Ann McNamara & Siobhán O’Sullivan interviewed the late Tom Fahy in 2008. Here we reprint a copy of this conversation with Tom who was born in Feighquin but later moved to Ballyhannon.
Tom was born in 1913 at Feighquin in a house just below the village on the Sixmilebridge road which his father built in 1909. His father was a local postman and Tom remembers him saying that his first week’s wages was 5 shillings and the mode of transport for a postman at the time was walking. There were 9 in his family and Tom recalls that when he was fourteen years of age and living in Quin Village, there were very few teenagers living there, only two Corbett girls and one of them emigrated to the United States. Most of the people were old and their sons and daughters were middle aged.
Tom O’Brien, Tom Fahy, Charlie Scanlon in McInerney’s Pub 1930s. Paddy & Nora McInerney behind the bar.
He remembers fondly the fair days in Quin which lasted all day. The Hassett’s, who owned the pub and fair grounds, collected the tolls and the sheep fair was held on the 7th of July and the main horse and foal fair was on November 1st.The children had a day off school to attend the fair. Tom, when asked about his school days in Quin, recalls them as not the happiest days of his life. Jim Clune was the Master and a Ms. Degidon was in charge of the girl’s side of the school and discipline was very strict at the time. He didn’t have far to go to school as it was located just below Malachy’s pub on the right hand side beside Muriel O’Neill’s house.
Tom speaks of T.B. and Diptheria epidemics which affected many families in the parish when he was growing up. As a postman he recalls there was a woman in the locality who baked a couple of loafs of bread for her family in the morning, and she had died by evening of Diptheria. Another young girl had attended a dance in Quin and was dead the following morning – also from Diptheria. He remembers his own sister Nonie contracting it aged 14 and was admitted to hospital. His father borrowed a horse and trap from Hassett’s pub in the village and was getting ready to go to the hospital to collect her when the telegram came to say she had died. Tom is of the opinion that the injections they gave her, may have weakened her heart – ‘the cure was worse than the disease’. In 1925, his eldest sister Maisie aged 21, died of T.B. He thinks that if she hadn’t been moved to hospital that perhaps the whole family would have got it and died.
He recalls a forge opposite Malachy Hassett’s pub owned by blacksmith Paddy Moroney. There were 8 public houses: Malachys, Matt Clunes where Abbey Stores was, Maria Reddans where the Monks Well was, Nonie Bow Clunes where the village Innis, Kate Hennessys where the Post Office now is, (she was a returned Yank) Mc Inerney’s Abbey Tavern, Lynche’s Pub where Marlborough’s house is and Jane Hennessy had a pub where the Chambers and O Hallorans now live.
There were 4 butchers, Dan Clune was a pork one and his shop was where the Community Centre now stands, Denny and Jim Hassett had a butcher shop where Malach’y Bar is now, Jim Clune had one where The Village Inn is now and a Denny Hallinan had a butcher’s opposite Pauline O’ Hallorans.
Mc Grath’s had the Post Office and it was located where the Henchys lived on the corner going out the Tulla road. Thomas Crowe was a shoemaker and James Hourigan, a tailor. There were 4 carpenters in Quin, Pat Clune beside the Village Inn, James Clune where Mike Clune now lives, Johnny Clune and Michael Murray lived near the entrance to St. Finghin’s Graveyard.
Tom reminisces that during the second world war, times were difficult. He was working in Shannon building the runway and the work was very hard. People had Ration Books and families got 2lbs of flour to last them for a week. If they got flour, they didn’t get a loaf of bread. Families who had many children fared out better as each child got rations ensuring adequate supplies.
Tom came to live in Ballyhannon in 1952. He recalls going on cuaird to local houses and all the neighbours would visit. They arrived at 9 and would stay until after 12 if the craic was good. Murtagh’s house in Ballyhannon was a great house to visit. There were 13 in family and they could all sing and dance. People told stories, sang songs and if a visitor could play music, there would be a special welcome for them. People had great fun on cuaird at Christmas. The Conroys of Ayleacotty were great composers, he said. When asked if the women went on cuaird he replied, ‘not at all, as they had to stay home and look after the children and do the baking for the following day’. He recalls a Martin Kennedy, the Bard of Violet Hill Broadford, composing old songs and one was called “The Parish and People of Quin”.
Tom sang songs in Ballykilty Manor every weekend for 25 years. He recollects Pat and Johnny Reynolds who were very good singers, dancers and storytellers, also visiting Ballykilty, ‘Pat Reynolds had great songs and stories as he was living amongst the people who composed them’. Tom was involved in setting up the pitch and putt course at Ballykilty and enjoyed the pastime very much.
Patsy Mc Inerney was the Blacksmith at Ardsollus and was an uncle to the Mc Inerney woman who had the shop at Ardsollus. He recalls a Dun Coady who was a herdsman for the Studderts, landlords at Ballyhannon House. Maria Reddan was a publican where the Monk’s Well is now located, and she was an aunt of Amby Power’s wife Catherine Reddan who was a Kerry woman. Amby captained the Clare All-Ireland Team of 1914. She had the use of a field from the Studderts of Ballyhannon, beside the entrance to Ballykilty Manor and had a cow grazing there. Dun Coady would drive the cow into the village to the back of her pub twice daily and milk the cow for her. She rewarded him with a pint of her best stout and he then drove the cow back to her field. Pakie Halloran of Ballyhannon was the land steward at Ballyhannon and he looked after the place well, Tom said.
Tom recalls Maria Reddan, who had a guest house and pub in Quin. When people visited Quin Abbey, they often stayed at her pub and stabled their pony at her premises. She has a cow who was ill and ‘thrown down’ and the local vet gave no hope of recovery. One Easter Saturday, Corny Ryan who was working for Morgan Fahy, asked Maria for the loan of her donkey to put manure out on his drills. A Friar was visiting her restaurant and when leaving, she helped him tackle his horse. She told him how ill the cow was and the Friar said prayers over her. He asked had she any other animal, and she told him of the donkey. Two hours later the cow was better. When Monday morning came, there was a knock at Maria’s door very early in the morning and on opening it, Corny Ryan was there and she said to him, ‘bad Cess to you, is it drink you’re looking for this early?’ He was very upset and said, ‘as if it isn’t bad enough your cow to be dying, but I have very sad news for you. When I went out this morning your donkey was stone cold dead’. Maria said it was okay as the Friar saved the cow but the donkey had to die instead and if she hadn’t another animal – the cow would have died’.
Tom remembers well in 1939 an American journalist visited the village working for ‘Life’ magazine and took many photos of the locals – including one taken at Mc Inerney’s Abbey Tavern pub after Sunday Mass.
