Memories - Mattie McGrath, Barracks, Barnaderg

Mattie who is a farmer recalls some memories and stories of his past. He remembers his school days, his first teacher Miss Delaney, and later Florrie O’Sullivan, and Willie Hanrahan, with great fondness.

BARRACKS VILLAGE

In  Barracks village, when Mattie was growing up, there were a lot of houses such as McGrath’s, two families of Mannions, the Mitchell’s, Healy’s, Emery’s, Cosgroves, and Ryan’s. Only the McGrath’s, Mannions and Mitchell’s are left now, but new houses have been built, so the numbers are back up to what they used to be.

SHOPS
He recalls  how there were eight shops in the parish; Mitchell’s, Keane’s, Fagan’s, Mullins’s, Nano Mannion’s, Curran’s, Mulryan’s and Joe King’s and now after all those years, there is just one left which is Stone’s (Centra), Barnaderg.

ATHLETIC CLUB

There was an Athletic club set up by Mattie Nicholson, in the 1950’s, after he came home from England.  Tommy Joe Hynes, who was a member, was a great runner and went on to become Connacht Champion.

DRAMA

Mattie was in the Amateur Dramatic Society in the 1960’s. He performed in a three act play, with Mick Langan and Ger Morris. He remembers doing a sketch called ‘Doctor Chancer’. Mick was the Doctor, Ger the Patient and Mattie was the nurse. Mick was doing an operation on Ger, with saw and hammer in hand, and a string of sausages was taken out of the patient’s (Ger’s) stomach, which provided great entertainment at the time.

DANCING

Comer’s Hall was just beginning to lose the large crowds it used to enjoy before the carnivals took over. Mattie attended his first dance there in 1957. It was one of the leading dance halls at the time. Mick Comer would take to the floor with his neighbour Lizzy Connell if he thought the couples  were too slow, or coy to go out dancing. They were excellent dancers. The floor was solid oak, and in the morning paraffin oil was put on the floor and when this was dry, Borax crystals were put on in the evening before the dancing started. Mattie  has some of the original floor boards stored on his premises. A lady in the Corandulla area, who used to go dancing in the hall, has some more and Tommy Cahill, Barnaderg has the remainder.

POSTMEN

Mattie’s  postman at the time was Patrick Moran, from Abbeyknockmoy, and the part-time postman was  Mr. Silke. The postmen used to bring their own breakfast with them and some had sausages and rashers with them which the women of the house would cook for them.

GARDA

When Mattie  was growing up,  there were three guards and a sergeant based in the area, and today there is only one guard, who lives in Tuam.

TRANSPORT

A bus passed four times a day going  to Ballinasloe and Athlone. It  stopped  at eight in the morning and back home at four.  Aidan Ridge was the conductor. Mattie recalls that his late sister, Nora, and May Joe Healy went on the bus to Ballinasloe, and some passengers used to bring their bicycles with them. The driver would put the bikes on top of the bus, using the attached ladder to achieve this. This service stopped in the late 1950’s.

Mattie’s wife Ita had a grandfather named Quinn who worked on the railway in Claremorris. He used to walk to Claremorris and stay there for the week. Sometimes, his neighbour Frank Hart would bring him in with the ass and cart as far as Ballindine where he would walk the railway line as a shortcut to get to Claremorris.

On Friday after work, he would walk home all the way and without a rest start digging the potatoes. Quinn lived to a ripe old age. As the old saying goes “hard work never killed anyone”.