Bartley and Hilda Feehan lived across the street from the McCanns. Batley had two sons Joe and John. She lived for her greyhounds. Joe had then left home and joined the Royal Navy. Later John also took the boat for
Last of Chapel St residents
John McCullagh
Chapel Street residents
Like yesterday I can visualize the neighbours of Chapel Street.
On the left-hand side coming out of
In the grave!
True story!! Honest!
Dickie Rodgers was always very fit in his younger days and was up at the scrake of dawn walking his greyhounds. Believe it or not there are a few others constantly about at that time – insomniacs, milkmen and people like me, just on the way home.
Kill or cure?
In the spring or early summer, many residents would whitewash their yards and outside toilets. Lime purchased from J S Fishers of Merchants Quay would be used. However from the ground to a foot or so up, tar would be painted. The dual object was to disguise spattered dirt with the black colour and to deter insects and tiny creatures from crawling up the walls.
A word in your ear!
Some of the most amusing anecdotes originate in the classroom.
I was teaching a class one time, a ‘rough’ class in a ‘difficult’ school in a ‘deprived’ area. Still everybody likes a story and I was reading them one.
Coal deliveries at Gasworks
Coal was delivered to the Gasworks by horse and cart. The carts were filled from a collier at
The Gasworks’ Coke
Those of you who were children in Newry in the 40s/50s will retain both pleasant and unpleasant memories of the Newry Gasworks.
The gas used to fuel domestic supplies was extracted from coal. Apart from tar, coke was the chief by-product. In the town it was used extensively as a cheaper alternative to coal.
St Joseph’s Winning team
It would not have been an area of expertise for which the boys of St Joseph’s Secondary School Newry was especially renowned in 1966.
It was our fortune that year to have a number of loquacious and competent speakers. Yet we were serious underdogs when we travelled to Lurgan for the Schools Final. The home team had won the previous two years.
Meeting Big Pat Jennings
The year was 1985. I was employed by Fords at Dagenham and I happened then to be player manager of a departmental football team.