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MEMORIES OF CHURCHTOWN "We were happy with what we had'' Denny Egan I was born in Ballygrace. There were
eleven in our family. My late mother came from Carriganimma. She
lived to a great old age. She was one of the hardest-working people
I know. I remember when she used to milk two herds of cows morning
and evening, Lynch's and O'Briens of Mount Corbett. She picked
potatoes and bound corn. She was a great woman to walk, even late
in life. She had her own share of Irish being from that area. In my young days, my mother never stopped working. With a big family, there was a huge amount of washing. Then she had to repair clothes, knit socks and jumpers. She was able to make rugs from canvas bags. She used to design a pattern and it looked very well when it was finished. She also made several mats. It was a type of patchwork. She had that skill from her early days back west. She had a ''Singer'' sowing machine, which cost five shillings, and it made a lot of clothes. We went barefoot to school - we had very little then. We went down Dan O'Brien's field and came out at O'Conner's gate. The Stacks of Ballygrace would join us there and there were more families as well. There would be up to twenty of us at that spot all head-ing for school. When I left school, I worked around. In the evenings we used to go road bowling from Sheehan's forge to the Ball's cross. I remember my brothers John and Jerry, Jack Sulli-van, Denny Stack from Ballygrace, Joe Murphy and Tim Flynn. We all played for a few pence. On Sunday evenings the stage was going. Bob Harrington, Jack Ellard and Johnny Sullivan played there later. My late brother Bill would sing ''The Bould Thady Quill''. In my younger days, I remember cycling back to Carriganimma. I used to go for a few days holidays. I would start off at ten in the morning and arrive back at 4 o'clock and I would have a good appetite when I would arrive. In our house in Ballygrace, there
was always a crowd of people. I remember the card games. The Kearneys
used to call very often. At Christmas I went out on the 'Wren'
with John, we were young and hardy then. We walked a lot; and
we went out at night and en-joyed ourselves. At present, I am
enjoying good health. I can move around and go here and there
and that is all I want. I have no aches and pains, thank God. I was born in Ballincurry across
the way from Biddy's Tree. My late father suffered with his eyes
in his time. He went to the well and put the water in his eyes
and he got rid of the complaint. He always said there was a cure
for him from the water. Just below this house is Fitzgerald's
meadow. In that field, there is a burial ground for unbaptised
children. It is nice to have these two historic spots at my doorstep.
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