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Post by johnnykelly on Jan 26, 2011 21:36:16 GMT
Re:A DAY AT THE RACES Hi all I stand corrected by the big bro ref how he was foung on our1st day at the races, it was our uncle Tom James and a friend that gave Joey the lift home,not our uncle Jack Horton who was a bookie from dublin at the time. anyone remember the Carnivals that were on the green area infront of the main stand on derby day.? BYE FOR NOW JOHNNY
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Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Jan 27, 2011 11:05:17 GMT
Hi Johnny,
Yeah I remember it was the main attraction on Derby day as a kid, that, and the bet the Da would place for us on the big race, the excitement at the thought of winning a half crown, not having a clue about the odds or how the bet was placed be it each way or a win, still not much improvement in that area, one year our horse romped home and myself and Mon got ten bob between us, all gone in no time on the swinging boats and chair-o-planes. Used to be fascinated by the three card trick man, could have stood all day and watched him. The smell of chocolate and fruit at the pitches where the women shouted "oranges, apples, pears and bananas" .
One year the Da had taken his hand out of his pocket after putting change back in after placing a bet, the next thing we can hear him say "the little villian" as he took off at high speed, all we could see was the back of a skinny, wiry very poorly dressed, he did'nt even have a pair of regulation brown sandals, just a pair of brown brogues well worn, about two sizes too big for him, which did'nt slow his pace, he outran the Da and in the distance as you head for Kildare disappeared, not an easy achievement on the Curragh, he had dipped his hand in the Da's pocket and got away with a £1.
As kids we never got into our summer clothes until June, so Derby day would be special as you would be wearing your best summer frock on a Saturday and your Sunday cardigan and you might even be lucky enough to have a pair of clarkes sandals with the heels and toes out, with your snow white ankle socks, you were the the bees knees and the spiders ankles.
Rose.
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Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Jan 27, 2011 11:09:11 GMT
P.S. The old grey matter is moving faster than the fingers this morning, he was a boy aged about ten or eleven.
Rose.
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Post by johnnykelly on Jan 27, 2011 17:33:45 GMT
Re:A DAY AT THE RACES. Hi all I remember on derby day the Ma would round us all up scrub us to death dress us in our finest and youngest into the pram and parade across the plains from the end of the trees at the road out of the Camp and across to the races, a few bob in your pocket, and the day spent on all the amusements 3 card tricksters and the mice races as well, one tricksters selling pitch remains with me to this day and goes like this, Haily mary all the way from tipperrary your mother dont know and I aint telling, if your not buying I aint selling, bye for now Johnny
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Post by kathyo on Jan 27, 2011 17:54:09 GMT
hi johnny i remember the carnival that came every year to the green beside the butchrs it was the highlight of my life happy day's kathyo
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Post by johnnykelly on Jan 28, 2011 21:11:17 GMT
Re:A Day at the Races. Hi Kathyo do you remember the Carnival that parked down the brownstown road some years on the side that Orchard park is now built, that was great excitement to us young ones, the one up on the old market square in the camp was also a brilliant one, when we could hear the music all over the camp, bye for now keep well Johnny
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Post by maryfarrell6 on Jan 28, 2011 22:20:18 GMT
Hi All, I'm loving reading this thread, the memories being unearthed are brilliant and so colourfully described if you close your eyes you can imagine you're back there, Because each and every forum member who has added their very own stories have brought to life a day/days at the Curragh Races. Sounds absolutley fantastic but I'm feeling as if I missed out on one mega experience, because for the life of me I can't ever remember being to the races on the Curragh!!! I'll have to ask my parents if I did or not. Am I the only Shadower who did not experience the thrill of the chase at the races?? Until now I didn't realise that I'd missed out on what seems to have been one of the most looked forward to highlights of racing and Curragh social events of the year and was enjoyed by so many Forum members. I'll have to ask me ma and da why we didn't make the trip across the plains for the Derby,etc!! But maybe its just a memory I've forgotten Please keep the stories coming on this thread because,even I'm seeing another side to our life on the camp which I was unaware of. But I'm enjoying all the stories. Johnny your tale of being lost was so heartwarming, I think if you look back at older threads you'll find that Joey had told us all the very same story sometime last year, his version was just as tear-jerking as yours and brought to the fore the special sense of community,close neighbourlyness that existed on the camp that we grew up in. One for all and all for one was a really true saying on the Curragh of our youth. Please do continue with your stories about the racecourse and, the ones of us who missed out on that particular experience can, sit and listen and learn and hope to be able to understand what the extreme thrill of the chase really felt like! MaryF
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Post by andybrennan on Jan 28, 2011 22:34:03 GMT
Hi guys
As the song went "and the carnival is over " also from that era Joey, My by lollipop among others, back to the topic my memory of the carnivals were in the market square and out side the sewage farm just past the Burma Road and the market square Brownstown
Andy
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Post by andybrennan on Jan 28, 2011 22:39:16 GMT
Mary F,
Alas like your good self I never saw the inside of a race course till well into adulthood and that was the derby on the Curragh about 10 years ago, saying that I had a full education of Mick O Connors bookie office in Brownstown every day at lunch break from school. also remember the gee gees being picked at home on a derby day with that very magic pin stuck in the paper or else it was Lester and only Lester
Andy
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Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Jan 29, 2011 16:38:57 GMT
Hi All,
We went to the Derby with the Walkers, Tony and Eileen RIP, Tom, Jean and Nuala most years, Mam and Eileen would make the sandwiches, fill the flasks and off we'd go walking, Tony got himself his first car, I can't remember what make it was, but it was a bit of a relic, the tax had run out on the car, when we approached the outside there were Gardai everyplace, he took Nuala out and sat her in her lovely new yellow summer frock on the bonnet, hiding the area on the windscreen where the tax disc should have been and continued driving until he found a suitable parking spot to have the picnic. The whole afternoon and evening one of us had to sit on the bonnet if a guard was passing by, you could be half way through your egg and onion sandwich and find yourself being scooped up and placed on the red hot bonnet, told to sit there and not move a muscle.
Rose.
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Post by liamkearney on Jan 29, 2011 23:35:55 GMT
Hi Rose my memories of the Derby are of the Carnival in front of the stands, another memory is of how we would get into the stand, we would position ourselves at a gate at the Kildare end of the stands and wait for a race to reach the finishing stages, as the horses passed the finishing post everyone including the security were looking that way and thats when you mse your move and went over the gate, never got caught. Bye for now Liam
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Post by kathyo on Jan 30, 2011 18:41:03 GMT
hi all i also remember going to the races when we were very young i remember me mam loading the big pram with the primes a kettle tea milk and sugar and the jam sandwich's and a few little one's into the pram the rest of us would hang on to the handlebars it was so exciting me dad worked in the bar and brought us all out red lemonade wonderful time had by all kathyo
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Post by johnnykelly on Jan 30, 2011 19:22:17 GMT
Re:Aday at the Races. Hi all Juke box favoureties distant Drums, put your sweet lips a little closee to the phone, boots are made for walking. sugar. huckle buck, candy store. Icant beleive that Maryf6 was never at the races. think candy floss chairoplanes trixters, what an education this girl has missed out on, always use the racecourse to give information as to where or what part of Ireland I hail from it goes like so, about 30 miles from dublin did you ever hear of the famous Irish derby i live just across from the course, or where they train Jockeys to do hand brake turns on horses, and we only train winners onthe Curragh gallops. sticking out the chest with pride, bye for now ps MaryF6 Torres taking the money and running off to Maryc chelski,UTD GET A HANDY DRAW IN THE LAST 16, AFCs WIMBLEDON TOP OF THEIR LEAUGE, BYE FOR NOW JOHNNY
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Post by maryfarrell6 on Jan 30, 2011 23:06:09 GMT
Hi Johnny Might not remember visits to the racecourse as a nipper But, have not missed out on the carnival experience, having experienced all the fun of the fair on market square and manys a time just off the Burma road. So swinging boats, chair o planes not to mention the bumpers were always the best fun. I also loved the Kilcullen carnival as I spent so much time there with my granny and granddad Byrne, and with their help always won a prize at the fancy dress competition, either as 'rosebud' [grandad grew roses] or carnival queen, or the queen of the may, all the flowers coming from my grandparents garden. Must admit had a nasty experience on the octopus there which to date has left me with a horrible fear of heights, and has curtailed my adventures a hell of a lot! MaryF
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Post by johnnykelly on Jan 31, 2011 23:04:54 GMT
Re: A day at the races. Hi Maryf6 That nasty octopus hands every where? the carnival in Kilcullen was a very good carnival indeed and the dancing in the marquee afterwards, one story is deep in my memory as myself and a very good friend whom was to pass away a few years later still very young RIP. but one friday afternoon as very young 17 year olds and not long out of recruit training we agreed to head out early to Kilcullen with all good intentions of attending the carnival and then later onto the dance in the marquee, now me pal was told by his girlfriend to meet her off the bus from suncroft at 8pm sharp and if he had drink taken they were finished now they were both mad about each othe but he was fond of the fire water, so all the way out to kilcullen he kept saying now no drinking im meeting me mot, so you keep an eye on me, so on we went and arrived in about 530 and in a lather of sweat, in the middle of July, so into a watering hole McTernans wher we had one, then into berneys then oconnells then up towards the hideout where we had a few more looking at the watch we decided to head for the carnival but not first buying some spearamint gum on the way, so on we ventured no sign of the bus so we headed into the fun fair tried all the amusements and we were up on the swinging boats and as we flew round and round we spotted the women coming into the carnival. and i could hear his mot call out oh theres the lads they must have got here early and as they all stood there waving all of a sudden my friend with all the beer inside him and getting dizzy with all the swinging round and round and the women looking up when he decides to spray them all from the heavens , the women were destroyed night over friendship out the window never to be rekindled, so the story goes your fault you were to tell me not to drink, but i kept telling him remember she will kill you if you have drink on you when she comes, moral of the story never go on carnival swing when belly only have beer inside as soon it want to come out and spoil the fun of the fair, so ended the the night at the fair, bye for now Johnny
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