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World War II in Clane

Extract from the "Know Your Clane" series.

When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, war broke out in Europe. Although in Ireland we were not directly involved, it brought many changes to our lifestyle. The first grim reminder that we had of the event was that public lighting was cut off. We were left in the dark, outside at any rate! Then, after some time, rationing was intoduced. Almost everything was rationed - tea, sugar, petrol, cigarettes, spirits. Due to a shortage of petrol, wholesale firms stopped delivering their goods, so we had to go back to the railways and the canals for our supplies. Personally, I drew porter with a pony and cart from the canal store in Sallins; tea, sugar and bacon from the railway, and flour and wheatmeal from Odlums for Mrs. Jones, (R.I.P.).

Private motorists were not allowed any petrol, but priests, doctors and hackney car men were issued with coupons and got a limited supply of petrol. Families were given ration cards for food supplies. Shopkeepers worked on some kind of quota system. I think bread and flour were not exactly rationed, but were in short supply. Tea was hardest hit, with only ½ ounce of tea per week per person. Rember the tune:

"I'm saying good-bye to them all, The long and the short and the tall, Bless DeValera, Sean McEntee, Mr. Lemass and his ½ ounce of tea".

That song was top of the pops at the time!

Cigarettes, too, were in very short supply. I remember one evening going over to the hall in College Rd. for a G.F.C. meeting. I met Bill Merriman (R.I.P.) coming down to the meeting on a bicycle. He asked me if there were any cigarettes to be got in the town. I said I thought Mrs. Reddy (R.I.P.) might have some. Bill went down and when he came back I asked him how he got on. "Well", he said "I asked her if she had any cigarettes, and she said Oh, I have some, but I don't have enough to go around for my customers, without people coming from Rathcoffey for them, but I'll give you five Woodbines anyway". Five Woodbines would not last Bill very long - I'm sure he had them smoked before the meeting was over.

With all the disadvantages of the period, some good came out of it. We were brought back to earth and had to depend, more or less, on our own resources. Farmers were required to till one third of their arable land, which was a good thing, and, as coal supplies were cut off, Bord Na Mona and the development of the bogs became a reality.

©Paddy McCormack Feb'89
Reproduced from "Le Chéile" by kind permission

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