ST. BRIGIDS GARRISON CHURCH

[rose5mcdonaghtce]

The priests who were ministering to the flock in the 60's were:

Father Boylan

Father Brophy

Father Fleming

Father Swan

I know other priests came and went, but the above named stayed a long while. There was a Father Rouchet probably have spelled that wrong, but he was french or had french connections. He died of cancer while he was ministering on the Camp. Don't remember him, but do remember going to his funeral, it left the big hospital, it was winter time a freezing cold evening and the crowds were lined along the road and up the hospital hill towards McDonagh.

The housekeepers of the day were Bridie don't know her second name and Chrissie Dolan.

We seemed to spend quite a lot of time in the Church, mass in latin, the priest with his back to you he seemed to be miles away on the altar. Bored out of your mind as a child on Sundays, it was great when they started to say mass in english at least when everybody stood up to say the Our Father you knew you were coming to the end. We attended the October and May devotions all of the Easter services, St. Blaizes Day we had our throats blessed. The once a month Saturday Sodality mass.

Everybody looked their best on Sunday all heading in the same direction. The boys with their two piece corduray suits and a little splash of hair oil or brylcreem, the girls in their good coats or costumes and hats. We all brought our prayer books the Mammies would keep Memorial cards in theirs, every Sunday I looked at them over and over again.

You were given a penny for the priest to drop in the bag at the collection, it used to kill me would be thinking I could get a toffee for that at the matinee after dinner.

The long walk up to the rails for Holy Communion and you darent smile or be any way irreverant on the walk back to the pew. Mag and Joe Cummins were my God Parents and every time I went for Communion on the way back she would stick her tongue out at me and I would respond with the giggles. Back to the pew and the Ma would give me the eye and whisper "wait until I get you outside".

I loved Corpus Christi the Mass and the procession. We lived on the front block in McDonagh and the women would be up to high doh getting their altars ready, the hunt on for fresh flowers ( no garages selling them then) the Child of Prague and the Blessed Virgin would be in the sink the night before getting scrubbed, a white sheet hung from the ceiling down the back of the table and then they would light candles, wonder half the front block was not burned to the ground. None of them would admit it , but I think there was a bit of competition as to who had the best altar.

I thought as a young child that when the priest was ordained there was a spell put on his knee and everytime he genuflected a bell rang, could not see the altar boy ringing the bells.

Of course we had the Officers side of the Church which was on the left. The social divide, where all men are equal, should not have been allowed.

If we were misbehaving we were threatened with "I'll bring you over to Fr. Boylan he'll soon sort you out" this usually did the trick was terrified of him don't know why but I was.

[rose5mcdonaghtce]

Should be excommunicated forgot to mention the sacristan who was of course Peter Hickey.

[willie078]

Hi Rose, I dont recall if they used to call out once a year during mass who donated and how much they gave at St Brigids, but at mass in Tintown they did and it used to go like this:-
Col so and so [who would have been the camp O/C] £10.00. and it went down the ranks with the likes of- Mrs A, 5 shillings, Mrs B 2/6, Mrs C 1 shilling [priest would wipe his brow] everyone looked around to see who he was talking about, those were the days.

[rose5mcdonaghtce]

Hi Willie,

When you say the old church at Tintown do you mean the old gym, can barely remember going to mass there. Don't remember the priest reading out names and donations in the new church. Father Boylan used to get down to business on the pulpit on Sundays going on about drink ect., Can remember Mam having a brown envelope about once a year to bring to Mass presume this is the collection your talking about.

Rose

[willie078]

Yes Rose, I think the gym was at the other side, mabey you have said it already that was the church with one door for the officers and family and the other door for us.

[rose5mcdonaghtce]

Being sent to the priests house to get a Mass Card signed, the Ma would have the card in the envelope with the money inside, whichever priest you got would open it up on front of you, sign it, but I never saw him take the money out, it almost seemed to disappear a touch of the magician in them I think.

Rose

[Kentgal]

And there was never any shortage of flowers when Peter Hicky was in situ. Every Saturday night after confessions he threw the old uns out and replaced them the most beautiful blooms ever! The fate of the discarded flowers is already scribed here a few pages back.

[Kentgal]

Fr. Mc Gurk. Preached hell fire & d**nation naming the 'young uns' he had stalked to the back of a billot or out the firs on the plains.
He had an interesting write up in the News of the World UK later in his career in civvy st.

[rose5mcdonaghtce]

My sister worked in the Priest's house for a spell before she got married. Father Fleming in his wisdom thought this would be good for us as a family as with Mam dead when I finished in the Secondary I could go there and get my dinner and do my studying !!! (as if) under supervision, give the Da a break and go home together in the evenings.
We had a ball and have to say himself and Father Swan were both very good to us, we had some laughs. There are two staircases in the houses, the front entrance is on the side of McDonagh pitch and putt. The stairs at the front entrance is wide and there is a big hall, that side of the house is kind of lonely as just the trees outside and nobody passing up and down, the other stairs are just off the entrance where we would go to get mass cards signed etc., My sister Monica in those days was always a bit windy, did not like going upstairs in the house if she was on her own, the big stairs gave her the creeps as it leads on to a long corridor. so she would leave that end of the house until I came home to keep her company. The room that had been Father Rouchets had not been touched since his death, a lot of his personal effects still in there and the bed just had a white bedspread over it. This had to be dusted and kept clean this of course did her head in altogether, she always ran by the door of the room. One summer's afternoon we are both there, we go upstairs, now if I went back down for something I would have to tell her which stairs I was going to use so that she would be aware which end of the corridor I would come from. Instead of going down I went to Fr. Swans room and put on his Sutane, (the black robe they used to wear on their way to and from the Church) went very quietly into Fr. Rouchets room and lay on the bed with a rosary beads entwined in my fingers and talcum powder on my face, summertime so kicked off the sandals, bare feet made the corpse effect even better. Can hear her calling me so lay quietly and figure she will go down the corridor catch me out of the corner of her eye and the pleasure I will get from the fright I'M going to give her will be worth it.
Am lying there can hear the footsteps and her entering the room which surprised me, lying there trying to hold and my breath and figure out why she has'nt gone screaming, open one eye and who is standing there only Father Swan and he asks me in his own unique unflappable way "are you alright Rosemary" Told him I was and I was trying to frighten the other one. Don't know whether to sit up or stay lying down while he asks me why I would want to do that to my sister and was I aware I could do psychological damage to her. Talk about feeling like a muppet, this conversation going on while I'm still in full costume.
Everytime himself or Father Fleming went into Newbridge they always brought back treats Cream buns etc., If there was anything special going on Bridie would have to come over from Fr. Brophys to organise Monica, this was supposed to be her job, Father Fleming would help her with household chores etc., They treated us both like two ten year olds. Fr. Fleming went to Carlow and Fr. Swan to Sallins he is now retired and living in Naas. All he talks about are his days on the Curragh even in his sermons before he retired he would always manage to make some reference to it. On the way home in the evenings we would call into Easons for the paper for the Da and walk home with Phil Ambrose and Pat Harpur both gone R I P can remember one evening Pat is gesturing towards Phil, but we can't figure out whats going on, its the middle of the winter and suddenly Phil comes out with "its terrible warm is'nt it, I'll have to take my ring off", she was after getting engaged and we had'nt noticed her sparkler. Back in the sixties dieting and weight loss was not the issue it is today if somebody put on weight people would say they must have put on a stone and if they lost it the same must have lost a stone. Mam and Gertie Coyle used to be in the Legion of Mary and on Monday nights they would meet at either house and have a cuppa before they went up, Mrs Forde the school teacher joined and used to tag along with them much to our horror, she came into Gertie's one night and said "you won't believe it I've lost 2 pound" Mam and Gertie straight away to us get out and look for that, we are on our hands and knees looking for £2 when she had meant in weight.

[mona]

one of the priests you named was a right womaniser. i hated going to confession to him cos he'd ask you personal questions that made me feel gross.

i use to see him chatting up offcers wifes hugging them and holding their hand. he gave me the creeps.

[rose5mcdonaghtce]

Hi Mona,
Saw the same things you saw, made a point of not going to confession to either priest, so have no personal comment on that, but have to say there were no personal questions or anything that made us feel uncomfortable

[Matt McNamara]

Hi Rose

My memories of Fr. Fleming go back to when I was an alter boy in The Curragh. I served as an alter boy for a number of years as did most lads off the camp. I always remember the roster for alter boys would go up on the notice board in the church porch on a Saturday evening. Sundays were always nice and the church would be packed and people standing along the sides and across the back. Anyhow if you got the 8’O Clock weekday morning mass, that was different. Not many alter boys turned up for that mass and the priest would go it alone. However once my Father knew I was rostered for that mass for the week, he would have me up and out by 7:45 and on my bike to cycle up the camp in the dark on a winters morning, still half asleep. All the different priests appreciated you turning up, but Father Fleming was different and a very jovial person at that hour of the morning, even to a half asleep nine year old. We would go out and he would say the mass, to sometimes only two or threes people. But once mass was over and I was heading home, he would always give you a couple of pence for yourself for turning up to serve the mass. And if you were lucky Martin McCormack would meet you at the back door on your way out and give you another couple of pence. Back on to the bike and the downhill run home and breakfast. Life was so simple then.

Matt

[tommyhetherington]

Hi Rose,
I enjoyed reading your story and never expected to see my Mothers name thanks alot you just made my day I was thinking as i read the story Oh she is going to burn in hell for doing that to her sister good one rose
Tommy H

[rose5mcdonaghtce]

Can remember on Saturday morning at the monthly Sodality being at the rails for Holy Communion, not long after we had made our First, Father Boylan is giving it out, Therese Cunningham is beside me when its her turn the host fell on to the salver and she put her hand up to stop it falling on the rails, Father Boylan whipped it off her, slapped her on the hand, brought her into the Sacristy to wash her hand where she had touched it, she was so stressed, I was a wreck for ages after the same thing would happen me. How things have changed you can nearly put it in your pocket now and take it later on.

[rose5mcdonaghtce]

Hi Tommy,

Delighted the mention of your Ma made your Day, spent loads of time in Easons yapping with herself and Phil, always walked back to the blocks with them in the evenings.

Rose