Oct 11 2016
Here’s a great photograph of times gone by taken outside our house on Lower Killala Road, it’s the Ma’ holding my little sister, Anne. It has all the elements of daily sunshine, home cooking and family life. And of course there’s the Ma’ and her apron. with her sleeves all rolled up ready for action and she wearing her National Health glasses as well.. The sister with a great big yellow bow on her head and her little sandals that she only wore of a Sunday, wearing the little cardigan that the Ma’ knit for her. And of course the oul Hall Door has to get in the picture, it was always a thing of pride back then to have your own Hall Door and the Ma’s used to say “At least I have a key to my own door”. This was in reference to those families and people who lived in tenement houses that she left behind when she moved out to the countryside of Cabra West. There’s the Da’s motorbike that got him to and from work everyday, hail rain or snow. And he was always cleaning it and fixing something or other on it. One time he got the Ma’ to go on it with him for a spin. She thought they were just going around the block, he took her all the way to visit his relations in Mullingar. And you can see our original Hall Door and Parlour windows, you probably don’t see the likes of them in Cabra anymore. I remember the time when the Corpo men used to come around in their paint covered overalls and varnish all the doors, there’s be hundreds of them in the big tin shed on the Compound on our road, Killala Road. They used to give us their cheese sambos and I used to get water from our kitchen sink for them to make their tea with. And of course no photograph of Cabra West would be complete without the oul Net Curtains on the window. How many veils did the Ma’ make out of them, I wonder, what with Corpus Christi and the May procession, sure the sisters all had to have one each. Now, did I remember to tell you that a few days before this photograph was taken the Ma’ had just arrived home from the Rotunda Hospital with another baby, her 10th, and do you see how slim and fit she looks after having all them kids. And here’s another thing, where’s the number gone off our door?…’