Eoin McInerney
Interview by Martin-Eoin Walsh on September 6, 2012
Gender: Male
Birth date: 1945
Area: Ennis
Report date: December 5, 2015
| Time | Description |
|---|---|
| File 1 0:00:00 - 0:01:10 | FAMILY BACKGROUND - The recording begins with Eoin explaining his parent's backgrounds. His father was from Ennistymon and his mother was from Ennis. After they married they moved to Wexford as his father was the headmaster of a vocational school located there. When Eoin was only one year old his father was killed in a domestic accident so he moved back to Ennis to live with his grandfather, T.V. Honan. His grandfather passed away in 1954. |
| 0:01:10 - 0:06:39 | SCHOOL - Eoin says he went to school in the Brothers first and then joined Flannan's as a boarder. He got a job as an air traffic controller only six months after graduating. During his time as a boarder, this was no such thing as going home at he weekends, only been allowed home for the holidays. He remembers there been approximately 250 boarders attending the school while he was there. When asked about his pass times, Eoin says that he was never a good hurler and much preferred to play tennis. Eoin remembers the Christian Brothers playing Flannon's in the final for the Harty Cup. The Brothers ended up winning this game only by a few points. Eoin recalls the fierce rivalry between the two schools as the Brothers mainly consisted of pupils from town whereas; Flannon's students came from the country. He continues to talk about the game and some of the players that played on the day. While at school, some of the subjects studied included Latin, Greek, Maths, English, History and Geography. There was more emphasis on Irish in the Brothers. Eoin attended this school in 1955-56 which was when the school was going under some reconstruction. Because of this some of the lessons where held in the hall in Chapel Lane. Eoin remembers learning the stories of Peig who was an old woman from the Blasket Islands who wrote down her life story in Irish. |
| 0:06:40 - 0:09:19 | GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE - Eoin talks about his grandfather's house which is located on the top of O' Connell Street. He says he bought the house behind it and added it on. He describes it as 'the biggest rambling house you could find'. Two dentists operated out of the structure and they were O' Dea and McTernan. There was a bar located downstairs. Eoin remembers the fair days when he was growing which would start in the Fair Green. He describes the pub as a very political pub and was the headquarters of Fianna Fáil. |
| 0:09:20 - 0:15:03 | T.V. HONAN - Eoin says his grandfather was from an area just outside Ballynacally. He mentions the two town lands of Lack and Coolsupeen. His brother, Martin Honan, was a successful business man owning a flower, baking and mill business in Ennis. He describes him as a great cyclist who would contend in races in both Ennis and Limerick. T. V.'s mother died in 1917 which resulted in the family getting separated which occurred again in 1921 after the house was blown up during the War of Independence. The house wasn't rebuilt until 1925. T.V. was in the first senate, nominated by Eamon de Valera. Eoin says that when Dev was elected, T.V. managed his vote. T V. died in the 1954 and De Valera came to Ennis to lead the procession. Eoin can vaguely remember watching the procession from the Back of Ireland. The Irish Times were present on the day taken pictures. T.V. would always keep the politics out of the house and would refuse to talk about the War of Independence. |
| 0:15:04 - 0:22:50 | THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE AND THE CIVIL WAR - Eoin can remember hear about three anti-treaty lads been executed during the Civil War. There names were O' Mahony, Shaughnessy and Quinn. He says that the War of Independence was a touchy subject that was never brought up with children. It wasn't even taught in School as some teachers still taught it to be too fresh. History books from that time would stop at 1914. The Black and Tans burned the Old Ground Hotel the same day as the Square. Also, the homes of the MacNamara's and the Considines in the Turnpike were destroyed in reprisal. According to Eoin, everyone had a good idea who was an active Republican at the time and he refers to them as 'the boys'. Eoin mentions Patrick Morrissey who was shot during the War of Independence and buried in Drumcliff. Eoin briefly talks about the Civil War and he says that some of the feelings only begin to fade away in the 1950's. |
| 0:22:51 - 0:26:04 | T.V. HONAN AND POLITICS - Eoin talks about his grandfather and his involvement in Politics. T.V. wasn't as mobile during his later years so he would only walk from the height to the Gaiety Theatre but this was enough to hear the stories from around the town. After he got a stroke he became very fond of going to the cinema and would go nearly every night. He was very friendly with the manger of the cinema, Mary Kate Boland. |
| 0:26:05 - 0:27:02 | THE HEIGHT IN ENNIS - The Height was always an important hub of activity. He talks about politicians parking a truck there so they could give their speeches. In his later years T.V. would sit at the window of his apartment which looked onto the height in order to see all this activity. |
| 0:27:03 - 0:30:13 | EAMON DE VALERA - Eoin remembers Eamon de Valera coming to visit T.V. when he was sick |
| 0.02099537037037 | T.V'S SONS - Eoin says that T.V. had two sons, Dermot, Vincent and Josh. Dermot emigrated to the States in the 1930. |