In Olden Times
My Grandad

My  grandad is Tim Gonoude. He was  born  in 1910, in  Hollim's  Hill. He  had  three  brothers, Joe, Jim, and  John  and  four  sisters; Molly, Sister  Cormac, Bridie and Kathleen. They  have  all  passed  away  except  Bridie. My grandad was a farmer and so are his sons. Farming  runs in  our  family.
When  grandad  was  young  he won  a  medal  for  Gortnamona  school  for hurling. He  was  in  the   old  Gortnamona school.  He  used  to   get  slapped  by the teacher whenever he  did   anything wrong. There  was  only one  teacher in the school at that time .There  were  twenty  or  thirty  children in  the  school. His  favourite  sports  were  hurling  and  football. When grandad  came  home  from school  he  would  help   his  dad  on  the  farm. Grandad's   happiest  day  was  when  he  got  married  to my granny  Anne  Carroll  in Mount  Bolous  church.   My granny passed  away  in  1985.
 They  had  10  children, four  boys  and  six  girls. One  of  my  uncles ,Ambrose,  has  been  looking  for  grandads  brother Jim  over  in  Australia.He  went out  there  43 years  ago  and  nobody  has seen  him  since  that Grandad  has  20  grandchildren  .He  has a   new  granchild , born in Australia , who has been named Timothy after him. .
Grandad still  works  on  the  farm even though he is ninety one years old. .He  goes  out  and  fills  turf, puts  on the  fires  and  when Igo  up  to  his  house he  always  gives  me   money
He  the  best  grandad  anybody  could  have.

                                                                     Ciara Gonoude.

  
My grandad is Joe Leonard.
He was born on the 24th.September 1924
He  was  born  in  Bunnakeeran where  his  parents  lived.
He  had  one  brothers  and  two  sisters.
He  went  to  Coolanarney  School.
His  teachers  were  Miss  Monaghan  and  Miss  Carroll.
One  of  his  childhood  memories  was  going  to  the  local  orchard  on his  way  home  from  school  and  getting  apples.
When  he  was  ten  years  old  a  new  master  came  to  the  school  in  place  of  Miss  Monaghan.
His  name  was  Master  Garvey.
Grandad played  football   and  hurling.
 He  worked  on  the  farm  with  his  mother,  father  and sisters
He  sowed  beet , corn ,turnips and  potatoes. 
He  milked  cows  by  hand  and  thrashed  corn  with  a  thrashing  mill.
He  cut  turf  with  a  slean and  saved the  turf  by  hand.
He  ploughed  with  horses.
His  brother  went  to  England  to  work.
He  married    my  granny  who  was Lily  Dunne.
He said this was  the  happiest  day  of  his  life.
They  had  eleven  children  in  family.
They had  six  boys  and  five  girls.
He  enjoyed  working on  the  farm  and  bringing  the  children  to  the  football  and  hurling  matches.
He  then  went  to  work  in  Bord  Na  Mona  from  which  he  has  since  retired.
Now  he  enjoys  working  in  his  vegetable  garden  and  glasshouse.
He  also  enjoys  bringing  his  grand children  to  matches. 
He is  a  special  grandad   to  me  because  he  gives  me  a  pound ever  Saturday  and  I  like to  help  him when  ever  I  can.
 

                                                               Fergal Leonard.


My  Granny.
My Granny is Maureen O'Rourke.
She  was born  the  18th  of  March 1928  in  her home place of  Kilcappa   in Cloneygowan.
She had five brothers and two sisters. 
Her brothers and  sisters were Shem, Christy, Jack, Gus, Christine, Dorrie and Joe.
 She remembers playing marbles and bogies and working on the bog when she was a little girl.
She married my grandad Pat O'Rourke and she went to live in Killeigh. 
They has six children; five daughters and one son.
Granny's mother came to live with her and we always called her Mother.
She only died two years ago on  25th of  December 1999.
She was 102 years old.
I hope my granny lives as long as she is so kind to us all.
 

                    Keith Boland.

                                  In Granny's Time
 

My Nana is Kathleen Doolan. She was born in Roscommon. Her birthday is on the 23rd of December. Nana's earliest memory is of walking 3 miles on bad roads to get to school before 9.30a.m. They used to walk in a group of eight or ten. Her first teacher was Mrs. Kilroy and on her first day in school she was taken on a horse and cart. Nana loved playing hopscotch and skipping. 
After school Nana had work to do. She helped on the farm. She brought in cattle and sheep. She also picked turnips. Her happiest childhood memory was her First Communion Day in Athlone.  After Mass they were brought to Gray's shop for tea, buns and biscuits. 
Nana did lots of bold things when she was young. She robbed plumbs and damsons from a neighbour's garden. She made a hole in a ditch to get the fruit but one  day  she was punished for her boldness. In the orchard a bull was grazing. As she was picking plums a dog attacked her. She was given out to because her clothes were torn. 
There was no electricity in her house when she was young, but they used paraffin lamps. Electricity came in 1950. In her family she had 7 brothers and 4 sisters. They had two sets of twins. One of her sisters died from pneumonia follwing measles. All her family were in hospital with diptheria.
Nana married Bill Doolan in Curraghboy on the 28th of April 1948. They went to Dublin on their honeymoon. Nana has been kind to anybody in need and she is the best Nana in the world.
 

         Thomas Doolan
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