McKenna Childhood Memories

Next morning the girls brought me two tiny baby birds (called Scaldies) from one of the nests. We placed them carefully in my well prepared nest, only to discover when we returned from school they were dead, a tragic end to my new nest, and little birds.

I enjoyed school very much. On my first day I had with me a copy book, I had mastered a headline “The dog has a long tail” under the supervision of my father who read a lot. My headline was much to the surprise of Mrs Carberry the infant teacher who was a most kind and motherly lady. One of her daughters was in my class. She was called Nannie or Nancy, she was always well dressed and wore pretty pinnies.

Master Lynch was the middle teacher, and Master Rooney was the Principal. He was from the Cooper Rooney family. His lunch was always delivered to him just before lunch time. He walked up and down on the road while he ate his lunch which seemed to be fresh made toast well buttered. One day I saw him give the crusts to the wild birds. I saw it was toast.

Occasionally my father would accompany me to school, equipped with his well worn spade, always a McMahon. He seemed to be doing duty days, Canon Gormley, would call the names out whom he wished to dig back a mound of clay, that kept slipping down behind the school.

My two and a half years at Cordoola passed quickly. In 1927 we moved to a very unproductive farm in Mullaghfad in Cooneen Parish. Being the eldest there was always lots of little errands demanding of my time, after school. One such trip was over to Mary Ann Rooney of Dernawilt.

“SALVE” TO CURE BURNS

Mary Ann was quite elderly, she always made children most welcome. My message there was to ask her could she make me a little tin of salve to put on my younger sister’s burns, who had a severe domestic accident. Mary Ann was anxious to meet with my request. After securing a few pots, and the kettle around the hearth fire, we made our way out to a flat green field where Mary Ann raised certain little roots with the point of a knife. They may have been Dandelions or similar herbs, these she collected into a dish. We then went back to the house. There Mary Ann prepared, washed, and boiled them. When boiled and cooled, they were chopped, and mixed with unsalted butter very carefully with the blade of a dinner knife. This was then put into a little tin, the mixture resembled Vaseline. I prepared to leave at this stage equipped with this precious ointment, when much to my delight Mary Ann, remarked “wait for a piece of sugary candy,” which she took from a little tin box which rested on the mantelpiece.

Mary Ann and her brother Mick. were well to do, the fireplace in the kitchen looked larger, and more prosperous than other ones in the area.

Another house I found kindness in was Cassie Fitch’s – may have been Fitzpatrick. her brother was called Failie, they lived quite near my home. When I paid Cassie a visit her friendship was outpouring. for a little treat. She cooked an egg dish. I think it was scrambled egg, we ate it from a cup as we sat in an upstairs gable window overlooking the main road.

We always had “céiliers” in at night during the harvest. and winter. One man we loved to see coming was Pat “Rora” O`Rourke. He had an orchard of nice eating apples. He always brought apples to us as children, they were red and very sweet. We had a few uncared apple trees at Dernawilt. They were quite bitter. and didn’t seem to tempt the children going from school. Quite frequently a peddlar lady would come to our house to sell camphor balls, card polish, and brushes from her basket. She always got tea. We were very frightened when she came and much relieved when she left. She was called Moll Prod and she wore a bonnet. and a shawl. Her footwear was black laced—up boots.

CROCHET AND QUILT MAKING

Roslea seemed to be filled with all sorts of highly skilled people — stone masons; carpenters, who often made coffinsand carts; creel makers; shoe makers; tailors; pig butchers, and of course women who were expert at lace making (Crochet) and quilt making. There seemed to be a lot of “pick-and-choice” if you wanted a job done.

Then there was Hudie the cow doctor. he was always coming and going to attend sick animals. Another character was the Mad Doctor. I think he was an army physician and his nerves went. He was highly intelligent. but people were reluctant to avail of his advice.

When I was six years old, I was capable of walking into Roslea Village. about one and half miles, on a Saturday to do shopping for my mother. The shop was Flynn’s on the corner. The shop boy in Flynn’s was Pat Beggan, from Drumyarkin. He was very attentive and most kind. After complying with my order (by note) he fixed my items neatly in my soft basket which was made from refined foreign straw. The handle had a knot on its top. Men used to fold them and carry them in their jacket pocket on their way into town for shopping. They cost 4 pence each. Some thrifty women made shopping bags from an Indian meal sack, and lined them with a bleached flour bag. I have seen school bags made like this and of course bag aprons.

Pat Beggan always put a few nice caramel toffee sweets into a little white bag, and tucked them carefully into my basket. I think Pat went to America. His nephew Charlie Beggan farms near me in the Clogher area.

My mother did crochet and sold it to Hugh Gunn in Clones. She did what was called a trimming, used to go around pillow covers or small tablecloths. There was always nine yards on order. She didn’t  have an inch tape — one yard (3 feet) was cut into our kitchen table edge. My mother only had to make 8 yards of lace. When she washed it she could stretch it another yard making it nine yards – surely “The trick of the trade”.

My grandmother Grainne Connolly in Tannaghaboy who was a Corr, from “The Long Hollow” in Scotstown Parish was a highly skilled lace maker. She too sold her crochet to Hugh Gunn. He was heard making a remark at one stage — “If Mrs. Connolly Tannaghaboy was his first customer to his Clones shop he would have a very lucky day “financially”. His niece the late Mary Gunn of Annlea, Fivemiletown passed this on to me.

My grandmother would have been one of the ladies who helped to make Queen Mary’s Coronation Robe for Sarah Martin of Derryneese early this century –  a wonderful achievement for Roslea, which put Roslea lace on the map world-wide.

One of the chores I was involved in, while living in Dernawilt after school in the harvest time, was something that required great expertise. This was — “Holding The Rod”, while my father cut a field of corn. I held a long hazel rod, firmly against the face of what he was about to cut with his scythe. Something he was expert at was putting an edge on with a scythe-stone. The most popular type was one hand dressed at Eshcralla near Carn Rock by two brothers. I paid them a visit many years ago, when I was doing a project on ancient crafts. I think the Eshcralla ones are sandstone, and very light in colour. I always enjoyed “Holding The Rod”. It was really high tech stuff for a girl of six years.

MARGARET McKENNA’S OF DERRYARD

Country shops were very convenient for people in the past. One such shop near Dernawilt was Margaret McKenna’s of Derryard, now known as McGinnity’s Upper Shop. Occasionally, I would be sent to this shop, for something small, maybe a lb of soda, or a quart of oil for the lamp. It was always a rule of shop owners that you waited your turn. When I would go down to Margaret’s shop it was quite common to see a few men seated on full cases of eggs, awaiting their turn to have their large baskets of eggs counted and packed into wooden cases. It was a highly skilled job packing eggs — an expert could pack, and whack, and make loud noises when placing the holed filler on top of a full row.

I have a recollection of one man being seated on a full egg case. He was Dan Rooney of Drumerlane. He had a large butter basket full of eggs. About two dozen on the top were duck eggs, the greenest I ever saw, and spotlessly clean, perhaps the bog in Drumerlane was ideal for ducks. Eggs were about four pence per dozen. I remember when they moved up to one shilling per dozen this was in the thirties, sometimes I would be sent for a setting of eggs to a neighbour’s house. These were put under a clocking hen for three weeks. It was always a big achievement if you had a bird in every egg. A Rhode Island hen was the most suitable one to cover eggs with. White Leghorns were not as popular and would not remain broody as long. About 1940 Fairbairns started hatching day old chicks, they had a ‘sexer’ who could identify male from female. It was more profitable to only rear the female birds a family called Scallon’s of Cromaghy had a hatchery in the early forties.

One of the most memorable treasures of my young life was aunt Kate Connolly, my mother’s sister, living with us. She was a lovable and caring lady, who was deeply religious, and had a severe incapacity, she was a victim of epilepsy, and due to no known medication she was compelled to be house-bound continually. God had given her a lot of talents, which she used to the full. She was a wonderful influence on my young life. I witnessed many of her domestic skills, one was bread making, something I specialise in today. Aunt Kate, always put the baking soda into the jug of buttermilk and beat it slightly before pouring it into the prepared flour. This saved ugly brown patches in the soda bread as it was sliced.

POTATO-BREAD AND BOXTY

Another of her little treats was carrot jam, potato-bread and ‘boxty’. Another of her skills was drying salt herrings which cost one old penny each, a piece of fine wire would be put through the gills of the herrings, then she would hang them (usually one dozen) from a beam from the roof near the hearth tire in the kitchen. They dried out and became firm, these were cooked over hot tongs over ‘Greesia’, i.e. hot embers. One evening a herring fell from the roof on to my younger brother’s head as we sat at the tire. This much loved aunt had a little tendency to moon worship. When she saw the new moon she became excited and turned her apron, (which she would have made herself) and recited a little prayer “I see the new moon the new moon sees me, God bless the new moon, and God bless me.”

MOON WORSHIP

It is well known that what a child witnesses up to six year old moulds them for life. My father who had strict religious beliefs showed some disapproval at moon worship, which we all know was a pagan custom in the past. The highlight of the evening to us as children was bedtime. This was always controlled by aunt Kate who trained us to undress and carefully fold our clothes neatly on a chair. Then prayer time would start, she had beautiful children’s prayers all off by heart. One I’ll never forget was “There are four corners on my bed, there are four angels around my spread, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, God bless the bed that I lie on.” We were then carefully “tucked in.” She bade us good-night, and off she went, we didn’t see her until next evening, she was never around at breakfast time. She died tragically in 1932 and was laid to rest in Roslea Graveyard, with her loved ones. I hope she is enjoying her well earned stay in God’s Heavenly Kingdom, — until we meet again, enjoy “The Peace of Christ”. Much loved Aunt Kate.