Jimmy McCarthy

Interview by Jackie Elger on August 13, 2011

Gender: Male

Birth date: 1919

Area: West Clare - Ballynacally

Parish: Kilchreest - Cloonfurrihis

Report date: September 19, 2015

Time	Description
File 1 0:00:00 - 0:03:59	SCHOOL DAYS - Jimmy was born in Clonfurish, Ballynacally on 13th August 1919. He went to Ballynacally N.S. This was a two storey school. He stayed at school until he was 15.
0:04:00 - 0:07:46, File 2 0:00:00 - 0:05:00, File 3 0:00:00 - 0:15:26,	GAA - Micko Griffin and Martin Daly registered Ballynacally as a new GAA club. Jimmy played hurling and then football for Ballynacally. The name of the club was then changed to Ballycorick. In 1942 Ballycorick won the Junior A championship defeating Carrigoholt. He names all the players on the team that day. 3 of his brothers, Flan, George & Frank played with him on the team. Some of the players came from the Fergus islands. He recalls other matches that he played in the '40s. In 1944 the best players from the area were picked to form Coolmeen Utd. They usually travelled to the matches by bicycle except for one occasion when they got a bus to Cusack Park in Ennis. He played with Coolmeen Utd when they won the Cusack Cup. Jimmy says there were four hackneys in Kildysart. They were employed by Mrs Miniter. His brother Flan also played hurling with Clarecastle Senior team.
0:15:27 - 0:18:21	EMPLOYMENT - Jimmy started working at sixteen on the farm of Martin Talty, Clonakilla. He worked with him for nine years. He says that there were 12 fairs in Kildysart and he remembers that in the late '30s it was hard to sell cattle. He speaks of de Valera and that he went to some of his speeches.
0:18:22 - 0:23:03	WAR OF INDEPENDENCE / BLACK & TANS - Jimmy remembers an incident where the Black & Tans pulled an old woman out of a local house (Mac Namara's) and burnt the house. They were looking for two of her sons, Jim & Francie. He also recalls hearing of an incident near Doonbeg where the Tans pulled two men along behind their lorries. He says there was a song about it. He speaks briefly about the Civil War.
0:23:04 - 0:34:05	GOING ON CUAIRD - Jimmy speaks about going on 'cuaird'. His mother Margaret Brown played the concertina. He also talks about gambling dances. Jimmy recites 'An Droimeann Donn DÃlis'. He never saw the benefits of learning Irish. His father often used Irish words He sings 'She Lived Beside the Anner' and gives the background to the song.
0:34:06 - 0:37:46	EMIGRATION / TRAVEL - Jimmy speaks briefly of the 'Americian wake'. He recalls the flying boats at Rhianna and describes how they were refueled. He speaks of the coal boats coming into Kildysart. He says he often travelled to Foynes and the Fergus islands on boats called 'lighters'.
0:37:47 - 0:41:29	CHRISTMAS - Jimmy describes how bunches of rushes were placed at the door at Christmas and he also describes some of the other customs at this time. He recalls some of the presents he got.
0:41:30 - 0:43:28	FAMILY - He says that there were 11 in his family and he speaks of his sister going to nurse in Dublin. 2 of his brothers went to America.
File 4 0:00:00 - 0:17:30, File 5 0:00:00 - 0:05:07	LOCAL DEFENCE FORCE - Jimmy joined the Local Defence Force in Kildysart on 26th December 1939. He describes the training sessions. Sergeant McDonald from Wexford was the officer in command. He recalls the rifle practices they had in Lacknashannagh. He names some of the people who were in the L.D.F. He names some of the pubs in Kildysart.
0:05:08 - 0:13:05	SOCIAL ISSUES / ECONOMY - Jimmy says there was good money to be made catching rabbits during WWII. He describes some of his mother's work on the farm. He talks about de Valera's free beef scheme and the dole. He recalls the price of drink.
0:13:06 - 0:23:41	MRS CROTTY / PUBS - Jimmy remembers playing football games in Kilrush and going jnto Mrs Crotty's pub afterwards. He talks about the 'bona fide' rule - you couldn't drink in a pub outside of trading hours within 3 miles of where you spent the night. He recalls Mrs Crotty playing the concertina. Jimmy speaks of making 'poitÃn'.
0:23:42 - 0:34:34	CURES - Jimmy discusses the cures for ringworm and boils. For boils they would use the pignut plant and cobwebs were used for cuts. He speaks of a man who would say a prayer to cure shingles. He says many people died of TB. The sanatorium in Ennis was in Cahercalla.
File 6 0:00:00 - 0:02:15	HOLY WELLS - Jimmy speaks about St Martin's well in Ballynacally. He says it was supposed to cure eyes. He also speaks about Fr Moore's well in Co. Kildare.
0:02:16 - 0:07:14	LAND COMMISION FARM ALLOCATION - Jimmy left Ballynacally 18th March 1947. He says that people from the West were allocated farms in Co. Kildare by the Land Commission. Some of the old men were homesick for their own counties.
File 7 0:00:00 - 0:02:53	WAKES - Jimmy recalls going to a wake.
File 8 0:00:00 - 0:06:09	OLD WAYS - Jimmy says it was his brother Dan who would thatch their house and he describes how this was done. He talks about the uses they had for bran. He speaks of grinding mills and that there was a lime kiln / mill near Tullycrine, at O'Connors in Kildysart and at Enrights. He says that if you went into a house and they were making butter you would have to take a turn of the churn. He speaks of greetings and says a greeting in Irish.
0:06:10 - 0:12:30	LOCAL SHOPS IN BALLYNACALLY - Jimmy speaks of Micheal O'Hehir and his family. His uncle was an undertaker in Ballynacally. He describes some of the shops in Ballynacally. John Hewson's was a big shop that was originally a barracks burnt by the Tans.