Cabra History.Com

The brown coloured bakelite radio in our house in Cabra West was always left on. Morning noon and night it blared out music, news, sports and dramas. Every Friday at lunch time the Kennedys of Castle Ross came on. My older sister cycled home from Williams and Woods during her lunch break to listen to it. Most of the mothers on our road would disappear around this time and huddle in to listen to the latest episode. One of my father’s favourite programmes was the Walton’s, with their motto ‘If you want to sing a song…sing an Irish song’. As I reached my teen years I took an interest in the guitar. Every Saturday morning my friends and I would make a pilgrimage to Waltons music shop in North Frederick Street. The staff were terrific because they would allow us to use any of the guitars that were within reach and try them out. The ceiling in Waltons was like a forest of guitars hanging down. In those early days when I eventually got myself a job I would buy at least one sheet of music from Waltons every Saturday. It was always something from the pop charts. My guitar friends and I would stand on the corner of Killala Road and Fassaugh Avenue each night trying out the latest song or maybe exchanging a few new chords on the guitar. The strangest thing ever is that nobody ever complained about us or told us to move away. I look back on those days as my Golden years of Music and I thank Walton’s and their staff for encouraging my friends and I with our musical abilities. So now, remember if you want to sing a song…sing an Irish song.