At the Crossroads of History

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Newry City Library presents  ‘At the Crossroads of History’ when Tony Canavan will be talking about Newry from the earliest times to the present. It starts at 7pm tomorrow Thursday 15th March.  However booking is essential. The library can be contacted on 028 3026 4683. P.S.  Tony was in fine form.  His address was lucid, informative and interesting.  It was also well-attended.  He answered questions for a half an hour and was very well received by all. Thank you!

Sean Crawford in Retirement

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I was browsing the other day and came across the retirement reflections of one Sean Crawford of Warrenpoint.  These are almost 50 years old so I have to take it that the great Sean has passed on.  He has left behind a wealth of reminiscences – and historical notes – which I mine from time to time for these articles.

He was recently retired from teaching at the time, but busier than ever, both in writing, researching, recording and teaching.  A bit like myself.  Anyway, here are his thoughts!

“I am now ten years retired from teaching and, like Jonny Walker, ‘still going strong’.  My ‘Old Age Pension’ now pays for the Income Tax on my teacher’s retirement pension.   I have extracted a fairly decent sum out of the authorities who used to pay me twenty-three shillings a week back in 1910 when I had to teach anything up to 60 scholars in three different classes. Some of these were infants: one was three years old, and sent to school to get him out of the road of his parents, who considered the classroom a creche. Nowadays I get three pounds, seven shillings and sixpence Old Age Pension every Monday morning for doing nothing.

Could you bate it?”

… more later …