Mary Marshall: Blackpool, Childhood, Hunting,

Mary Marshall: Blackpool, Childhood, Hunting,

Life History:

Mary grew up in Thomas Davis Street, Blackpool. Both her parents were from Blackpool. Her mother liked to use Grand Parade library, and her father was an avid reader who told stories from Greek mythology. At the time the area bounded onto the countryside and there were many country people there.
She mentions some shops and businesses in the area, such as Mrs Tobin’s shop, Molly Howe’s pub, May Rogers’ shop, Edwards’ dressmakers and a neighbour who repaired radios. She played in Dan Duggan’s field.
Her father kept dogs and used to go otter hunting.
As a child she moved from Saint Vincent’s school to the North Presentation.
The family of Gypsy Lee, a fortune teller, lived nearby; she used to make paper flowers.
During the 1950s animals used to be herded through the streets. Alice Fray collected household waste for pigs. Jackie Cremin, of Spring Lane, had a piggery.
After hunting everybody would go back to the pub (pubs closed at 7 o’clock then).
She sings a song that her father used to sing, called ‘Scoura Hill’.

1 September 2010

CFP_SR00401_marshall_2010

Cork, Ireland, 1930s-1960s

Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive

Cork Folklore Project

English

Sound

1 .wav File

30min 17sec

Gardiner's Hill Hill, Cork

.wav

24bit / 48kHz

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

B S: I only want you to think about this now but is there any chance that you could sing that song for me, because I’d say your father is the only person that would have passed down that song to our generation and the generation coming after us who’d have never heard of it, and your father memorised that ballad about Scoura Hill. You don’t have to do it. You can do it later.

M M: Well, Scoura Hill now was the old Ballyvolane Road and when I was a child there were a couple of houses still there. Quinna now lived in one and his brother. The rest would have been ruins and they’d have been at the side of what were known as the Glen and he used to sing that on a Sunday night, Scoura Hill, and we’d have great fun singing it. If I can remember it Breda, I might get mixed up.

B S: It doesn’t matter if you get it mixed up, you know. It’ll just give a general idea.

M M: Oh the Jew and plough, a lively trade up in Scoura Hill

For all have bought but few have paid up in Scoura Hill

And when the Jew men come each day

They’re paid their debts in the quickest way

There’ll be a couple of the houses burned each day up in Scoura Hill

A policeman he came up last night up to Scoura Hill

He swore to teach us to do what’s right up in Scoura Hill

But when the officer began to roar

The officer shouted ‘Get inside doors’

He was struck on the nose with a stale back bone up in Scoura Hill

Oh the military they came up last night up to Scoura Hill

They swore -- Oh I’m wrong -- to teach us to do what’s right up in Scoura Hill

But when the officer began to -- I’m mixed up Breda. I have to go back to when the policeman came up. [Pause] I’ll sing it another time for ya.

B S: Polly Riordan and the rent

M M: Oh Polly Riordan never gets her rent up in Scoura Hill

For when she calls, the money is spent up in Scoura Hill

Polly Riordan says she won’t call again

She’ll fetch the military tonight at ten

There’ll be a couple of the houses burned down then up in Scoura Hill

Oh the military they came up last night up to Scoura Hill

They swore to teach us to do what’s right up in Scoura Hill

But when the officer began to roar --

He was struck on the nose with a stale back bone up in Scoura Hill