Kitty McCarthy – Memory Pathways

Kitty was born in November 1928, the daughter of an RIC Constable and granddaughter of an Irish-speaking poet from Lissbuí Mór, west of Kilnamartyra.

Kitty was interviewed by Colum Cronin

Interview: WCOH0036

The following topics are covered in Kitty’s interview.
Schooldays, her grandfather from Lissbuí Mór, west of Kilnamartyra, and they were known as the ‘Lucey Poets’ He was a native Irish speaker and a ‘fair good poet in Irish’, school games including ‘The Cobblers Dance’, ‘Hunt’, ‘Hide and go seek’, Christmas in childhood, first car in neighbourhood, first holy communion, World War II (Emergency), The election of 1933, Foley, the local postman, Eamon De Valera, Fianna Fáil, politics, employment, dances in Crookstown or Bandon, Guards Dress Dance, social changes, loneliness in old age.

Father in the RIC WCOHAS_0006

Kitty was born in the Burns family farmhouse in Teerelton. Kitty’s father joined the RIC. He worked for a year and a half in County Meath “minding a landlord”. He was then sent to County Wexford on regular duties.

Colum Cronin: Where were you born into then?

Kitty McCarthy: I was born into the house there, you know, above Terelton farmhouse. Yeah. But Burns’ were the first to be there. My father, being a younger member, he joined the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) and he was trained above the depot and all that. And he worked only for a year and a half, he worked in County Meath, minding an old landlord. He said he slept in the shed for a year and a half. They used to have to mind the landlords because the IRA we’re ganging up on them that time like, and they were watching these landlords and things. So he was minding a landlord for a long time and then he was sent down to Gorey in County Wexford and he was there then and regular duties like an Army guard would be now you know but he didn’t like it at all anyway, but anyway.

TB Scheme WCOHAS_0007

Kitty describes her overtime job. A man at her employment told Kitty and her colleagues about people he had working overtime. Kitty asked for work. The following Monday, Kitty left work in the Dept of Agriculture and reported to Bill at 5.30 pm. Kitty worked there for about three years.

Kitty McCarthy: And that’s how we came along with our then I used to open the offices from the TB scheme. Now TB started in the cows, around that time they just started to try to clear the TB in the early 50s and I was working. Never got a penny overtime and anything. I was working paying wages, stamping people’s cards, going to the bank as I told you and that money, all handling money and stuff like that. But there was a fella in charge of that thing he was he used be coming in telling us all the work, all the people he had on overtime and he was high up and he has to be paid for the overtime at all and he used be going mad because staff officers and from that up were never paid for the overtime and he used be going mad. And one day I said, why don’t I ask him would he give me a few hours like and I’d make a few extra bob and I’d be able to go out on foreign holidays and things. So he came over, I knew him well right? So, I said, Bill says I, I’d be interested, I said. I’m going over there to work if I could, if I could make a few extra bob. I said I am paying out money to them all over the counter and I’ve never got an extra shilling and I here seven years. And the next Monday I was called down. So I went over after doing my days working in Marion St. myself and another girl, we make a cup of tea in the ladies restroom and we’d report over there at 5:30. It was in the very beginning of the TB scheme.

Yeah, we became sort of supervisors. She was Halasey down there from Inchigeela as it happened, and we became kind of bosses there without meaning to be. But there were about fifty young ones coming in, writing up these old reports. They used to send out the report of every animal the farmer at that time. A thing called TB6, she and I used to be sort of sorting out the work and showing her what to do when it kind of checking their stuff that it would be correct and things and we got to be kind of bosses without intending to be, Peggy and myself, the two of us. And then sure I was in overtime for about three years, and you know it spoilt my life if you like because you’d come home and you’d be dead tired. It would be about half eight by the time I’d be home, we’d work until eight o’clock. You come home then, and I lived up in the northside and you know, towards the Phoenix Park, and I was this was going on in Mound Street that had so little of the TB scheme when it started, they never got to take off like. That they wouldn’t even let it into government buildings where we weren’t they that they rented an old house, in nine Upper Mount Street. So we just have to walk over there every evening and start work at half five again and work until eight o’clock. And I did that for three years and you know, you’d be dead tired. Like you only go home to your flat by the time you get a bus and go home, it would be bedtime. You know you we had no social life with it. You know I was sorry after.

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Doing the Skip WCOHAS_0008

Kitty’s grandmother would not let the girls go out “doing the skip” (dating) at night or after dark, but they were allowed to dance and invite people to their own house while Kitty’s grandparents went to bed.

Kitty McCarthy: There were seven girls of them there, and here the whole country used to go there dancing and everything. And Murphy Russians [????] was the same again. I suppose they followed in the… She always said their mother, she’d never let him go out in the road doing the skip with men, or anything at night. There was no such thing as leaving the house after dark, but herself and the grandfather, they’d go away to bed and they would make all the noise they liked and play all the music and stay all night but they’d be under the roof.

Father was a Dancer WCOHAS_0009

Kitty’s father described how his bed was on top of the stairs in an open landing when he was young. They had an earth floor with a square of cement put in so they could learn to dance. Kitty’s father was a champion step-dancer. Kitty talks about a step-dancer called “Dindgo”.

Kitty McCarthy: And my father said he had only a little bed above on top of a stairs in an open kind of a landing or something when he was a young fellow, and they had only an earth floor with a square of cement put in so that they could learn to dance. My father was a champion step dancer when he was a grand step dancer.

Dept of Agriculture WCOHAS_0010

Kitty was needed by the Department of Agriculture. Kitty worked in the loans section. The farmers had to get loans to buy machinery and sign legal documents signed by a peace commissioner. Kitty’s job was to send the forms to the Garda Siochana. Kitty remembers that some farmers forged the names of the peace commissioners. Kitty took the forms to the Department of Justice and checked the signatures. Kitty had to speak fluent Irish because shopkeepers from the west of Ireland queried in Irish. Kitty had to sit an Irish written exam and do an Irish oral exam.

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The Pattern Dances WCOHAS_0011

Kitty describes her memories of going to Patterns and dancing, and her mother’s lenient attitude. Kitty’s mother had a different view because they were always dancing at home. An evening Pattern was started on Sundays. Kitty and her family danced a lot at home. Kitty’s father played the fiddle. Kitty could dance the ‘Stack of Barley’, the ‘Barn Dance’, and the ‘Two-Step’. When other mothers were keeping their daughters inside, Kitty’s mother would ask their father to take them down to the Pattern.

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Slaughtering Pigs WCOHAS_0012

Kitty describes her role in the family with the pigs, and making pudding (blood sausage). Kitty’s family was always butchering pigs. Kitty remembers holding the dish for the blood. When Kitty got older, she made the puddings (blood sausage) in a white enamel bucket. Kitty’s mother made cakes which were sliced and fried for breakfast. Kitty describes the use of boiling water to remove the hair from the pigs. They got the boiling water from the creamery. Kitty’s mother had a thermometer because if the water was too hot, it would tie the hair to the pig. Kitty describes the pork products they ate. Kitty’s father cut the pig the next day. Kitty’s family got all the rashers, sausages, puddings, and liver. They had these for breakfast. The shop had two barrels of bacon behind the door.

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The Wireless WCOHAS_0013

Kitty remembers the first wireless radio. The Tade family were the only people to have one. Kitty believes it was the 1933 election. People went to the Tade residence to listen to the radio. Pat Foley was their local postman and a big follower of Fianna Fail. The wireless was kept in the parlour. Johnny Crowley was a special guest and he was the only person allowed to sit in and listen in the parlour, everyone else had to stay in the kitchen. Kitty recounts a funny story of her father playing a trick on Pat Foley.

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