Cabra History.Com

We had two of these dog figures in our parlour. They sat in pride of place on the Ma’s sideboard that she got as a wedding present in 1938 from her mother. When they moved out of town to Cabra the Da’ and his pal had a terrible job lifting it up onto the rented handcart from Granby Lane. And of course my Granny was keeping a close eye on things and she standing there on guard shouting at the pair of them not to scratch the good sideboard that she bought on the HP for the Ma’. Do you know something?…as kids we were never allowed into our parlour, it was for visitors only. Sure do you know what it is…the only visitors we had were related to us and they were always brought through into the kitchen. The key for the parlour door was like something out of Mountjoy Prison. To my little eyes at the time it was massive and weighed a ton and it was hung on a nail that the Da’ hammered into  the parlour door frame, up so high that I couldn’t even reach it if I jumped up. The Ma’ kept the Willow Pattern turkey dish underneath the sideboard as well. And of course that was only seen once a year. So to us kids the parlour was always a mysterious place where the Ma’ kept her good china locked up in the China Cabinet for visitors. Oh yeah and me Da’s good overcoat was kept in there as well hanging on the back of the parlour door.

One time there was a thing like a carnival held up on the Blind Lane (Nephin Road)that runs from Rathoath Road to the Navan Road. Well my father managed to get a job working behind the Hoopla Stalls and one of the top prizes was a pair of ceramic dogs. Now the Da’ knew quite well that the Ma’ would love to have this pair of dogs sitting on her sideboard so he sent some young fella down to our house to tell the Ma’ to come up to the carnival. Sure don’t you now that the Ma’ had enough to be doing without trapesing off to some carnival or other. Well in the heel of the hunt anyway she came up eventually and the Da’ gave her very clear instructions on what to do if she wanted the pair of dogs. Sure she couldn’t lose, not with the Da’ in charge and he wanting to get on the Ma’s good side.

Well home the two dogs came and sat with pride on the Ma’s polished sideboard. Do you know every Sunday for months afterwards she’d leave the parlour door open and invite all and sundry passing by to come in and have a look at what she had won at the carnival stall. Ah God love her, she was quite proud of herself you know and there was the Da’ standing by with a big grin on his face, her hero. Well do you know I don’t rightly know whatever became of those two dogs because after a while the parlour door was locked again and the pair of mutts disappeared out of sight. Over the years when the Da’ would come home with a few pints on him he’d put his arm around the Ma’ and say ‘Do you ever remember the time I got those two dogs for you…‘? and the two of them would fall around the place laughing. Isn’t it strange all the same how people show their love for one another…