8th February, 2001
I usually write my Seen, Read and Heard on a
Tuesday night. Firstly at 7.30pm up to the snooker hall with my
friends Michael, John and Jim for doubles. I find snooker so
relaxing, one can forget the troubles of one’s life for two
and a half hours. Then back home for about 10.15pm, wait until
everyone goes to bed and then I start writing about midnight ,
finishing at around 2am, I’m a night owl. However, I didn’t
write anything last night (Tuesday) because a bluegrass band came
to town, a four piece group from America called “New
Consensus” were playing in the folk venue ‘The Meeting
Place’ in Midleton. When bluegrass comes to town, snooker
takes second place. I rang my friend and music lover Tom Maher
and we collected another bluegrass fan in Midleton, my son
Michael. What a night!! No backing tracks, no miming, no pretty
faces, just the best singers, musicians one could hope to hear.
Their harmony was awesome. They played a bluegrass version of
Irving Berlin’s “Blueskies”, which was
unbelievable. Some Irish tunes in bluegrass style and all for the
cover charge of, wait for it, £4!!! Well done to the live music
venues in Cork.
Last Friday night I attended a retirement party in the Garda
training college in Templemore for my friend of 28 years, John
Dwyer. In 1972 I ran a takeaway in St. Luke’s. One night,
just after closing, there was a tap on the window, outside were
two gardai. I opened up and let them in, one was John Dwyer, the
other was John O’Brien (R.I.P.). At the time I didn’t
have a car, but John O’Brien had a Fiat 600 (a small car).
The lads dropped me home to Mayfield (where I lived at the time).
At that time there was a Garda station in St. Luke’s (it’s
gone now), and for the next couple of years I got to know almost
all the lads stationed there. John Dwyer, John O’Brien, Pat
Kenny, Christy McLaughlin, Mattie McGrath, Sylvie Murphy. The
sergeant was an old neighbour of mine from Blackrock Road, Paddy
Hynes, later to become the sergeant in Douglas.
John’s first station in Cork was Watercourse Road, then St.
Luke’s, followed by McCurtain Street, then up to Portlaoise.
We kept in touch down through the years, our holidays were spent
in Castlegregory, Co. Kerry, all night sessions with Irish
coffees, talking and listening to our great passion, music.
A few years ago John became a member of the ‘Pulse’
squad, sent around Ireland to train Gardai in the use of
computers, and I’m sure he made a lot more friends on his
visit to Cork City and County. I only learnt on Friday that John
was voted ‘Man of the Year’ in Laois in 1993 for his
involvement in the “Talking Newspaper”, a great social
concept for people who are visually impaired. John was one of the
founding members, they read the local news from the papers onto a
cassette tape, then deliver or send it to the visually impaired (usually
the elderly). The excellent service has gone from strength to
strength and other counties have followed. I almost forgot, there
were two Dwyer’s stationed in St. Luke’s at that time,
John and Sean (a member of the great Garda quiz team of the 70’s
and 80’s in Cork). John’s nickname was “Brother”,
so if any of his old friends want to send a message, send it to
him c/o Garda College, Templemore, Co. Tipperary. Enjoy the
retirement John, and thanks for introducing me to the music of
Harry Chapin, who I saw live in Connelly Hall one wet Sunday
night about nine months before he died in a car crash. Thanks for
the friendship John.
By now most of you will have heard that one of the oldest
residents of Douglas West, Nina Kelly, passed away last Friday.
Almost every Friday night in the Douglas GAA club Nina would sit
with her family and friends in the same seats (as we do in our
corner). Nina always had a smile for everybody, she was a very
glamourous lady, always beautifully dressed. I can still see her
now, the blue dress, the silver hair and the smile. Nina was also
known for her singing, especially the Jimmy Kennedy classic
“South of the Border”, and Brendan Heffernan told me
that she was singing “Do you want your old lobby washed down”,
before Brendan Shine got hold of it. I spoke to Frank Downey on
Monday night and we talked about Nina. Frank told me that she
sung in the church choir many years ago. The huge crowd that
turned out for Nina’s funeral on Monday night was testament
to how much she was loved by all who knew her. With the passing
of Nina last Friday I believe also that a piece of Douglas West
history also died. My sympathy to all her family from all at the
‘Weekly. R.I.P.
Bye for now,
Michael O’Hanlon.
