Remembering Mick Shannon

Son of James and Roseanna, brother of Dan and Dominic, Mick Shannon died on 11th February 1975 and was laid to rest beside his parents in a grave just inside the entrance to St. John's Cemetery. I dont know how old he was at the time of his death nor am I aware if he had any other brothers or sisters. He was probably in his early seventies.

As a child the first thing I noticed about Mick was his two missing fingers which he lost in an accident during his army days. By the time I became acquainted with him he had overcome his disability to such an extent that , to appearances at least , it was scarcely a handicap to him anymore.

Back in the early 'fifties rabbits were plentiful and formed an important part of most families' diet. As a catcher of rabbits there was no better man than Mick. He laid his snares and traps with great care knowing from the rabbits' tracks the right spot to lay his trap or place his snare. As he did so he explained to us children what he was doing and why. Unfortunately, Mick's efforts sometimes came to nought thanks to one of our dogs who helped himself to Mick's catch. While rabbits undoubtedly caused havoc to crops and gardens their disappearance following the introduction of myxomatosis to Ireland was a great loss to such as Mick.

Rabbit catching was not Mick's only claim to fame. In fact Mick could successfully turn his hands to most things. Over the years he helped my father and others with haymaking , fencing , cattle herding and garden maintenance. Although like most of his generation he probably left school at an early age , it is clear from Mick's approach to his work that he was both an intelligent and conscientious workman.

Mick was held in high esteem by Monsignor Maurice Browne who enjoyed chatting to him. When the occasion demanded Mick could be relied on to do a spot of step dancing. He enjoyed his pint in Greg Byrne's Pub, his woodbines and the odd bet - "Loppylugs" was the name of one of his favourite horses. He talked too about petitioning the queen - why or what about I cannot recall at this point in time.

In his later years Mick lived with his mother in the end house next to Mrs. Dennison's bungalow beside the Liffey bridge. In addition to May and Christy Dennison and their family , his neighbours included Jack , Sarah and Sadie Dwyer , Tommy Devoy, Kate , Nellie and Mike O'Loughlin , Jim Dolan , Bernard and Mary Purcell and Sam , Esther and Bobbie Grattan. While on the opposite side of the street his neighbours were Johnny Freeman and his sister Cathy Spenser , Dinny Lynch , Tom and Joe Dolan , John Browne , Isaac Dolan , the Connollys , Mary Price , Garda Tom and Mary Carroll. After his mother's death Mick continued to live beside the Dennisons until his own death.

Mick was given to telling tales about eerie experiences which befell him at such locations as the Garrison Hill and the Kimmeens. My brother Paddy was a keen listener to Mick's tales and the two of them became friends. When Paddy died on 21 February 1963 while still in his teens Mick was so upset by the death of his young friend that he could not bring himself to help with digging Paddy's grave even though Mick was the main local grave digger at the time.

As already stated Mick lived with his mother and it was his proud boast that his mother was a beautiful woman in her youth - a boast which I have no doubt was well founded judging by how well she looked in her declining years. As Mick took a break from his chores and my mother went about her household tasks he showed his sympathy for her by declaring in a knowing way that " you need not tell me anything about housework ".

Having moved away from Ballymore I was sorry to learn that Mick suffered a stroke from which he made a fairly good recovery and could again be seen making his way across the bridge with his usual bundle of firewood. Mick lived his life against the backdrop of two World Wars, "The Troubles", the Civil War and the Economic War. These were hard times to be living in and were the lot of Mick and most of his fellow countrymen. While electricity , central heating , radio and television had become part of Irish life for a decade or more before Mick's death these were comforts which Mick himself never enjoyed.

Matt Purcell (1997)