Holiday '78

Another holiday I well remember was to Westport in North West of Ireland. My Brother Frank decided to rent a 'Cottage' . The Advert was in the Paper and booked it over the phone. Dad had just traded in his old car for a newer one. Not new but 5 years old. Later to be termed the 'Yellow Peril' it was a bright yellow Renault 15TS, a smart looking coupe, which replace Dads 15 year old Ford Capri. Anyhow we drove up to Westport and then a few miles further to the cottage which was situated down a steep laneway. Frank had to manoever the Car for Dad as the laneway was very tight. The Cottage was a bit basic, the farmer who owned it had built a new house and rented out the old Cottage. It had a traditional fireplace, the type you could sit in and look up into the night sky. We lit a fire with the turf supplied by the farmer. I think there was electricity in the Kitchen but not in the Bedrooms. On the first night we went to bed late and I fell asleep quickly, probably snoring the cottage down! Suddenly I woke up, I could hear what sounded like machine guns or sounds from an Alien Invasion Film. it was completly dark and I had no light switch to flick. Quickly I realised it was lashing rain and the cottage had a tin roof not a traditional thatch roof. I suppose while I slept and dreamt, the sound of the rain had somehow been incorporated into the dream and when I awoke I was disorientated and well, scared. The rest of the holiday went great, we travelled in the Yellow Peril for the week and luckily the rain was replaced by sunny weather. I have photos somewhere both Frank and myself sporting 'Afro' haircuts which were the 'in thing' then. Suppose my scare lasted about 5 minutes and I remember it well and laugh about it now and its still what I remember about that holiday.

Swiss Railway Journeys

Many years ago now, well maybe 35 now, Dad's friend Dave Maher got married to a Swiss lady called Erika. Dave often spoke glowingly to Dad and myself about Switzerland, the scenery, the clear mountain air, the mountain railways and of course Switzerlands famous timekeeping and punctuality. If a Swiss person arranges to meet you at 7.30, they mean 7.30, not 7.35, or 8.00. Trains actually arrive early or at least on time, and its claimed in a British Train magazine you could almost eat your dinner on the platform. Swiss Railways are aparently that clean! Dave sadly passed away late last year, but when I think of Switzerland I always think of Dave and Erika.
In 2001 or so the Travel Channel showed a series of Travel Documentaries called Swiss Railway Journeys, and this series helped me make up my mind to plan a trip. Much planning was needed, I went to Thomas Cook for a European Train Timetable Guide, researched the Internet for Trips and Accomodation. Also watched all those documentaries for destinations, travel tips etc. Mum contacted the Swiss Embassy, who sent lots of guides, photographs. Anyone travelling abroad should contact the relevant Embassy for advice and information. I ordered Swiss Railway Passes which covered us for all Trains, Buses, Trams and Boats and City transport too. We flew to Geneva and then by train to Interlakken. Interlakken is a small town situated betwen 2 lakes, hence the name! From Interlakken there is no shortage of train journeys and different train companies, train gauges, funiculars, cable cars and Boats too. All covered by the SwissPass. Although the pass was over €215.00 it was well worth it for 7 days. Eating out in Switzerland was another matter. Rather expensive, however there was and still are a number of Supermarket Chains which often have Cafes attached. Migros is one such chain and in Interlakken they had a nice Cafe for breakfast and for buying rolls and fresh produce for the days travelling.
Other travel tips for Switzerland? Well obviously buy all your food and drinks befor arriving at the train station, prices are up to 3 times dearer at the station. Accomodation is very expensive but check out www.myswitzerland.com, I booked a nice Bed and Breakfast, using www.bnb.ch. In Interlakken we stayed in a Hostel, which was reasonable but rather basic and the rooms were tiny.
The actual train journeys I will have to leave to another blog or even several blogs. There were so many possible journeys it was difficult to decide which to choose, also had to consider timetables although unlike Ireland most towns are linked by trains which depart on the hour or half hour even.
Until the next time, got a tram to catch!

On track in Austria

Just back from Austria on another Trans Euro Express Trip. Actually We landed in Bratislava Airport and then by Coach to Vienna. Coach trip itself gave an oppurtunity to see another country and save money by using a Budget Airline. We had been told Austria was an expensive country but somehow Ireland has now caught up with most of Europe and it didn't seem that expensive to me. Switzerland still holds the most expensive tag. Vienna itself is one of those too perfect cities and full of formal buildings and vast open spaces with guilded statues everywhere. Also its a very clean city and has excellent Bus, Tram and Underground lines. Compared to Dublin, a weekly travel ticket was at 12.00 euro a bargain!
One very nice short trip was on the no 38 tram to Grimzing and then the 38a Bus to the Vienna Mountains. We went in to a very elegant Circular Café for a Melange and Cake. Mum liked the Cafe and immediately said her friend Marion would have declared 'This is a Sheila Place' Sheila was one of Mams best friends and would have loved the Café. My Daddy would have liked it too, it was elegant and a bit old fashioned, had a lovely view and was a place to while away a whole afternoon. The kind of establishment that would never be built today, it would have to be a fast food place or some really expensive pretentious restaurant for rich snobs or 'riff raff' as Basil Fawlty would say.
Another longer trip was by train to Mariazell, went by regular train to St. Polten, then a delightful narrow gauge train up the mountains to Mariazell. In total the journey was 85 Km bit it took over 2 hours and went through beautiful countryside. Arriving at our destination We really only had time for a meal and a long walk back to the station. There was supposed to be a local vintage tram trip also but of course I could not find it, and anyhow it only goes during June through August.
Anyhow another really enjoyable trip, a nice relaxing day with not too much walking and loads of photos as memories.
Finally Vienna and Austria was very nice, maybe a bit too formal and 'Germanic' especially the irritating recorded announcements on all public transport. The messages all sounded a bit too reminiscent of a era no one wants to remember.
As Basil infamously said, 'Don't mention the ...'

Mystery Train

When we were small every Summer that I can remember, CIE, the Irish Train Company ran special excursions on a Thursday and Sunday. Basically it was very cheap for families to go on a day trip on a train and not know where they were going. During the week Mum made arrangements for a trip and most weeks it was off to the Train station. Often we met our Cousins, Aunts and Uncles and Friends. The Train was full of Maguires, Applebys, Gormans, Mulhalls, O'Tooles. We used to get up real early with all our bits and pieces and when we got to town it was into the bread shop for fresh rolls. Mum had butter and meat and cheese etc. to make 'sambos' . As far as I can recollect all the journeys were from Connolly Station in Dublin. Although it was supposed to be a mystery where the train was going everybody seemed to know exactly where we were going. Years later I found out from one of my employees that she used to work on the train with her Mother selling sweets and apples. Her Mother knew the Driver and he told her the destination. She was supposed to be sworn to secrecy but somehow managed to always let the secret out. Mum used to hope for somewhere by the sea, perhaps Wexford and then on to Rosslare Beach!
Anyhow we always had a great time no matter where we were going. We always had money to buy a comic to read on the journey home or perhaps a drawing book and pencil. I still remember the train was literally packed to the rafters and kids running up and down the whole trip.
I can't remember when exactly we stopped going or when or why CIE stopped doing the Mystery Train. But I must have got my interest in Train travel thanks to CIE and whoever thought up of the concept!

Trans Europe Express

Off this morning on another little European Trip.
Bratislava, Vienna, Linz all beckon in a few hours. many trains, planes and trams to catch.
Back Wednesday 24th May. Keep you posted.

Triumph School of Motoring

Uncle Seamus

A long lost story written by Uncle Seamus.

Learn to drive at the Triumph School of Motoring
Phoenix Park
(beside Hawthorn Circuit)
A Car fore every lesson
(the same car)
Full beginners Course only £ 50.00
Payable in advance.
In case of hardship, easy terms. Deposit £46.00
And 40 p per lesson.
Special Reduction for Schoolchildren provided they don’t bring their Birth Certificates or mention their ages.

Other driving schools teach beginners things like, the U turn, the turnabout, how to start on an incline etc. We don’t bother with any of that crap. We teach you all you need to to know about driving in 10 EASY LESSONS as detailed in our brochure
Lesson 1 How to drive there
Lesson 2 How to drive back ( without using reverse)
Lesson 3 How to drive there and back
Lesson 4 How to drive to the left
Lesson 5 How to drive to the right
Lesson 6 How to drive along a straight line
Lesson 7 How to drive everybody around the bend
Lesson 8 How to drive yourself around the bend
Lesson 9 How to stop driving abruptly using the ‘Head on method’
Finally - Lesson 10 How not to drive.

Many of the drivers who competed in the Phoenix Park Motor races last weekend were taught to drive at our School, true, some of them crashed, a few of them went off the course and finished up in various parts of the city and none of them won anything, but this is not bad considering our school only opened 2 weeks ago. And most of them only taught to drive on the day before the races.
We have also enlisted the co-operation of our good friends the CAPRI SCHOOL OF MOTORING, Cherryfield Road. All our indoor lectures and demonstrations will take place there. On Wednesday nights Ms. Betty Maguire will give a talk on the ‘Rules of the Road’
On Thursday night Mr. Frank Maguire will demonstrate the dismantling and re-assembly of the Ford Capri engine. Mr. Frank Maguire has never done this before but he informs us that he can perform this task in 51 minutes. However the highlight of this lecture course is on Friday night, - ‘The history of the Motor Car’ which motor car? Johns motor car of course. This lecture will be given by Mr. John Maguire (senior) Bass-Baritone, at 9 pm sharp.

Tram Spotter

My First experience of trams was secondhand, Mam and Dad were always talking about the world famous Hill of Howth Tram. Unfortunately the tram line closed down before I was born. It was indeed the last tram in Ireland. Aparently grown men cried when it closed down. Of course it closed down due to lack of patronage and lack of investment. Anyhow the arrival of the new Luas Tram Lines in Dublin and a visit to Amsterdam gave me a new interest in trams, mainly travelling on them not just writing down the numbers. I have not become a Tramspotter as such and havn't got the Anorak yet.
What I really like is to visit European Cities to broaden my experience of the European mainland and if the city has a tram network or a tourist line, even better. One of my recent trips was with Mum and we decided to go to Lisbon, Portugal. Not having been there before it looked a nice city and it had the added bonus of several tram lines. In fact Lisbon is Tram City. There are several old fashioned tram Lines with traditional mainly wooden trams which have been lovingly restored and maintained. Lisbon also has several Funiculars and modern trams and another Tourist Line in Sintra just a few kilometres away. The Sintra Tramway has been recently extended by the local council and is quite old fashioned and the trams date back nearly 100 years. Mum said it was very like the Howth tram and memories flooded back to her particularly the shaking and rattles and the varnished wooden interior. Our tram driver for the day worked part time for the Council and he relayed stories to us as the tram travelled through the countryside. He even stopped the tram at one point so I could take photos. There was only one other passenger on the tram. It turned out the other passenger was going home for the weekend. during the week he stayed in a Hospital or possibly a Mental Institution. Every Friday he waits for the 2.00 tram and each week he tries to get away without paying his fare, The Tram driver explained they both play this game and each week they eventually come to an arrangement and the fare is agreed at about 80 cent. When I returned to Ireland I printed off some of the photos of the Sintra tram and posted some to the tram driver who wanted his passenger to have a picture of the tram and of us all in the tram. I havn't heard back from the driver, I hope the passenger got his photograph. Maybe another time I wil return to Sintra and get that 2.00 tram and I wonder will there be a certain passenger waiting?

Titanic Tale

My grandfather, Francis John Maguire was born in Birkenhead and later moved back to Ireland. My Father was born in Watergate, Kilkenny. But Granddad, being a Carpenter in a time of high unemployment after World War 1, moved around Ireland wherever work was to be found. He worked in Haulbaulin Shipyard in Cork, also for the Countess of Desert in Kilkenny. He also worked for Harland and Wolff as a Ships Carpenter on the most famous Ship of all time the Titanic! He must have been one of the few catholics working there and amongst his many stories was that he always wore some early form of safety hat just in case someone would drop a hot rivet down on him from above.
When I was very small we often drove down to collect him from Mass and back to our Auntie in SCR, Dublin 8. Every trip he always had a story to entertain us. Actually he had probably about 50 different stories but we would always love to hear him re telling some of his stories or yarns as some people call such stories.
One of his tales about the Titanic has turned out to be a bit of an ‘urban legend’ a modern term for a myth or a completely incorrect fact that supposedly spreads around and then become fact or at least some people believe it. An urban legend spread in Britain after the ‘9-11’ attack on the Twin Towers in New York. It was reported in some British newspapers that people had contact the Police claiming they had for example helped their Muslim neighbour fix his car. And in return his neighbour told him thanks and ‘Oh avoid the centre of Birmingham on the 5th! can’t say anything else’. The whole thing turned out to be complete fabrication.
Grandads story was that the Titanic being supposedly un sinkable was given the number 390904 which, when read backwards in a mirror, was claimed to spell 'no pope'. To enhance the story, Grandad used to write down the numbers on a piece of paper and then turn the paper back to front and towards the light so you could read the numbers backwards and to us as children it magically read ‘No Pope’ of course he also had a special way of writing the numbers. Anyhow we always believed him and unlike what went on in the name of Irish freedom his story was nothing to do with politics or religion, just an amusing story.
Of course having checked out the facts it turns out the ship was never given these numbers, today its very easy to check out facts by looking up Google or Ask Jeeves even.
But years ago its wasn’t so easy and people believed what they were told and anyhow it was the way Grandad told the story and almost like a magician got that piece of paper to do a magic trick that impressed me the most and by then we had arrived at Aunties and was time to get out of the car having been held captivated for the short journey. Grandad timed his stories so they always finished just as Daddy arrived at SCR and time for us all to get out and in to Auntie Maureen, who always had Dinner ready for us and she always had the latest comic for myself and big Brother Frank, as well as fresh lemonade from one of those old pressurised dispenser bottles, and finished off the treat with a bar of chocolate. For the bar of chocolate We had to go with Maureen down the lane behind her house where a Lady had a little shop in a garage selling a few bars of chocolates, sweets and newspapers. This ended the treat until the following week. And another tale!
My Dad also had his fair share of tall tales, many relating to his long, very long time in the Irish Civil Service, including his 43 years in the same chair in Dublin Castle. But that’s for another time.
Til then, John Maguire, MaguireNews, Dublin.

School Boy Memory

One of my early English School Books had many stories to show how to use correct grammer. Something I have never fully mastered! One of the stories was about an Overhead Railway in Wuppertal, Germany. This being many many years ago there were few pictures in the book and you had to use your imagination and picture the Overhead Railway in your mind. The forward thinking people of Wuppertal built a railway over and following the river which snakes through the town. The railway was built in the early 20th century and remains today modernised and still the mainstay of the local transport system. In 2005 I finally got to visit the railway and took several rides on it. The term 'ride' is most appropriate as it really feels like a fair ground ride and the carriages gently swing in the wind as they glide along suspended over the river. Thanks to the Internet its quite easy today to get information and pictures about every subject. From first reading the story about the Overhead Railway and finally getting to see it took nearly 38 years. A long journey, sometimes a long journey ends in disapointment, but in this case the journey really was the reward!

The White Boxes

Mum (Betty Maguire) recently entered a writing competition and wrote of her experience in her first job in Dublin in 1942. The story goes thus.

The White boxes

When I was fifteen years of age my Father died, and I had no option but to leave school and get a job, as there were two younger sisters, one three years of age and the other nine years old. The job I got (my first) was in the offices of a butcher’s shop in Donore Avenue keeping accounts.
Whilst I had not got a lot to do but sit in my cubby hole, I learned a lot about cuts of meat and joints etc., but not much else. I was bored!
At that time, 1942 due to the war, there was daylight saving and the clocks didn’t go back in the winter. Consequently it was dark in the mornings when I went to work at 9 a.m.
Looking out from my cubby hole I used to observe every morning groups of men walking up the other side of the street, which was unlit. There was a blackout in force also then. These men were carrying white boxes on their shoulders and would take turns carrying the boxes.
Curiosity got the better of me and I asked the butcher what were they doing with the boxes. “Do you mean to tell me you don’t know what’s in the boxes” he said incredulously. No I said. “They are dead babies and young children from the tenements in Marrowbone Lane and Meath Street and Marshals Barracks’’ The men went early while it was still dark out of shames sake. There was, no pasturised milk, they shared common facilities in the yard. Mostly the babies died from gastro enteritis, and the Mothers were ill nourished as well, Father’s unemployed.
T.B. at that time was ripe and at epidemic proportions. Whole families were wiped out by this disease.
Upon mentioning this tale to my son who was born in the 60’s, he refused point blank to believe it, brought up as he was with all mod cons in the home, car in the drive, colour T.V. etc. He just could not accept that such poverty existed, and insisted that it was all a figment of my imagination.
This was holy Ireland in 1942, whilst elsewhere in Europe, Dachau for instance, a somewhat similar fate was happening to Mothers and children.
What’s the difference you may ask? Man’s inhumanity to man in both places.

Poverty such as this hardly exists today although the Vincent de Paul Society will tell you otherwise. I find it hard to believe with all the social welfare allowances going these days, but I suppose as Jesus Christ said “The poor we will always have with us”, or can we try at least to make poverty history as Sir Bob Geldof and Bono wishes. I sincerely hope so.

First Post

Welcome to my/our Blog. The wonders of the Maguire World will be revealed. The Facinating and the Hundrum will both be featured. Some of my Grandfathers funny stories and a potted history of the Maguires of Kilkenny. Also various contributions from other family members and holiday tips for those who wish to avail of my usefull and sometimes useless advice.