Lucia's Memories

Some Sunday afternoons Mammy would take the three youngest children and go visiting. By this time the five oldest children were working, studying or living away from home. The adult Rita was a librarian in Newry Library, and living at home. She had the ‘front room' (bedroom) to herself, an unheard of luxury! She was by then ‘walking out' with Eamon McArdle. I had become the ‘big one' of the family with extra responsibilities towards the seven ‘wee ones'. Though by now Michael, Angela, Gerard and Pauline were of an age that they could mind each other and pursue their own weekend pastimes. I was delighted to be privileged to be Mammy's companion and guardian of the three wee ones.

Sometimes we'd head to Bridge Street where Kathleen Flanagan lived with her husband George and her brother Frank Cooney. Kathleen was the daughter of Granny Bridget's sister Susan. Despite her very busy life Mum always kept in touch with family and friends. This was Sonny's family, so it was hers too. Kathleen was godmother to my older brother John when he was christened in June 1947.

When we visited the Flanagans I remember Mammy pushing the pram into this very dark hallway. The baby would be left in the pram and we would go into the living room. George would be there to say Hello, then disappear for the rest of the visit.

There was another house we visited on Canal Street. Jennie Jones lived there with her brother in what was a very large house. It was opposite Paddy Crinion's house five doors below the Yank Cunningham's pub on the corner with Catherine Street. That house today is owned by Brian Patterson, a friend and old classmate of John's.

Despite often visiting I don't remember ever seeing the brother. Jennie was an old friend of Mammy's from South Armagh. I don't know any more about her.

It's funny the things that stick in your memory. I can recall a large shiny mahogany table in the front room where she entertained us. People in such houses liked then to have a ‘good'' room, a ‘drawing room' or ‘parlour' for entertaining guests. We'd always arrived unannounced so there was no chance to ‘red up'. That table always had a layer of dust on it and Jennie would idly write her name with her finger in the dust.

Some years later Mammy said she would like to go to Mass Rock in faraway Ballyholland, and asked me to take her. (Today I live there!).

I had her up for dinner first, so we didn't have far to go. When we were leaving the field I spotted Cora Keenan and her husband Jerry resting on a rock. I said to Mammy … “That's the woman who saw Sonny in me! When I was at a wake recently. I introduced them. I knew them because Jerry used to be my breadman when I lived in Church Street.

Jerry worked for McCanns, like our next-door neighbour Hugh John McConville.

Mum and Cora talked for quite a while. Most of that time they were both in tears. Mammy was so grateful to me for introducing her to someone who knew and loved Sonny so much. It was fate that they were both there on that day at the Mass Rock.

Cora told Mum that she had a son who lives next to Kathleen in Hampton Park in Belfast.

If any further memories occur to me I will share them with you all.