping
Smell
Smells
smoking
Social life
St Mary's Health Campus
St Mary's Orthopeadic Hospital
St Mary’s Primary Care Centre
St Vincent's
Staff
Stories
Summer Holidays
Traditional Food
Traditions
Training
Tripe
Tripe and Drisheen
Vaccination
Vaccinations
vaccine
Vaccine Hesitancy
Vaccines
Wedding
Weddings
Work
Work Colleagues
Working
Working life
Worklife
Workplace
Youghal
-
https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/files/original/e419d85b95cb03144f9b6f4f836603b6.jpg
e245f89b3e8cbbb2c200a3033ee23a69
https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/files/original/d12fe1beff5d2f13851bd786dbf54f42.mp3
f89e223784f869b2f3c433e727fa8acb
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
<p>Grattan Street Stories: Memory of Place</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Occupational Lore; Life History; Built Heritage; Health; Ireland; Cork; Middle Parish
Description
An account of the resource
<p>This collection focuses on a building on Grattan Street which has served as a Quaker Meeting House, a public Dispensary and as the Grattan Street Health Centre. The project was a collaboration between the CFP and the Cork North Community Work Department, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, Health Services Executive HSE. </p>
<p>The interviewees fall into two main groups: those who worked in the building and those who lived in the surrounding area and availed of the services provided in the building.</p>
<p>This project follows on from the collaboration with the HSE in the “<a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/collections/show/10" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HSE Orthopaedic Hospital Oral History Project (d'Orthopaedic)</a>”. There is a further connection between the two projects as many of the staff and services once provided in the Grattan Street Health Centre have now relocated to St. Mary's Health Campus (St Mary’s Primary Care Centre) Gurranabraher, the former site of the Orthopaedic Hospital. This topic of the relocation of services is also covered in some staff interviews. <br /><br />To date (October 2021) 13 interviews have been completed for the project.<br /><br />Interviewees discuss the Grattan Street building itself in terms of its historic significance, its benefits and drawbacks as a workplace. Broader themes related to or inspired by the building are also touched on including: personal relationship with the building, staff camaraderie, the problems with parking, memorable incidents at work, patient experiences and descriptions of the people and services for which the building catered.<br /><br />Healthcare professional interviewees detail their training, career progression and comparisons between Grattan Street and other workplaces. Their testimonies also provide a link with the community of patients they served giving further insight into attitudes to healthcare, diseases, vaccines, description of social conditions and the changes in medicine and technology in their working lives.<br /><br />Non-healthcare professional interviewees describe childhood experiences in or around Grattan Street (The Marsh or The Middle Parish), the social, cultural and economic conditions of the area, tenements, businesses, attitudes to and experiences of healthcare, vaccines, diseases, medicines and medical professionals as well as observed changes in these areas over time.<br /><br />Interviewees also reflect on the possible future uses of the Grattan Street building.<br /><br /><strong>Related Reference Sources</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Barrington, R.<em> (</em>1987) <em>Health, medicine and politics in Ireland, 1900–1970</em>. Dublin: Institute of Public Administration.</li>
<li><span>Butler D.M. (2004) <em>The Quaker meeting houses of Ireland</em></span>. Dublin : Irish Friends Historical Committee.</li>
<li><span>Byrne, J. (2004) <em>Byrne's dictionary of Irish local history.</em> Cork: Mercier Press.</span></li>
<li>Cooke, R. T. (1999) <em>My Home by the Lee</em>. Irish Millennium Publications: Cork.</li>
<li><span>Dempsey, P. J. & White, L. W. ‘Childers, Erskine Hamilton’. <em>Dictionary of Irish Biography</em> </span>[Accessed 18 October 2021]</li>
<li>Harrison, R.S. (1991) <em>Cork City Quakers 1655-1939: A Brief History</em>. Cork.</li>
<li>Houston, M. (2004). ‘Life before the GP’. <em>The</em> <em>Irish Times. </em>Available at : <<a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/life-before-the-gp-1.1158599">https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/life-before-the-gp-1.1158599</a> > [Accessed 18 October 2021]</li>
<li>Keohane, F. (2020) <em>The Buildings of Ireland Cork City and County</em>. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.</li>
</ul>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-2020
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
<p>Interviewees: Edith O’Regan, 'Mary', Sean Higgisson, Aoife O’Brien, Eileen Kearney, Imelda Cunning, Jane Ward, Liam Ó hUigín, Joe Scanlan, Mary Mulcahy, Philomena Cassidy, Don Morrissy, Derek O’Connell</p>
<p>Interviewer: <a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=2&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Kieran+Murphy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kieran Murphy</a>, (<a href="https://corkfolklore.org/community-oral-history-outreach-officer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP Community Oral History Outreach Officer</a>)</p>
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
<p>Cork, Ireland 1940s-2020s; Waterford, Ireland; Dublin, Ireland; Limerick, Ireland;</p>
Relation
A related resource
<p><strong>Exhibition</strong></p>
<p>Artist Edith O’Regan-Cosgrave (also an interviewee for the project) created a visual artwork based around the Grattan Street Medical Centre building itself, as a workplace and health centre. The artwork incorporated direct quotations from the oral history interviews conducted for the project, and also included brief historical paragraphs about the building researched, written and edited by the <a href="https://corkfolklore.org/community-oral-history-outreach-officer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP Community Oral History Outreach Officer</a> Kieran Murphy. This exhibition was launched on 6<sup>th</sup> February 2020 in “St Peter’s” on the North Main Street where a “Listening Event” was also held to mark the occasion.</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:10%;"><br /><br /><img src="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Grattan-Poster-for-Email-286-by-400.jpg" alt="Grattan-Poster-for-Email-286-by-400.jpg" /><br /><br /></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:10%;"></p>
<p><strong>Presentation and Listening Event</strong></p>
<p>To coincide with the launch of the Grattan Street Stories Exhibtion on 6<sup>th</sup> February 2020 a listening event and presentation of the history of the Grattan Street Medical Centre building and description of the project was given by <a href="https://corkfolklore.org/community-oral-history-outreach-officer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP Community Oral History Outreach Officer</a> Kieran Murphy.<br /><br /><img src="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/427A7714-1.jpg" alt="427A7714-1.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Presentation</strong></p>
<p>In 2019 at the OHNI conference the <a href="https://corkfolklore.org/community-oral-history-outreach-officer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP Community Oral History Outreach Officer</a> Kieran Murphy discussed social media and oral history which included audio excerpts from the Grattan Street Stories Project along with photographs of the building.</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:150%;"><img src="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Kieran-OHNI-e1634041838937.jpg" alt="Kieran-OHNI-e1634041838937.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Audio Visual Presentation</strong></p>
<p>An audio-visual slideshow was produced featuring oral testimony from the Grattan Street Stories Project and combined with suitable images of Grattan Street and from Edith O’Regan-Cosgrave’s exhibition. This was created by <a href="https://corkfolklore.org/community-oral-history-outreach-officer/">CFP Community Oral History Outreach Officer</a> Kieran Murphy.<br /><br /></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:10%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnjEtQeOb3I&t=1s&ab_channel=CorkFolklore" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Audio Visual Presentation Available to listen and view here.</a>
<p><strong>Health and Vaccines Oral History Research<br /></strong><br />Many of the interviews conducted for the Grattan Street project formed an integral part of the testimonies and research for the innovative<br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/health/about" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">'Catching Stories'<span> </span>of infectious disease in Ireland </a>project funded by the Irish Research Council.<br /><br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/health/about" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="http://corkfolklore.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Catching-Stories-Poster.jpg" alt="Catching-Stories-Poster.jpg" /></a></p>
<strong>Social Media</strong> <br /><br />Numerous suitable audio excerpts from the oral history interviews have been edited and shared on CFP's social media channels.<br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1139167201582288901" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1139167201582288901</a><br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1140909542240391168" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1140909542240391168</a><br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1141264486768238592" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1141264486768238592</a><br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1189872295923376133" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1189872295923376133</a><br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1228322700415860736" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/corkfolklore/status/1228322700415860736</a>
<strong>Orthopaedic Hospital</strong><br />Cork Folklore Project in collaboration with the HSE conducted an oral history project focussing on the Orthapaedic Hospital in Gurranabraher. <br /><br /><span>Many of the staff and services once provided at the Grattan Street Health Centre site were moved to St. Mary's Health Campus (St Mary’s Primary Care Centre) Gurranabraher, the former site of the Orthopaedic Hospital. </span><br /><br /><a href="https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/collections/show/10" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HSE Orthopaedic Hospital Oral History Project (d'Orthopaedic)</a>
<strong>Swimming Article</strong><br /><br />Kieran Murphy and James Furey co-authored an article about<br /><a href="https://tripeanddrisheen.substack.com/p/swim-city?s=r" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Swimming in Cork</a> which appeared in the online magazine Tripe + Drisheen. This article features a number of interview extracts collected as part of the Grattan Street Stories Project.
<strong>Related Interviews<br /><br /></strong>CFP_SR00756_Quilligan_2019;<br />CFP_SR00758_Broderick_2019;<br />CFP_SR00670_OShea_2018;<strong><br /><br /></strong>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Cork Folklore Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Audio
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
16 .wav Files
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed
Mary
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview
Kieran Murphy
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
112 Minutes 13 Seconds
Location
The location of the interview
Bishopstown
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
.wav
Bit Rate/Frequency
Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio)
24bit / 48kHz
Time Summary
A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.00.00 - 0.00.25</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Intro</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.00.25 - 0.02.29</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Background</strong></p>
<p>Grew up in County Limerick. Dad died when young. Early memory as 3 year old feeding a calf. Trained in St Johns Limerick, midwifery in Glasgow, 1975 went to Australia- Melbourne, Sidney, Brisbane. Returned after a year. Worked in Orthopaedic hospital in Croom, Limerick. Came to Cork, worked in Sarsfield’s Court [Glanmire] in the chest unit. Met a man which is why she stayed in Cork. Nursing involved night-duty and weekends, and "Mary" was thinking forward and did the Public Health Course to become PHN Public Health Nurse- first assignment was Middle Parish based in Grattan Street.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.02.29 - 0.05.26</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Early Memories: Father’s Death, Family</strong></p>
<p>Women with tea and USA biscuits. Seeing lines of men in the hay barn and animals coming out- must have been auction of the animals.</p>
<p>One older brother mentally & physically handicapped, 2 younger sisters. Mental Hospital St Joseph’s in Limerick rented land from their farm so there was an income coming in without the mother taking sole responsibility for running the farm. It was therapy for the patients working on the farm despite being out in all weather. "Mary" thinks that many of the male patients were there as a result of the war. One man was called Sergeant. "Mary's" family also got fresh vegetables from them.</p>
<p>Learning process for them, learned who they could trust and who not- “heightened our awareness of mankind”. Some people were fit and healthy and others had mental issues.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.05.26 - 0.09.30</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Memory of Smell of Tripe Cooking reminds of dad</strong></p>
<p>When in St Johns in 2<sup>nd</sup> year of training ages 19 or 20- she had a memory of a taste and smell. Walking on corridor in 1<sup>st</sup> floor she got the smell. Found her way to room 8 and a priest was having tripe and drisheen or tripe and packet as it’s called in Limerick.</p>
<p>You could get the smell passing Shaws abattoir on the way into Limerick City. They had a hooter which would sound at 1pm and 5pm or 6pm in the evening which could be heard by "Mary" at home.</p>
<p>Says that tripe is the lining of a sheep’s stomach. “Villi”- nooks and crannies. Still buys it in the English Market on the left hand-side when you enter from the Grand Parade- and there was someone in front of her in the queue so she wasn’t the only one buying it! Advises opening a window to let the small out!</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.09.30 - 0.10.35</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Typical Day on the Farm when Growing up- making bread</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p>They had a cow on the farm. Woman called May who helped out their mother on the farm. They would put on their “busy coat” or “duds” to milk cow, bring in milk, make brown soda bread.</p>
<p>Remembers mother making bread around 10am in an earthenware crock with sour milk in it which went into the Aga oven.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.10.35 - 0.13.05</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Learning about her Mother Remarrying</strong></p>
<p>Tom worked with the mental hospital and he would call in and there was a china cup for him. "Mary" asked her mother whether Tom slept in the house now, and previously asked May where her mother was and was told she was on holidays. Subsequently she realised that her mother had married Tom and they had been on honeymoon.</p>
<p>Reflects on how little information she was given about this change in situation and how it applies in her nursing role and thinks that sometimes less information is better when dealing with young children who may not fully understand everything.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.13.05- 0.16.00</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Typical Day on the Farm when Growing up</strong></p>
<p>In winter deal with the cow: hay, water, and muck out. Cow let out in the field in spring and summer. Dinner would be any time after the cake was made- ready about 12:30. Dinner usually bacon, cabbage, carrots, parsnips. As season moved on more turnips and potatoes. Seasonal. Started with Ker Pinks then Golden Wonders, didn’t like soapy Aran Banners. Then apple or rhubarb tarts. Supper at 5pm or 6pm: beans, bananas, eggs. They had hens which had to be fed.</p>
<p>Went to bed at 8pm or 9pm. In evening have to bring the cow back down and there might be 10 or 12 bullocks following you- nightmare that they would trample you to death?</p>
<p>Mother and May made the food. When "Mary" was 7 or 8 years old May was let go as "Mary" was considered old enough to help out.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.16.00- 0.17.57</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Interaction with the Patients of the Mental Hospital</strong></p>
<p>Looking out the window watching them. Sheep shearing and rolling of the wool. Taking off the “daggings” and rolling the wool into fleeces. Or bringing in the hay watching them piking and the change from horses to tractors.</p>
<p>There was an archway into their yard and it became harder to get larger machines through the arch over time.</p>
<p>Later on it became bales of hay rather than wines of hay (in Limerick) whereas in Cork they would call it trams.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.17.57 - 0.19.17</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong><span>Animals, Games and Mushrooms</span></strong></p>
<p><span>They prepared the animals with special soaps for the Limerick Show in August [Limerick Agricultural Show Society]. As children they would sit on the walls in the cow house (cowhouse) and use the chains as stirrups and pretend to be riding horses.</span></p>
<p><span>Picked mushrooms in fields often along the path the cows had made where you’d find mushrooms.</span><span> </span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.19.17- 0.21.36</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong><span>Going to School and Standing up for Yourself</span></strong></p>
<p><span>Walk across the fields to get to the road to school which was 2 miles away, wear wellies if raining. When older cycled to school. Had the younger sister in the carrier. Fell off the bike coming down Ryan’s Hill and the sister fell into the bushes and the nettles. Mother gave out to them for falling off the bike.</span></p>
<p><span>In 6<sup>th</sup> class coming up the hill on was home from school at cousin Mick Clancy’s hill boys thought it was fun to hold on to the carrier to hold them back. "Mary's" mother advised to throw a stone at the boys. The next time it happened she picked up a rock and the boys ran away. It was lesson for "Mary" for life to stand up for herself and that the threat was enough to work.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.21.36- 0.25.44</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>School</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p>5 years old when she started school, thinks it might have been around Easter time. Small two teacher school. Mrs McAvoy the principal of the school had taught her father, and was distantly related to "Mary". "Mary's" sister was put on the teacher’s desk to be admired because of her beautiful eyes and hair- which she disliked because she was being made to feel different. </p>
<p>6 pupils in her class in 5<sup>th</sup> class and they were given the choice to do History and Geography through English or Irish and they chose to do it through Irish. The teacher was from Dingle and from him they learned a “love and appreciation” for Irish.</p>
<p>Had good spoken Irish in a secondary school in Limerick City. Her knowledge of Irish helped later on as a PHN when she was assigned an area which had a Gaeltacht in it. Most Gaeltacht schools were insistent that the PHNs did use Irish.</p>
<p>"Mary" went to Secondary School in the Presentation in Sexton Street.<strong> </strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.25.44 - 0.27.57</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Neighbour’s House and JP McManus on a Bike</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p>A little old lady, a spinster called Noni lived in road opposite them. She had old open fireplace with bellows, and thatched roof and two dogs. "Mary" had a step-brother and a step-sister. The step brother was quiet and calm in Noni’s house but he was cross and looking for attention when he was at home.</p>
<p>A guy in secondary school used to cycle past in a red bike and "Mary" later discovered it was JP McManus [businessman and racehorse owner] and her younger sister knew him.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.27.57 - 0.29.49</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Starting in Nursing after School</strong></p>
<p>Always in the back of her mind to do nursing. Did leaving cert when 17 and did interview for nursing. Had started a commercial course. The Blue Nuns ran St. John’s Hospital and knew she was due to start in February. Millford House in Castletroy was run by Blue Nuns and they had a nursing home and "Mary" dropped the commercial course and worked there as a nurses aid. It was a good introduction and confidence building exercise for her. "Mary" thinks that for the nuns patient care was paramount and the written work less important but it is almost the reverse today.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.29.49 - 0.34.51</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Decision to do Nursing and Other Career Options</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p>Looking at magazines and what nursing involved. Career guidance consisted of blue leaflets. Through the commercial course "Mary" heard about the Junior X course to get into the civil service and the ESB jobs which she hadn’t been aware of through school. Travel was something that she considered and nursing catered for that. The nurses who had lived abroad were easier to work with they had a broader perspective on life and “didn’t sweat the small stuff”.</p>
<p>When you started nursing you got to see the different fields and "Mary" liked theatre work and enjoyed the labour ward when she was doing midwifery. Matron had said to her that she should considered doing the tutoring course. Thinks this is because she was questioning what her tutor was reading out of textbooks. </p>
<p>She applied for the tutoring course. But she while she had anatomy and biology for the leaving cert but not chemistry and physics. So she did leaving cert physics and chemistry that year but dropped the physics because she had also taken on introduction to psychology. But she had already gotten the Public Health so she chose that.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.34.51 - 0.43.07</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Public Health Nurse: Role and Duties</strong></p>
<p>PHN you are on your own to some extent you can plan your day, assess the patient. Communicate with the patient GP and hospital. You were independent to a large extent. Had continuity you could see things improving or ‘disimproving’.</p>
<p>House visits, vaccination clinics as part of a team, coffee or lunch in Grattan Street where you met other disciplines not just nursing. A mix.</p>
<p>Could be rostered for a dressings clinic in Grattan Street. They might have been referred after discharge from the Mercy Hospital. Now the Mercy would have its own dressings clinic. </p>
<p>Going to schools dealing with healthy children and teachers. Originally had an admin person with them but now just a doctor and nurse when going to vaccinate in schools. </p>
<p>HPV vaccination a big team goes to try to get the first years done in one go. </p>
<p>Health promotion going into houses and dealing with young mums. Private houses, corporation houses built in 1950s and 1960s, apartments or flats as they called them then. Leave a note for someone who you couldn’t find in a flat. Maybe a baby that wasn’t feeding very well. Hear that the mother has moved house and start detective work to track her down asking neighbours. And the nurse in their new area would be informed. </p>
<p>Write letters to council about the poor conditions of housing. And then neighbours would ask for letters then as well.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.43.07 - 0.51.42</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Perspective & Expectations of Patients on Healthcare</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p>Most people were welcoming and giving you tea that you didn’t want. A few were trying to get the PHN to adapt too much to their own schedules.</p>
<p>For patients the PHN came at the beginning of life and at the end of life. Would be asked “do you think it’s better today nurse?” and trying to read the emotions of the other family members.</p>
<p>Understanding with the GP about what the family situation was. Some people would ask for everything they thought they could get other families would never ask for anything. </p>
<p>PHN has to decide how necessary a request is or how much someone needs to be persuaded.</p>
<p>Try to stay on side and be persistent.</p>
<p>Older people at the time had the idea that you only left a hospital in a box. So it could be hard to persuade them to go to hospital. Fear of lack of independence as well. </p>
<p>Reflect on how nursing training prepares PHN for these situations. "Tread wearily" and "feel the vibes" when entering a new patient environment. </p>
<p>Privilege to be with people in their time of need because you felt that you were doing something and you were a support to the family especially in the time before morphine pumps. Even saying “I don’t think anything is going to happen tonight” might be the simple reassurance that the family wants. </p>
<p>Fear with a bedbound patient is that they would get pressure sores. One of the ways to avoid this is to change their position. And there was some education involved in ensuring whoever was moving the patient when the PHN isn’t there was doing it correctly. Extended family would assist with a patient in a way less common today. </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.51.42 - 0.55.45</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Memories of mothers and their babies and music</strong></p>
<p>Remembers a family who lived in one of the lanes off North Main Street. “me mam” was what the family called the beautiful mother who had a lame leg, she had grey-blond hair. One of the daughters had a baby that had a life-limited condition. The whole family were supporting them. They were always well made-up and the sick baby was in the middle. The baby didn’t survive only lived for 8 or 9 months. The family used to sing “Brown Girl in the Ring” by Boney M and the baby used to recognise it and respond. </p>
<p>Sleet and rain coming up North Main Street. Pound shop maybe called Powers Jim Reeves and Bing Crosby singing White Christmas which lifted her heart. Streets were full at Christmastime.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.55.45 - 1.01.36</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Patients and Cases and conditions in the Grattan Street/ Middle Parish Area</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p>Remembers rickety stairs leading to flats above shops which you wouldn’t realise were there.<span> </span></p>
<p><strong>Old man lived in laneway off Grattan Street</strong> in a tenement house like those in Glasgow she had seen near York Hill, with red sandstone buildings. Went to this man on a quick “social visit” and he had rasping breath. Just “kippins” or laths on the fire. No electricity. Waiting two hours for ambulance to come. Man didn’t survive. Something else in place of the building now. There may not have been a door on the house you could just walk straight in.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.55.45 - 0.58.18</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Patients and Cases and conditions in the Grattan Street/ Middle Parish Area- difficulties of nursing and dealing with different agencies.</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Woman with dementia in 1970s </strong>one room flat in warm house. Bathroom outside. Wasn’t able to look after herself. Had the newspapers stored on top of the electric cooker. GP trying to get her somewhere. Woman would lock herself out. Half naked walking across Sheare’s Street. "Mary" put her in own car and brought her to Our Lady’s Hospital to be seen by psychiatrist. They wouldn’t take her because of her age. Arranged geriatrician appointment who wouldn’t take her because she was psychiatric. A “street woman” (homeless woman) moved in with her and was able to make sure the house wouldn’t be set on fire. Meals on Wheels or Penny Dinners sharing the one meal. "Mary's" frustration with the bureaucracy.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>0.58.18 - 1.05.20</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Woman with Flea Bites/ Flea Marks</strong></p>
<p>"Mary" being polite said told her it was a rash but the woman had no qualms about calling them fleabites. "Mary" got temporary eviction order to clean out her flat. Process was traumatic for "Mary" & the woman. Woman spent her time in St Francis Church while her flat was being cleaned. The woman had collected things from bins and stored them in her house in case she might use them and they removed 57 bags of rubbish. Found a beautiful photograph album. Mounds of rubbish as high as the bed. Bucket to empty into the toilet. Candles in danger of burning the house down. The woman was upset that her stuff had been taken but they had put her things in storage in case she wanted them. As PHN you can wear your own clothes but "Mary"wore white uniform in case of infestation in the flat. Man from environmental health section sprayed the flat. "Mary" counted 57 dead fleas on her uniform when she took it off in the bath when she got home.</p>
<p>Later with her boyfriend at the time the same woman shouted “Hello nurse!” at her.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.05.20 - 1.18.38</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Vaccines, Vaccination and the anti-vaccination</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p>People were pro vaccinate after 1956 polio outbreak in Cork. Many people would have been familiar with Polio, its devastating affect and that you can be vaccinated against it. People had to come to the clinic 3 or 4 times with a baby which might be difficult for families with many children and buggies. Remembers vulnerable family in Knocknaheeney. The mother was poor with keeping appointments and she came in the pouring rain with 4 or 5 children. Cost of taxi was 11 pounds or euro even though she had to live on social welfare. The staff suggested that she could get a bus. But she pointed out that one of her children was ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and that he would be climbing on the bus stop. "Mary" says the woman deserved a medal and reflects that they as staff had been judging her for her predicament.</p>
<p>Crowds of people and buggies. Role of extended family in assisting with child rearing. Some children may be difficult to deal with. Obstacles to families getting children vaccinated. </p>
<p>Vaccination card files. Brought from City Hall to the place of vaccination and not locked. Vaccines were taken from a fridge in City Hall and brought in a biscuit tin along with adrenaline in case someone had a reaction. Compares this to the modern method of cold-chain. </p>
<p>After Professor Wakefield made an association between MMR vaccine and autism the vaccination uptake reduced and it’s been an uphill battle since to reverse it. </p>
<p>In 1970s and 1980s there was memory of measles, mumps, meningitis and polio. </p>
<p>"Mary" worked in a school where a child refused vaccinations in junior infants in the early 1980s. That child got measles, encephalitis and was in a wheelchair by 1<sup>st</sup> class and by age 8 or 9 she was dead. HCA (Handicapped Childrens Allowance) allowance handicapped children’s allowance financial support for the extra care that was needed for the child. Thinks of the scaremongering about vaccines and the consciences of those people if they knew what the result of not getting vaccinated was. That incident happened in the early 1980s. </p>
<p>Worked with a doctor who had difficulty walking after he had got polio in the 1950s. </p>
<p>Young mothers in 1970s and 1980s had mothers who influenced them based on their accounts in the diseases in 1950s.</p>
<p>Rural approach to vaccines: if you eat healthy and are healthy then you won’t contract the disease. "Mary" says that while a weaker person succumbs to a disease faster it’s not a protection against a disease. Rural culture which still exists of “I don’t believe in vaccines”.</p>
<p>HPV vaccines. With all vaccines certain percentage of risk even though it is very rare. Weigh up the advantages versus the risk of something happening.</p>
<p>Vaccine cold chain from manufacturer to the administering to the child is much more streamlined.</p>
<p>Incidence of polio came down so vaccines were effective. </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.18.38 - 1.21.46</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Earliest Memories of Grattan Street</strong></p>
<p>Waiting room now it’s opened up with pillars and a balcony. When "Mary" started it had a ceiling and so was enclosed and it had a wooden floor where you could hear the “clip clop” of people walking across it echoing. They didn’t have access to the upstairs with stores and pigeons. According to Anne [a friend who worked there] there were stores of the things leftover from when Grattan Street was used as a dispensary/pharmacy/chemist. Old fashioned metal chairs with a timber seat.</p>
<p>Queue in the mornings for the dressing, older people with big swollen legs.</p>
<p>Mr Hart and Mr Condon were the social welfare officers and they would have clinics which had crowds of people waiting for them. People would receive bed linen or washing machines.</p>
<p>Mr Hart advised "Mary" once that when he started out he was given a sob story and he got someone a number of beds and later he saw them being sold on the Coal Quay!</p>
<p>Smoking was allowed at the time so there was the smell and fog of smoke.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.21.46 - 1.23.14</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Repairs and Revamp/ Refurbishment of Grattan Street</strong></p>
<p>Transferred to the City Hall while there was revamping or refurbishing of Grattan Street. Once they returned one of the admin staff noticed that a there was some dry rot on part of the wood in the jam of the door and more repairs had to be done.</p>
<p>Beautiful once the repairs were done. Opened up the ceiling with the balcony. The big tea room could be used for meetings and there was a fridge and kettle- luxury!</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.23.14 - 1.27.35</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Grattan Street as a Workplace</strong></p>
<p>“You could never call it glamorous!”. Bars on the windows. Hose reel for the fire. For fire drills the bars on some windows could be opened. The people to work with were fabulous. Dave in podiatry said ‘the building was crap but the people were lovely’. Building was fine, serviceable. "Mary" had a sense of history of the building and that it was privilege to work in it. Beautiful cut limestone blocks. Appreciated that and the big windows.</p>
<p>Anne set off the alarm once when she went out the back door.</p>
<p>There was once a mix up with the keys. The cleaners would lock up and throw the keys in the letter box and someone else would open up in the morning with another set of keys. But somehow both sets of keys were in the letter box. "Mary" climbed in through a window that was opened and was able to open the door from the inside! Sean the porter would remember this story and Pam from the eye clinic would remember it as well.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.27.35 - 1.30.11</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Description of Grattan Street </strong></p>
<p>Historic, homely, old grandeur, comfortable but uncomfortable, people are willing to work and find solutions. Nice building at one level but primitive at another level.</p>
<p>Staff were always lovely and gelled. Started with 3 disciplines and that expanded. People were caring and good sense of comradery, work spirit and work ethic.</p>
<p>Old photocopier that was there for 20-30 years which was always breaking down. They used to repair it themselves. When they asked for a new one they were told “it’s not pride is making ye ask for a new one!”</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.30.11 - 1.31.23</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>The Effect of the Mix of Disciplines</strong></p>
<p>Levelling effect. Nobody thought they were above anyone. Meet people from other disciples who could make exceptions or give advice- could tic-tac with one another. It was very personal. You weren’t going into someone else’s territory through some doors. They all met in the tea rom.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.31.23 - 1.33.08</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Car Park</strong></p>
<p>No car parking when "Mary" began. Staff and outsiders could park there. There was some kind of grandfather clause which allowed non-staff to park there. There used to be agro between the staff about it until they realised they were all in the same boat. Then the Educate Together School opened up and they were trying to park their cars there too. It’s hassle. Manic at times. Compares it to Mr Bean. Residents had parking.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.33.08 - 1.35.46</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Child Welfare Case</strong></p>
<p>Child welfare issue was brought in front of Judge Clifford. The mother had issues with alcohol and depression (those problems could affect children not getting vaccines as well). "Mary" remembers child or 4 or 5 years of age with bottle in their mouth and the bottle had whiskey in it. The fridge had one tomato in it. What should the staff wear to court- should they wear a hat? "Mary" was obliged to call to the house as a result of the case. And the child was eventually fostered.</p>
<p>Wheelchairs and how tough it was for families and children growing up and needing bigger wheelchairs. Makes you think how lucky you are according to "Mary".</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.35.46 - 1.37.39</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Curiosities and Quirks of Grattan Street Building</strong></p>
<p>Pigeons could be heard upstairs and the exterminator came. Plaster crumbling off the walls in Grattan Street.</p>
<p>Paperwork and records. New letterheads and they were ordered to dump things while people downstairs were looking for things but there was money being wasted on paperwork being thrown out.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.37.39 - 1.41.50</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Floods 2010 and Transporting Vaccines</strong></p>
<p>Vaccines were stored in a special room with fridges wired directly to the mains, there was a fear the power would be lost. Water was at the door. Vaccines should be transferred to St Finbarr’s hospital. "Mary" and Sean the porter waited for a van to come to transport them. Eventually a fiesta arrived with 2 big men. They had 20-30 boxes like cool boxes. They made two trips in "Mary's" car to bring the vaccines across town through the floods. Describes herself as a determined person.</p>
<p>Onetime borrowed waders from Meitheal Mara on Crosses Green and walked to Grattan Street in them.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.41.50 - 1.43.18</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Future of Grattan Street Building</strong></p>
<p>Historical connection with William Penn. Would like to see Grattan Street be a visitor centre or a place for weddings. Could have a little garden or courtyard.</p>
<p>Current waiting room could be used.</p>
<p>Catering could be provided there as well.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.43.18 - 1.46.50</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Hopes for St. Mary’s Primary Care Centre</strong></p>
<p>Hopes there is suitable parking. And tied up thinking from the planning department and developers. Encouraging people to go green and use bicycles etc. is fine but closing parking isn’t the place to start.</p>
<p>There should be a place to make a cup of tea yourself.</p>
<p>Good service for people who need it and people feel they can access it.</p>
<p>Hope it isn’t too big, and there won’t be sections that you will never meet.</p>
<p>A central meeting place is desirable where you could meet someone you don’t directly work with.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.46.50 - 1.48.40</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Making the Building Approachable</strong></p>
<p>Easy access. Does there need to be a service for mothers to get up the hill to the health centre? Will there be a place for children to play in?</p>
<p>People should be given specific individual appointments not 20 appointments sent out for 2pm. Access to water like a watercooler.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.48.40 - 1.52.00</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Decision to Become a Nurse</strong></p>
<p>Would choose to be a nurse if she had the option over again. Has enjoyed life and had a good home life. Have had lots of opportunities.</p>
<p>Could have become pigeonholed in one area. In one way "Mary" feels she has cut herself off from other aspects of nursing that she was interested in- clinical and theatre related work.</p>
<p>Rewarding helping mothers and children with bed wetting issues.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>1.52.00- End</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Outro. Interview ends 1.52.13</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
"Mary": Grattan Street, Healthcare, Working Life
Subject
The topic of the resource
<span>Ireland; Cork; Limerick; Middle Parish; The Marsh; Grattan Street; Occupational Lore;</span>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
14 March 2019
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
CFP_SR00704_Collins_2019
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Cork, Limerick, Ireland, 1960s-2010s
Relation
A related resource
<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/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/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>;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1 .wav file
Description
An account of the resource
<p><span>‘Mary’ grew up on a farm in county Limerick, part of which was rented to a mental hospital to be worked by patients. By interacting with these patients she quickly learned who you could trust and who you couldn’t. </span></p>
<p><span>Mentions her brother’s physical and mental disability.</span></p>
<p><span>Discusses how the smell of tripe and drisheen reminds of father who died when she was young</span></p>
<p><span>Recounts her surprise and confusion as a child learning that her mother had remarried and her new husband was to live in the family home.</span></p>
<p><span>Outlines the routine on farm including looking after the cows, feeding hens, making bread, and how their dinner changed with seasonal availability of produce.</span></p>
<p><span>Talks about her commute to school on a bicycle with sister and standing up to boys who hassled them. Learned some subjects through Irish. Recalls her sister disliking being singled out by teacher because of her attractive eyes and hair.</span></p>
<p><span>Remembers seeing a young JP McManus cycling.</span></p>
<p><span>Explains how she always considered becoming a nurse. Discusses training and hospital experiences including with nuns. Believes that nurses who had worked abroad had a broader perspective on life. </span></p>
<p><span>Outlines the role of the Public Health Nurse which required entering patients’ houses and assisting them with births and deaths. Other features included the need to be able to read emotions and build trust with others and managing your work largely independently. </span></p>
<p><span>Describes some memorable cases as a PHN. A family singing Boney M to a baby with a severely lif-limiting condition. Waiting for an ambulance for a man struggling to breathe who lived without electricity. Trying to find help for an older woman struggling with dementia who was being passed from one agency to another without resolution. Fumigating a woman’s accommodation to rid it of fleas, the poor living conditions she found there and the ambivalent reaction of the woman to this health intervention.</span></p>
<p><span>Discusses vaccines, their role in eliminating polio and the varying attitudes to vaccination.</span></p>
<p><span>Recounts the story of social welfare officers in Grattan Street providing a bed to a woman who promptly sold it on the Coal Quay.</span></p>
<p><span>Reflects on the mutually beneficial mix of medical disciplines in Grattan Street and the positive relations between the staff. </span></p>
<p><span>Outlines the problems, changes and tensions relating to the car parking situation for Grattan Street staff and others in the surrounding community.</span></p>
<p><span>Talks about a child welfare issue where she had to attend court as a PHN.</span></p>
<p><span>Speaks of the deficiencies of the Grattan Street building including plaster falling off walls, the waste of paperwork, dry rot, bars on windows and a very out-of-date photocopier. Suggests future uses for the building. </span></p>
<p><span>Tells the story of the 2010 floods when the vaccines had to transferred with difficulty to St Finbarr’s Hospital for safety.</span></p>
<p><span>Discusses the desirable feature of the new building in Gurranbraher including it having a central meeting area and parking as well as being of a manageable size, accessible and approachable.</span></p>
<p><span>Reflects on how she found her career of helping others rewarding. </span></p>
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Accommodation
ADHD
Ambulance
Animals
Anti-Vax
Australia
Babies
Baby
Bales of Hay
Bed Wetting
Bedtime
Bicycle
Bicycles
Bicycling
Bike
Bike. Bikes
Birth
Bread
bread and breadmaking
Breadmaking
Building
Buildings
Built Heritage
Bullying
Bureaucracy
Bus
Calf
Camaraderie
Candle
Candles
Canteen
Car Park
Car Parking
Career
Career Choice
Career Decision
Career Guidance
Career Path
Careers
Castletroy
Change
Chemist
Child Welfare
Childhood
Childhood Games
Children
Christmas
City Hall
Cleaners
Clinic
Clinics
Clothes
Clothing
Co. Limerick. County Limerick
Coal Quay
Colleagues
Community
Community Welfare
Cooking
Cork
Cork city
Court
Court Case
Cow
Death
Decision
Dementia
Disability
Disease
Diseases
Dispensary
Disrepair
Dressings
Drisheen
Duties
Educate Together
Electricity
Emigration
English market
Family
Family Life
Farm
Farming
Farmlife
Father
Flats
Fleas
Flooding
Floods
Food
Frustration
Games
Glasgow
GP
Grattan Street
Hay
Health
Health Promotion
Health Services
Healthcare
Healthy
Hens
History
Hoarding
Home
Hospital
House
Houses
Housing
HPV
HPV Vaccine
HSE
Hygiene
Illness
Illnesses
Income
Irish Language
Kitchen
Knocknaheeney
Labour Ward
Lane
Laneway
Learning
Limerick
Limerick city
Marriage
Marsh
Meals
Medicine
Medicines
Memories
Memory
Mental Hospital
Mental Issues
Mercy Hospital
Middle Parish
Midwife
Midwifery
MMR
Mother
Mushrooms
Music
Night Work
North Main Street
Nun
Nuns
Nurse
Nurse Training
Nurses
Nursing
Nursing Home
Nursing Training
Orthopaedic
Our Lady’s Hospital
Paperwork
Parents
Parking
Patient
Patient Care
Patient Environment
Patients
Pharmacy
PHN
Polio
Pop Music
Porter
Potatoes
Priest
Public Health Nurse
Public Health Nursing. PHNs
Public Transport
Quakers
Religion
Remarriage
Rent
Role of Women
Routine
Sarsfield Court
Sarsfield’s Court
School
Schooldays
Sheares Street
Shift Work
Siblings
Sickness
Singing
Smell
Smells
smoking
Social Conditions
Songs
Spinster
St Francis Church
St Mary's Health Campus
St. Mary’s Primary Care Centre
Staff Canteen
Tea
Tea Room
Teacher
Teachers
Tenements
Textbooks
Thatch
The Marsh
The Middle Parish
Traditional Food
Transport
Tripe
Tripe and Drisheen
Uniform
USA Biscuits
Vaccination
Vaccinations
vaccine
Vaccines
Vegetables
Vocation
Ward
Wastage
Waste
Wheelchair
Winter
Women
Women's Lives
Work
Work Colleagues
Working
Working life
Worklife
Workplace
York Hill