An Interview with Kay Gallagher-Honan

Woodview, Killimer

The following is the result of an interview we conducted on a pleasant Monday evening on the 22^nd of April 2024. Kay arrived, stylish as ever, with a beautiful home made orange cake; a conversation with Kay is what we looked forward to as Kay has been with us since our establishment.

Family history

          Kay Gallagher-Honan was born in High Street Kilrush, a daughter of Michael, better known as Robinín Gallagher and Mary Doyle. She had three sisters and one brother Paddy and is the second youngest. Her sister Mary, who lives in Gloucestershire is now in her ninety first year. Her sister Carmel was killed in a car accident in Manchester when she was only 20 and a student nurse then.

          Kay gave us an ancestral account of her people. Both her parents were natives of Kilrush, her father Michael was from Ball Alley Lane; his parents Thomas Gallagher and Catherine McInerney married on the 1^st of June 1894. Thomas was a float-man in Dublin and died from a fever. Her uncle Paddy fought in Gallipoli in World War I, returned to Kilrush injured and died of T.B. at the very young age of 20 c.1915. He is buried in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Kilrush. Her father Michael followed in Paddy’s footsteps and joined the British Army at the age of 16. When he joined up in 1915 he had no political reason for joining, he thought he was going on a three month trip to see the world. Instead he ended up in the conflict of World War I. He took part in the famous Battle of the Somme in 1916 and lived to tell the tale, after the war he returned to Kilrush.

          Kay’s mother Mary Doyle was born in High Street. Her parents were Mikey Doyle and Margaret Clohessy (who had returned from America). Margaret unfortunately died at the young age of 27. Kay’s mother Mary was a great housekeeper she sewed and knitted. She was a health encyclopaedia and even delivered a number of babies. Her grandfather Michael Doyle had a wonderful market garden; he was good with his hands -he made wheels and fixed them and he also made headstones and cut stones to shape. Examples of his work are still visible in the local graveyard. The family headstone was erected in 1894 in Shanakyle. When the houses in Burton Street were being built in 1952 her uncle James Doyle made the blocks by hand, he later lived in Limerick and taught stone masonry. He was also a very good boxer.

Early Years

          Kay recalled her early years in High Street where the only children were the Hickey’s and Gallagher’s who were spoilt by their neighbours. She would visit her neighbours Tom and Katie Kelly and sit and watch the fire burning. They got spins on her grandfather’s pony and car and on “Jenkins”, their ass. Their days of leisure were filled by playing in their “toy shop” (they had made in the garden), swinging on their swing in the garden and walking their dolls in the pram made for them by Morgan McKnight. He was a master craftsman and uncle to the Roughan’s. and swinging on their swing in the garden. All happy days both in High Street and Burton Street later with her good friends Mary McDermott, Catherine Hickey, Helen Hartney and many more.

Kay recalled happy times growing up and told of times she participating in donkey races in Jack O’Dea’s field in Kilrush, spins on the hay car from Joe Torpey and attending a matinee on a Saturday (4d) at the Mars Cinema in Frances Street. She also recalled taking dancing lessons from Dan Furey on Saturdays from first class upwards and attending the Legion of Mary once a week with Maggie May. Maggie May was in charge in Considine’s Shop/Parlour. Another fun outing was when Kitty Keating/Sheehan brought them to the Pollock Holes in Kilkee for a picnic with plenty of laughs. Kay also helped sell The Irish Catholic on Saturday evenings where they went from door to door to sell them. Her first roller skates were bought at O’Sulivan’s in Moore Street, which gave plenty entertainment as did the wooden spinning top they hit with a slasher (her fathers shoe lace). They went to mass for Lent and collected and donated a penny for the “Black Babies”.

The local shops

Their shoes were always bought at McMahon’s in Frances Street. Joe Hawes was their barber, their meat was bought at Longworth’s and Burkes and if anyone complained to Mycko Burke that the meat was tough, he blamed the cook. A lot of their groceries were bought at Gretta and Jimmy Cullinan’s in Vandeleur Street and Dunleaveys, a treat at the time was a sugar cube. Madge O’Brien from the Square was the place for clothes and materials, Flynn’s of Moore Street was the place for the big ice-cream. Children shopped at ‘Teapot Carey’s’ for the Money-balls (1d) and the gobstoppers and of course the Corner House (Rita McNamara’s was the proprietor). Mrs Brassil, Hector Street made some of their clothes and dresses and her mother loved style and dressing up her daughters. Miss Brew had a restaurant in the Square and Maggie May O’Dwyer also had a shop in the Square which sold many items especially toys. Frank Devitt, Moore Street sold men’s clothes and had an off licence, Considines bakery was also popular and so was Nagles, Moore St. for the duck loaves. Howard’s pharmacy was in Moore Street where Mrs Waters of  Moore Street was the chemist.

Education and work

Kay recalled her youth stating her mam and dad were very keen on education. Kay got her early education in the Convent Primary School, taught solely by the nuns. Those were the days when school was basically no joy. If they got slapped her mother’s line was “don’t tell your father.” The reason for that was he was totally against corporal punishment. They took part in a concert for St Patrick’s Day. She was a member of the percussion band in infants. She sang in the choir and recalled how they sang at all the masses for the dead, which were always at 9.30. They sang the Missa Cantata, which was all in Latin – they may not have understood it but it was a break from class. Kay, following her Primary Cert, attended the convent Secondary School where Sr Benedict was in charge. This time she had some lay teachers which was a welcome change, Peg Nolan taught Cookery/Domestic Science and Miss Leonard (known as tweety pie) taught English. She recalled making a knickers and slip in the sewing class. She remembers one teacher who one day would say “you are a very clever girl” and the next day “nothing up there but sawdust.” She spoke kindly of Sr Joseph. There were fun days too like when they fed the mouse or placed their coats on the shelf and got reprimanded for it. They were often put standing by the wall with their backs to the class.

After secondary school Kay joined the Commercial Class and completed her shorthand, typing and bookkeeping course. From that her career followed on those lines. Her first job was in Blunnie’s Office in High Street from 1962 until 1968 where they made and sold mineral cases and pallets throughout Ireland from Waterford to Donegal. She then joined the staff of Todd’s in Limerick where her main task was doing the wages. Kay then returned to O’Doherty’s Timber Merchants in Kilrush where she then did much the same work.

Emigration

Kay then emigrated to North London, where she resided for a number of years with her Kilrush born husband Senan and her two children Rebecca and Simon. Life in London was different to life in Kilrush but as she says, “it would grow on you”. The buzz of new places to visit and meeting of new people was exciting. She went to antique fairs and the Irish Centre in Camden Town. She joined the Kilrush Association and fundraised to repatriate a local man from St Gabriel’s Irish Club.

Return home

In 1992 Kay and Senan returned to Ireland and purchased their house in Woodview at a cost of £25,000. She was happy it became home as she could look after her mother and reconnect with family and friends. She also took up employment as a secretary in Kilrush Primary School and in Bill Post in Kilrush. She now knows every GAA and soccer pitch in the county as her grandson, Ruairí Norrby, had to be ferried to soccer and Gaelic pitches for games and training for which he has excelled. His team Fairgreen Celtic are top of the league and his Gaelic team Killimer G.A.A. were County Junior A Champions in 2023.