My Best Waterford Memories
by Railway Square
My best memories include the first swim in the sea – always Woodstown with a late tide warmed by the hot strand. Tramore, Dunmore, the Cove and maybe my favourite for swimming, Rathmoylan, were all face-able after that.
Others are Ring, Helvic Head, the much under-rated Passage East; Paddy Browne’s Long Road complete with “confession boxes” (before it was built up); Reginald’s Tower, and as a kid, remembering where the cannon ball lodged.
The People’s Park probably played a huge part in all of our up-bringings. How many families do NOT have photos of kids sitting astride the cannons? I even remember the Tramore Railway, and in later years, being able to hitch both safely and successfully virtually anywhere.
Delacato’s in Johnstown was the best chipper in town. A great feed for 6d (six old pence in the days when there were 240 to a pound the size of a bedspread) when you brought your own bowl.
Chucks, spare ribs and cabbage, dilisk, cockles, mackerel bought fresh at the pier and fried straight away, real lard and dripping, blaas (of course), settled pans, soda bread, Clover sausages (“Oxford” and “Countrystyle”, as a treat, I.C.M. the norm).
The more I think about this, the more I remember.
Going out John’s Hill, collecting blackberries before the days when traffic pollution made them impossible to eat, bringing them home and me Ma either making blackberry tarts (the absolute best), blackberry and apple tarts, nearly as good, or just washing them and mashing them in a saucer with sugar.
Then there was going out early September, even earlier mornings, and picking field mushrooms. I can almost taste them now. Could be fried, fried on toast, done in milk with loads of pepper but best of all, the heads placed on top of the range (forerunner of the Aga or Stanley for those of you reared on ceramic hobs etc,) with salt and pepper sprinkled over them.
Collecting watercress. Do any of you remember watercress sandwiches or blaas? Forget hang, Tayto or red lead. These were the real deal. The blaa, butter, watercress and salt. And how much did they cost? Word of warning. Nowadays, like most else, if any of you want to pick watercress, do so in streams not near fields with sheep who carry parasites that don’t do you a lot of good. A by-product of modern science.
Ok, obviously these activities were not unique to Waterford. But we had the opportunity to carry them out. And they were an integral part of our heritage.
I remember wet slack being put onto fires to keep a steady glimmer that didn’t cost a lot. I remember someone calling at the front door to collect potato and other vegetable peelings for the pigs. I remember turf bits, small pieces, that were sold cheap. I remember seeing the old ration books for butter and sugar, leftovers from the emergency.
What has this to do with the best memories of the Deise?
They were simple, hard times but the way they were handled, the way our people treasured and respected what we had and the occasional chances to revel in the beauty of our surroundings speaks volumes for our heritage. The same heritage that made many of us emigrants. But, other than jobs, did we find anything better? I don’t think so.
Last one, taking the bus to Woodstown, bringing a picnic, including tea and a teapot, sitting down in the dunes eating sandy sandwiches and drinking hot tea courtesy of the little shop who charged 3d for a pot of boiling water. Now THAT was convenience food!!!