SHANNON ‘Between Old World and New World’ A Social History Project Analysis and Development By Olive Carey On behalf of Dúchas na Sionna Table of Contents Acknowledgements:................................................................................................................................ 5 Réamhrá .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Chapter 1 - Background .......................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 7 1.2 Environmental and Historical Background ................................................................................... 9 1.3 Literary Review ........................................................................................................................... 13 1.4 Community Engagement ............................................................................................................ 15 1.4.1 Launch .................................................................................................................................. 15 1.4.2 Senior Citizen’s Club ............................................................................................................. 15 1.4.3 Information Days in Shannon Town Centre ......................................................................... 15 1.4.4 Hastings Farmhouse Conservation Project .......................................................................... 16 1.4.6 Schools’ visits ....................................................................................................................... 17 1.4.7 Heritage Week events .......................................................................................................... 18 1.4.8 Local Media .......................................................................................................................... 18 1.4.9 Digital Media ........................................................................................................................ 18 1.4.10 CLDC Information Day ........................................................................................................ 19 1.4.11 Questionnaire .................................................................................................................... 19 1.4.12 Letters ................................................................................................................................ 19 Chapter 2 - Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 20 2.1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 20 2.1.1 Research Questions: ............................................................................................................ 20 2.1.2 Aide Memoire ...................................................................................................................... 20 2.1.3 Editing the Recordings ......................................................................................................... 21 2.1.4 Transcribing the Recordings ................................................................................................. 21 2.1.5 Cataloguing photographs and other donations to the Project ............................................ 21 2.1.6 Background Research ........................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 3 – The Interviews ................................................................................................................... 22 3.1 The Interviews ............................................................................................................................. 22 3.2 Before the Town ......................................................................................................................... 22 3.2.1 Hastings Farmhouse ............................................................................................................. 23 3.2.2 People of the locality ........................................................................................................... 25 3.2.3 Traditions and change .......................................................................................................... 26 1 3.2.4 School life ............................................................................................................................. 27 3.2.5 Folklore and customs ........................................................................................................... 28 3.2.6 Death customs ..................................................................................................................... 30 3.2.7 Marriage ............................................................................................................................... 30 3.2.8 ‘An Cúirt’ .............................................................................................................................. 31 3.2.9 Christmas ............................................................................................................................. 32 3.2.10 Transport ............................................................................................................................ 33 3.2.11 The coming of Electricity .................................................................................................... 34 3.3 The Airport .................................................................................................................................. 34 3.3.1 Airport Strike1938 ................................................................................................................ 35 3.3.2 The War Years ...................................................................................................................... 37 3.3.3 First flights ............................................................................................................................ 38 3.3.4 Air Disasters ......................................................................................................................... 39 3.3.5 Brendan O’Regan ................................................................................................................. 39 Chapter 4 – Hard Times and New Beginnings ....................................................................................... 41 4.1 Hard Times .................................................................................................................................. 41 4.2 New Beginnings ........................................................................................................................... 42 4.3 Shannon Industrial Estate ........................................................................................................... 43 4.3.1 Rippen .................................................................................................................................. 45 4.4 Drumgeely Hill – The first steps .................................................................................................. 46 4.4.1 Community Hall .................................................................................................................... 49 4.4.2 The First Residents ............................................................................................................... 49 4.4.3 An International Flavour ...................................................................................................... 51 4.4.4 International Cook-Book ...................................................................................................... 53 4.4.5 International Tennis Match .................................................................................................. 53 4.4.6 Social Life ............................................................................................................................. 54 4.4.7 Schools ................................................................................................................................. 54 4.4.8 Sale of Work ......................................................................................................................... 56 4.4.9 Shopping .............................................................................................................................. 57 Chapter 5 – Growth and Consolidation ................................................................................................ 58 5.1 The Town Grows ......................................................................................................................... 58 5.2 Drumgeely Housing Estate .......................................................................................................... 59 5.3 Community Officer ...................................................................................................................... 59 5.4 Settling in period ......................................................................................................................... 60 2 5.5 Tír na n-Óg ..................................................................................................................................