Ballyfermot Memories A selection of stories and anecdotes and poetry of Ballyfermot compiled by THE BALLYFERMOT HERITAGE SOCIETY Copyright and Acknowledgements Contents Preface Talking and recording people about their memories of growing up in Ballyfermot and the surrounding areas down the years, As they recalled their lovely memories it became very apparent how these memories were very precious to them and should be recorded not only for their own children and grandchildren but for generations to come. Also it is a great help to students studying their local history. The Ballyfermot Heritage Group would like to thank all who have shared their Precious Memories to this book. Ken Larkin 30th November 2014 Any opinions expressed within the individual memories are those of the individual contributor. Ballyfermot heritage Group accept no responsibility for any of the opinions so expressed HERITAGE GROUP Vincent McManus William O Flaherty Joe Coleman Matt Long John Deering Tom Murphy Jenny Hendricks Patrick Belmont Tom Murphy Ken Larkin The Ballyfermot Heritage group also remembering Thomas Davis, and Jackie McMahon R.I.P who contributed so much to Ballyfermot and the Ballyfermot Heritage Group over many years/ — BALLYFER M O T M E M ORIE S — My Ballyer Childhood Memories Siobhain Kennedy, Ballyfermot Road Happy are the days that I can recall Like when your Mother hugged you right after a fall To be petted and pampered by more than a few When the world revolved just around you To think of the old games we used to play Most of them not around today There was piggy and skipping and blind mans bluff And we’d run and tell our Ma’s When the boys got too rough But O’ I think the best of all was trying To juggle the balls off the wall There was jack stones and marbles I thought they were great And you’d race down the road on just one skate There was relievie and chasing when things got too slow There was donkey, spin the bottle and queenie-io On Sundays coming back from mass you could smell the roast The Da would make us all a fry and I think I liked that the most It was over to the Deeler on a Sunday afternoon the sixpenny rush way a boom Skinny Malink Melogen legs was the favourite song And skip skip skip When Br Aibey got things wrong Caption 1 — BALLYFER M O T M E M ORIE S — Uncle Paddy would arrive with Daddy from Croke Park And a jant on his scooter he would give us all before the day was dark Then the treat of the day, jelly and ice cream for our tea We would sprinkle on the Cadbury’s flake Uncle Paddy would bring Then off up to bed and Daddy would sing In the summer we had trips to the sea Cockles and winkles for our tea Out with the pins to prod and to poke We would wear the scabby hard bits for a joke The Layer and Pheno nowhere was safe Playing nick-nack and swinging on the gate The Furry Glen was a treasure trove So many of nature’s wonders to behold An abundances of chestnuts to harden by the fire To have the best conker was everyone’s desire At Halloween there were games galore Dressing up to go round the doors Back home with your goodies the fun would begin Snap apple, ghost stories and money in the basin Money in your dinner the auld barney brack those were the days we had the craic These are the Ballyer memories that I can recall The good auld days the best of all Bernadette Murray Ballyfermot Avenue 27th March 2014 I lived in Ballyfermot till I was ten. My memory then, was back field, the lanes, going to the Phoenix Park down Chapelizod Hill, the Nuns always moaning in school. I returned to Ballyfermot when I was seventeen it was different I was over playground. When I was 18 I would to go Murrays on Saturday night started to drink in pubs. I had kids at 25 so slowed down. It will always be home to me. 2 — BALLYFER M O T M E M ORIE S — Belmont Claddagh Green Monica Belmont The memories of growing up in Ballyfermot I have are, everyone left their key in their doors or on a string in the letter box. Every neighbour helped each other from cup of sugar to a chat or shoulder to cry on. We went to mass every Sunday. We had to go to the assumption church as at St Matthews Church wasn’t build. We played piggy beds outside the house with an old polish tin. When it was icy we put water on the ground so we could slide later. We played ball against Ruanns wall. And skipping everybody got involved even the adults at times. When there were any strikes, like bins, buses, electric, everybody was up in arms and all marched together. I remember the May Day parades they used to all come to the Tarmac across from our house. When we went to school we would cut down the back road pass the lawns, there use to be a club called the Elephant club can’t remember what was done there. As we got older we’d cut through to Dirty Aggies for our loose cigarette and match. The lowest bus fare I remember paying was 4p. And if you missed a bus you could run and jump on as there were no doors then. And there were a conductor and driver. 3 — BALLYFER M O T M E M ORIE S — Ballyfermot Crescent Frankie Carolin Memories We moved to Ballyfermot in 1950, from Camden street, there was a Cavendish furniture shop in Grafton street, so loads of mothers got new furniture from there on the never never for their new houses in Ballyfermot, when we all settled into Ballyfermot Crescent. Cavendish’s sent a poor unfortunate man on a bike out to collect the money owed on the furniture. Well the poor man had as much chance of collecting money from those who had none as the Vatican had of electing me as Pope. At 10 year old I was sitting listening to school around the corner, a knock at the door, me ma who I always thought had x-ray eyes, said Frankie if that’s the b”””””cks from Cavendish’s, go and tell him im not in. so I opened the door, and thinking im great, as all of us chisellers did then say the words that would make me the butt of all jokes for ever, me mammy told me to tell you she’s not in. ——•—— Spiddal Road Francis Daniel McDonnell Those were the days… Upstairs on the 78, the smell of Tayto and chewing gum, windows fogged up and sitting in a fog of cigarette smoke. The 18 bus to Sandymount strand for sunburn and sandwiches. A walk in the country.… Up past the bungalow and Cherry Orchard Hospital, out past the farm picking blackberries. Fasting for communion for mass before school during lent. Fizz bags and cream pies from dirty Aggies The Backers. 4 — BALLYFER M O T M E M ORIE S — Memories of 1960s in Ballyfermot Joe Coleman I remember it was Easter time and it was 50 years since the rising, we had no school as we were on our hollers, but they had a big platform and a big flag pole in the grounds of our school Mary Queen of Angels. The place was crowded as someone from the Government was coming and one of the lads from school was selected to read the Proclamation in Irish. I am sure the school has a record of this great day in Irish History. My self and a few mates decided to go, we said that we would have fun scutting the buses and having the craic, as we called it then. After about an hour we got fed up so we decided to go to Dirty Aggies and get some smokes. We got five woodbines and three snow cakes and we made off for the grave yard as we sat on the old grave stones and settled down to eat our snow cakes, we noticed we were not alone as some other lads had a peep in on their way up to the Canal, nicknamed the naller, one of them gave us a large bottle of TK lemonade as they were after robbing a few bottles from Ruane’s on Claddagh Green from the mineral lorry, we thanked them and off they went on their way. So we started to mill the snow cakes and I said “Seconds on yeh”. Because if you were last to get a gulp you would have to put up with spits and crumbs from the snow cake. Well the weather was not bad at all, no rain. We lit up our smokes and started to tell ghost stories all about the going on in the graveyard. You wouldn’t go into the graveyard at night time as it was too scary. We decided we would move on so we got out of the hole in the wall, into the lane, made our way up the lane and by the swamp up through the Backers and out over Nugent’s wall. That would leave you on Oranmore Road beside the bus terminus of the 78 bus where one of our favourite bus men was a man called Noely Harrington.