Myrtle Coghlan’s task on the day her family moved to Dromalane Park was to carry an armchair as big as herself.
This was not unusual as families had very few possessions and neither needed nor could afford to hire private transport. Hand carts were in great demand for a few weeks. With the baby removed, prams were an excellent carriage vehicle for numerous small items.
When the same operation was effected two years previously at the other end of town, your editor – then six months old – was carried in his older sister’s arms while his pram became a hold-all! Less than ten years later, I recall carrying from Haldanes in Monaghan Street a huge solid and very heavy pole to serve to hold washing in our yard – with my father at the other end! [I just knew you’d take me up wrong! He was at the other end, only when we were carrying the pole home, not when it was carrying the washing!]. Needless to say the disparity in height meant I was forced to bear the greater part of the burden. I recall that dead weight as if it was yesterday. It was like carrying a coffin alone.
Anyway, back to Myrtle. Her vision being somewhat restricted she promptly walked straight into a lamppost, almost knocking herself out. The pain was nothing compared with the outrage she felt, that all attention was focused on whether the armchair had been damaged!
The twenty houses were allocated from the twenty one applicants on the ‘most urgent’ list. When considering tenants for the second phase, Council had a total of 644 applicants and the houses were allocated in lots of 20 on a greatest needs basis.