Chapel St residents

On the far side of the street from Quay Street corner, at 2 Chapel Street lived the Campbells. They had two entrances to their home, one on the street and one down Granny Hughes’ entry. The photo below shows an early family photo. Rita, recently deceased, was the dear wife of Terry, our Editor’s walking companion.

Also in the family and in the photo were her sisters Kathleen (who married Con Hughes and lived a lifetime in Slough but now recently returned to Barley Lane), Christina (who married Pat Kavanagh of Derrybeg Drive) and (not in photo) Peter who married a Dundalk girl, Alice.

Mary or Granny Hughes lived on the other side of the Entry with her sister Mary Catherine and her son John who came from High Street with his son Brian (Footer) after his wife passed away.

This was another abode where everyone was made welcome. I spent many a sleepover there with Brian who was a good friend. The late Fr P J O’Hanlon lived next door with his parents Annie and John, also Granny O’Hanlon, Anne, Sean and Linda. P J was my age and with him I swapped such comics every week as the Hotspur, Beano and Dandy.

Mary Ellen and Maxie McAllister where next door. Their only child Mary was born there and she was simply adored. When the parents passed on Mary married a lad called Lennon and to the best of my knowledge settled in Banbridge.

The McCann family and the (Muskie) Cunninghams lived down the next entry. P J was the eldest and has been mentioned in these pages before; there was Sue whose husband was killed in the Crumlin Harvest crash; then there was Seanie, Brendan and the dear-departed Big Willie. He was born after the father had died which gave him the cure for The Thrush. An only sister Maura died young. The boys were proud of their Chapel Street connection and could tell many’s the yarn about the area.

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