13th December, 2001
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THANKS TO THE PEOPLE OF DOUGLAS ...

Dear Mr O'Hanlon

I wish, through the medium of your widely read paper, to convey to the people of Douglas the sincere thanks of the Irish Epilepsy Association (Brainwave) for their marvellous support during our recent collection at the Shopping Centres.
I would also like to thank your good self for the publicity afforded to the cause and trust that this will continue in future years.
This year's Campaign was a great success both in Cork and nation-wide and will enable us to continue our counselling and advice service to people with epilepsy and their families who may have problems coming to terms with the condition and its implications for them, therefore Roseweek is vital to enable us to provide our much needed service.
Yours sincerely,
Anthony G, Roche
p.p. Catherine Healy
The Irish Epilepsy

LETTER FROM CAMBRIDGE ...

Hello,
I'm from Castletreasure, Douglas, and living in Cambridge, England. I went to Douglas Boys National School until my family emigrated in 1968. I never cease to be amazed at the transformation of Douglas. Of course the whole world changes, but few places have changed so completely. I was back recently with my wife, when my two sons went on a school rugby trip to Cork and Limerick. (As a child I would never have dreamed that one day I would be watching an Irish school playing an English school and that I would actually be cheering for the English team. Still, I had a vested interest). I took time out between matches to make a whistlestop tour of Douglas and Castletreasure (I must apologise to those many wonderful friends, former neighbours and acquaintances for not stopping to say hello this time).
Small world: today I had a business meeting in London. A woman there, recognising my Irish name, happened to mention that her husband was Irish. From where? "Cork". Where in Cork? "Well its a place called Donnybrook, do you know it?" She ended up phoning him and it turned out that we went to school together, though he was a couple of years older than me. Of course we had known all the same teachers (Joe Donovan, Con Foley, Miss Maura O'Driscoll, Mr O'Shea and the wonderful Mr Matty McGrath). Which
reminds me; I remember the move to 'the new school' in Douglas West. We left coal fires behind in the Carrigaline Road and stepped into the new age of central heating. It was all too much for one lad. He remarked "they'll be getting the phone in next".
Best wishes to all,
John Lenihan

REPLY TO "LACK OF PARENTAL CONTROL" ...

Dear Michael,
I am writing in response to the article based on parental control in issue 48(volume 4). As a teenager in the area, I am aware of the drinking and smoking in these areas and the lack of control parents have over their children and teenagers. In some cases it's not that parents don't have control it's simply they will not accept it's their children/teenagers that are doing this. They assume their children are just playing games and their teenagers are just "gone to Douglas".
Another thing I agree with completely would be their language. I find it very difficult to find people outside my school that speak "as Gaeilge" and no wonder, these people can barely speak English slang and their grammar?
Parents have no control over their kids and it's about time they got some!
Yours sincerely,
Aisling O'Sullivan.

SILVER KEY ...

I lived in cork for many years. I have only found this website. My family lived at the Silver Key for many years. My father and Mother named the Silver Key. My father wondered what to call the pub. He was opening the bar one day and he looked down at the keys and thought why not the Silver Key. My parents were Matthew Joseph Cleary and Kathleen Cleary, known as Matt and Kitty. They were at the Silver Key until October 1952. Many changes took place while they were there. There was a field behind the Silver Key which was used for grazing. They kept cows and hens. There was a grocery shop. The field was turned into a soccer pitch. Later it became the Ashgrove Pitch and Putt Club named by myself as I was learning to play the Ashgrove piece of music at the time on the piano. We had very happy times at the Silver Key. I attended Ardfoyle Convent School at Ballintemple. My brothers used to be altar servers at Our Lady of Lourdes Ballinlough. We moved to Carrigaline where we had the Wine Vaults public house, which used to belong to Canty's. We moved to Douglas and then to Highfield Lawn Model Farm Road and then to Rochestown. My parents had various business interests. Ballinlough and Ballintemple had many open fields and spaces. I would be grateful for any news of these places .We left Cork in 1959. I would like to receive emails from anyone who would like to correspond with me. I have just got into the St Aloysius site. What happened to Presentation College where my Brothers went to school. With all good wishes to the people of Douglas, Ballintemple, Blackrock and places I mentioned plus all Corkonians .
Theresa Salmon

JIM DEASY ... AN APPRECIATION ...

Dear Michael

Just a line to let you know. A well known, well liked and a great gardener - Jim Deasy, passed away suddenely. He was only 54 years old.
Nothing was any trouble to Jim. All the elderly people liked Jim ; he cut their hedges, and their grass etc. and vacuum it all up and take it away. He was really great and when it came to paying, Jim hated asking for money. I often heard him say to an old lady – “£3 will ye, are you happy now? I’ll keep an eye on it”
Jim was great for the crack! Every Saturday, no matter where he was, he would call to Eileen & Jean’s on The South Douglas Road, for a cup of tea and a bun, he’d say there was nothing like it. So we’d make him a ‘Sambo Jumbo’ and he’d say “ When I go home the wife Ann will have a fit if I don’t eat my dinner, I’ll tell her to ring Eileen & Jean – its their fault”
Jim never seemed to get tired. He worked very hard and he loved his work. We remember one time he told us ‘the wife’ bought a walker to keep up with him. He used to get a great kick out of saying that he was “a mighty man”. Jean would say “ Jim you’d want to take it easy” and Jim would reply “It would take a great man to put me down”.

A great gardener has gone to heaven.
Eileen & Jean

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