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Post by andybrennan on Sept 3, 2011 6:29:50 GMT
Had a read of Patricia O Sullivan's book on her memories of living on the Curragh even pre the above dates.
It covered life in the Curragh as many of us remember, places games etc.
One thing I did not know or remember perhaps it was ended before my time, that is a bus used to bring the children to school in Kildare via the top road and out by the new magazine, I do remember we used to use that route to walk or cycle into Kildare a far shorter distance then the route now used.
Over all the book a nice read and ramble down memory lane from some one else's perspective, a nice little read.
Andy
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Post by maurakearney on Sept 3, 2011 13:54:55 GMT
I bought it for Pat he finished it in 2 nights I just started reading it will take me longer Andy I fall asleep when i read . Maura.
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Post by andybrennan on Sept 3, 2011 17:20:27 GMT
T'is only a short book Maura, and as I said a nice easy pleasant read.
Andy
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Post by Ray OLeary on Sept 15, 2011 17:26:39 GMT
Hello to JJ Curran, and your good self. Thanks for filling in the blanks re the jeweller's shop - I am astonished it has survived. My Dad was Sgt. Mick O'Leary; he served in Ceannt and later in Pearse. we loved for most of our time there in McDonagh (7 Block A, and 14 Block B) before my Dad was posted to Kilkenny in 1959. Ray
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Post by jjcurran on Sept 15, 2011 19:36:41 GMT
Hi Ray O’Leary, I remember you well. I lived in 15 A block McDonagh. My Dad was also transferred to Kilkenny at the same time as yours. I remember you had a sister Reenie. You might remember giving me a lift to Sandymount from Houston Station when you were teaching in DunLaoighaire, in a VW Beetle. (1969-71). Good to hear from you. I was in Chicago myself in 2009. A beautiful city but temperature of 40 degrees C was a bit hot for me. I am a retired gentleman now living on my money (lol). You may remember Sean Kelly (guitar player) who lived outside the Married Quarters in Kilkenny. He passed away suddenly a short time ago. They say the Lord is fishing from a small barrel and we are all in it. Well Ray as they say in the US, “have a nice day”. Regards JJ
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Post by Michael Kelly on Sept 15, 2011 21:18:02 GMT
Hi Raymond,
Nice to see you on line . My name is Michael Kelly . I dont know if you remember me or not ? But we both lived in Ceannt around the same time in the mid 50's . If I remember rightly, ye lived in the end House in the back Block . And we llived in the Block in front of you . Ypou are in the Picture of the Choir which was taken in the Old Church around 1958/59 . If you havent got a copy of it, I will forward one to you . I see that you were talking earlier with JJ Curran . Hope that you are keeping well .
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Post by rochiebhoy on Dec 14, 2011 17:14:45 GMT
hi joey thanks for the lovely memories that came flooding back as a young boy growing up in the curragh & all the mischief i got up to its great to see what u have done much appreciated is there any chance that it was printed as a booklet & if so where can i buy it please my word it would sell regards Ger Roche
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Post by andybrennan on Dec 14, 2011 22:47:56 GMT
Hi Ger how goes it, welcome aboard, just in time for Santy.
Andy
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Post by jjcurran on Jan 2, 2012 0:33:26 GMT
Hi all, Johnny Kelly’s advice to me re the bike to work scheme reminded me of the BSA bicycles which were common on the Curragh in the 50’s. I remember all the cadets on them. They were built by the British as the answer to the German Tiger Tank. There was a corporal/sergeant Connolly in the GTD who used to cycle one of them with his heels on the pedals instead of his soles and his east-west motion while cycling always looked comical to us. For some reason he was always referred to as ‘the dog Connolly’. I remember him making a long handled fork for us so we could toast bread at the turf fire without getting roasted. Speaking of bicycles, I also remember someone in McDonagh made a small trailer using two old pram wheels and attached this to his bicycle in ‘artic’ form so as to collect the rations which were dished out somewhere between Clarke and McDermott. The one thing I remember about the rations was the huge pots of jam. My mother used to say when all the jam was gone, “that pot of jam got an awful death”. They don’t build bikes like that anymore which is probably a good thing as most of us would get a heart attack trying to ride them. Perhaps some of the forum can remember the man who made the trailer and refresh my memory. Regards JJ
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Post by afcmoore on Jan 2, 2012 22:37:15 GMT
Hi JJ. I remember riding one of the big green bikes around the compound on magazine guard. No brakes on the two bikes supplied and it took a lot of burned boot leather to stop them. I had a few falls as we went helter skelter trying to race each other . I was also supplied with one when i did Officer's orderly to Comt Gallagher. The brakes on that one was good and a great form of transport as there wasn't many three stars with cars back then. Cheers. Ant.
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Post by jjcurran on Jan 8, 2012 23:11:52 GMT
Hi Ant, As you say, not many three stars had cars in the 50’s. We considered ourselves fortunate to have a bicycle. It was an Elswick with a Stormy-archer three speed and a Miller Dynamo. I used to get great fun racing down the hill which led down to the Hospital opposite Donnelly Swifts. The faster I went the brighter the light would go. My father put a basket on the front of the bike which I thought ruined my ‘macho’ image so I was delighted when it was replaced with a Gustaf ammunition box on the carrier. Unknown to my father I often rode that bike on the Curragh Plains. That bike took some punishment from me and is a testament to how thinks were built to last in those days. I hear the Army still has a lot of the old BSA bicycles in stock in Clancy. They have plans to ‘re-cycle’ them. Regards JJ
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Post by livenowpraylater on Jan 9, 2012 14:24:25 GMT
Hi ant, jj do you remember a bike called a H.M.C they were not an army cycle. but a civvy street model, if things carry on like this or get worse, they will make a come back. edward.
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Post by johnnykelly on Jan 9, 2012 16:16:25 GMT
Re: Curragh memories 50's60's70's(Joey Kelly) Hi Edward with regards to the BSA bicycles in Clancy Iam afraid that they no longer exist as Clancy has gone by the way of the Sales, and is now located here in the Curragh, but there still exists the odd BSA cycle around the Camp we Have one on display in one of our workshops here in the OBW An x Clancy Barracks workshop, I was out running on the curragh edge on sat morning and i was passed by an x soldier on an old army bike which was in fine nick and still being put to good use. I had a load of them on my books when i was in the Military College and when we scrapped them there was a load of lads enquireing as to what we were going to do with them, and as soon as we destroyed them for scrap (on paper) i gave them out to the lads in barracks, for their use. and they are still going well to this day, there was many a night we would race one another round the compound in the magazine at night when on duty,and trying to use the back brake ( pedal backwards) to stop,ouch but a good sturdy bike for all terrain, I cycled all the way to Curracloe in Wexford on our way to summer camp in 1968 route out was via the wicklow gap and along the coast doing tactics along the way, and after a weeks camp, cycling back the same way. those were the days, with manys a funny happening on the way, bye for now keep well Johnny
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Post by jjcurran on Jan 9, 2012 17:13:47 GMT
Hi Edward, and Johnny Yes I remember the HMC bikes. The HMC stood for Humber Motor Company. Other makes were: Hercules; Raleigh; Rudge; Sunbeam and Triumph. My grandfather used to repair bikes to make a few extra bob. I think he ‘forgot’ to mention this to the taxman. If they need to contact him about this matter I can forward his current address which is located in the ‘dead centre’ of Kilkenny. Johnny I was just wondering if the giving away of the old bikes, constitutes a ‘benefit in kind’. I would be very upset if the taxman lost out on this transaction. Regards JJ
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Post by kathyo on Jan 9, 2012 19:28:57 GMT
Hi JJ I remember My Mum bought me a bicycle when i started school in kildare it was a great big black one i could hardly see over the handlebar she got it on the never-never i was half way to school when i fell off i turned round and went home and never rode to school again every time she looked at it she took the head off me. god help her it must have taken her to years to pay for it. The whole Family got great wear out of it we had it for years kathyo
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