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Post by Aisling on Oct 13, 2008 20:05:58 GMT
Hi Aisling, Yeah think I would have been in sixth class when Mrs. Cox started to teach in the Curragh. Also did she have two daughters who attended the school, seem to remember two girls with long hair (curls) travelling to the school with her. Hi Rose, Sorry can't help you there. I don't know that.
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Post by byrne on Oct 14, 2008 18:10:19 GMT
hi aisling i remember mrs cox and her daughter aoife she was in my class in school ger
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Post by Anthony Moore on Oct 14, 2008 19:47:45 GMT
Hello Ger. The penny has dropped before you contacted me you must have already checked the gallery. Please contact me about who you or your parents knew at Military Bks Wexford.
Cheerio Tony M
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Post by magi on Oct 15, 2008 10:14:05 GMT
Hi,
Has any one got any ghost stories to tell regarding married quarters? Our house in McDonagh certainly has some strange goings on.
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Post by Matt McNamara on Oct 15, 2008 12:42:50 GMT
Hi Magi
Go ahead and tell us about the strange goings on.
Matt
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Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Oct 15, 2008 12:56:04 GMT
Hi, Has any one got any ghost stories to tell regarding married quarters? Our house in McDonagh certainly has some strange goings on. Hi Mag, Dont remember any strange goings on in our house, but do remember stories about the Beann Shee being in the ball alley a few times, but have to say over the years have been talking to a woman who would have lived in McDonagh after our time she lived in O'Driscolls old house which would have been next door to your house and she thought there was something strange in the front bedroom on several occasions. Was not a happy camper while she lived there. But go on do tell all. Rose.
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Post by Aisling on Oct 15, 2008 16:16:15 GMT
hi aisling i remember mrs cox and her daughter aoife she was in my class in school ger Hi Ger, That is nice to know. Didn't know if she had children or much about her. Still a lovely lady.
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Post by byrne on Oct 15, 2008 20:31:39 GMT
hi anthony my dad was in wex barraks in late the late 60 and early 70 he remembers your dad and tony tracy his name jimmy dixie byrne then we went to curragh and then he went back to wex barraks for agood few years ger
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Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Oct 19, 2008 10:17:51 GMT
Difference Between Being Reared on the Camp and on Civic Street.
Mam was from Tipp and Dad from Cavan, both reared in the sticks not towns, every summer we went to Cavan and Tipp for a week to see the Grannies and the Uncles and Aunties. Would bo ok once I got familiar with the cousins again, but thrilled when I would see the familiar sight of CTC again. Listening to people of my parents generation who reared their families on the Camp say how they had nothing, the pay for soldiers at the time was so bad which looking back it was, they lived week to week. However we still appeared to have full and plenty, rations, free medical care etc., Most of Mam and Dad's siblings lived and reared their families on a wage from labouring jobs. When we arrived for our holiday we were better dressed than our cousins even in our play clothes, now there were only two of us in family, but all the kids from my time big or small families were better dressed than them. When we went to school we did not have to bring fuel for the fire to warm the school, we had one teacher to each class, not two teachers keeping the whole school going. When school finished the girls might have to do a few messages or light household chores, the lads caddy on the golfcourse, but we didnt come home to do chores fit for adults, we went to the fruit farm in the summer it was hard work, but the craic was ninety and how we lived through the winter did not depend on the crop. We had plumbing i.e. flush toilets and running water, the majority of us had no bathrooms, but we did'nt have to drag water in buckets and use elson toilets "yuck". We had tv's before many of our counterparts. We attended wonderful Christmas Parties, Santie came to every house. All our floors were covered be it army lino. We had a regular bus service through the Camp, cousins going anywhere they stood out at the gates and hoped someone would give them a lift, cars passing at the rate of one an hour. We had the Boy Scouts, musical society, hops, cinema swimming pool all on our doorstep. We had better social skills. We spoke a slightly different language: Off sick - On ED On nights - On duty - resting off Not allowed go in there - out of bounds Taking holidays - taking leave Going to the doctor - on sick parade Garda - PA'S or red caps Temporary promotion - Acting up Grounded - CB On Fatigues Recruit, NCO, Cadet, Officer Trouble at work - Dirtied his bib Orderly Parish Priest - Head Chaplain Curate - Chaplain Local shop - Garrison Rations Collect wages - draw wages We knew all about brasso, blanco, hot poker on boots, leggings, stripes, the preparation that went into inspections. The talk about the pension, the rise. Our Daddies went abroad we had knowledge first hand of these places. We had more hours in the day to play and have our adventures. Mammies showed no signs of stress about how they were going to pay the mortgage/rent this month, or fighting to get a medical card because they were twopence over the threshold. Thats not saying they did'nt have their share of cares too, but they would have been different to those living outside the barrier. Have to say never saw myself or co-campers as being in any way needy or deprived, in fact would have apperaed rich in comparison. whatever few bob they were getting was regular no worries about being laid off or overtime.
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Post by magi on Oct 19, 2008 10:44:58 GMT
I remember one Thursday morning our class being told if we wanted to go on the school tour to bring in a £1 ….usually a trip to Dublin zoo. After lunch when we were standing in our line outside the classroom door when one of the girls produced a pound note, I can still remember the look of astonished on the other girls faces that her mammy had a £1 on a Thursday when payday wasn’t until Friday.
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Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Oct 19, 2008 13:13:22 GMT
Hi Mag, That would have been very unusual on a Thursday waiting day they used to call it, Friday was the best day of the week pay day whatever few coppers you got you had to keep a penny back for BoBo remember her.
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Post by noreen on Oct 19, 2008 13:40:39 GMT
i remenber fridays in a differrent way. mammy sent me to the mess to ask daddy to give me some money to by food. there was many men like my selfish father. Everyday was thursday for us. thanks to good neighbers we got milk and bread and jam.
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Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Oct 19, 2008 14:13:01 GMT
In about 1969 they stopped sending the cheques out to wives, this payment I think was the allowance paid for wives and dependent children. I know it caused great concern for a lot of women, I remember one neighbour calling to our house when the rumour started first to know if it was true and if it was how was she going to manage knowing that money was going to go the same road behind the bar that it would not make it home. At least there were sure of that few bob, my mother died in '67 and there had to be a guardian appointed to receive and sign the cheque it was not automatically sent to my father after her death. Know a lot of families saw more Fridays than pay packets and can remember children going to the mess or canteen to try and get a few bob before it was all gone. Nancy Cowley had one customer who would be that way inclined and as he got drunker and paid for his drink she would short change him (to drunk to notice) and put the difference aside for his wife and that was how she managed to rear her family. Again a lot of men paid for their tick in the mess most of the wages were gone anyway, gambling was another vice.
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Post by Kentgal on Oct 20, 2008 1:07:35 GMT
Hi Rose Difference between Camp and Civic Street. Experiencial knowledge is a useful tool and indeed we may all recognise many aspects of the overview of life on the camp as described. However, the 'one shoe dont fit all'. So be it for the likes of some and many more families who had 10 -15 kids to feed, then its a very different personal perspective indeed. I'm sure there are many more examples and heres one: Living in abject poverty with 'a secret' never to be told under threat of death. Da, only son of one of the elete 'running the country' and Ma, the farmers daughter, pony owner, coddled and petted youngest of five who all did well for themselves. Da, disowned because he ran away and joined the 'regular' army. Ma, a similiar fate (albeit less harsher outcome) -the reason- an abruptly ended career for a shotgun event. Summed up, the Ma truged through life with non existant skills one day at a time at the mercy of Mess, Bookies and 'Friday cheque', managing or not to clothe and feed a football team, while the Da danced to the tune of the fag and booze culture like the majority at the time. When the granny's (Paternal & Maternal) acceptance arrived...and with it 'how the other half lived!!! The Da's side had to keep up appearences, so the country house was ideal and hidden from view and although the latter wasnt so grand, with ponies to ride, cows to milk, pigs chickens & turkeys to feed, rabbits to shoot, turf and hay to cut, cartloads of fruit from the orchard and food to fill the belly of a starving horse whenever, no neighbours but kids from down the 'far lane' on holiday from boarding school to collect conkers and play with. So the winds that blew across my personal perspective of civvie street was a far cry from stinky overflowing shared loos and booze induced poverty for some, in the red brick jungle which tared us all with the same brush at that time. Every cloud has a silver lining and there is ONE gift for sure which the Curragh gave us-: The gift to be in a place to experience the reality of Community Spirit which is the basis of humility. The ability and first hand knowledge to do onto others what one would wish for oneself.
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Post by noreen on Oct 20, 2008 2:17:18 GMT
kentgal
thanks for understanding. why do i hurt all over? Living in the camp was so ggod. Ma lived in fear of da so we all lived in fear. Mrs murphy was so good she gave us food. I use ta walk in the paltations and i felt so good. i hid there and felt protected. dont want ta make everyone feel terible. i feel i have some others thst understand. hoope i dont embarass anyone.
i feel im among frends. im not good with words so forgve me.
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