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Friday, May 08, 2009

Who?



Don't recall ever meeting any of these ladies.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

top photo are Annie and Rosie Kinsley Fr James two sisters. Annie on left and Rosie on right. Bottom one is Molly, their mother and Granda Waddell'sister. Dont you think she looks like him.
Annie Died before Fr James, dont remember exactly what year. Rosie dont know about, She was still alive after my mam died but seemed to be getting forgetful. Queen Eileen and Phyllis are searching for Joe Aherne , Rosie's only son to catch up on what has become of her. The photo was taken at the door of their flat in Mercer House where they lived all their lives. When Rosie married Tom Aherne she lived in Cuffe St but left Joe with Her mother Molly and unmarried sister Annie. He was reared by Annie. After Tom died (many years after an accident which left him in constant pain and discomfort) Rosie moved back to Mercer House. Joe married (cant remember her name ) and had some children (memory again). He worked in Dunnes Stores for some time and lived in Tallaght, I think, but have lost contact there.

Anonymous said...

Have come back to this because on reading back what i have written I might have given the impression that Rosie Kinsley abandoned Joe to her sister. This was far from the case. Rosie and Tom lived in one room in Cuffe St ( this was late 40's/early 50's when things were bad in Ireland) so Joe had a better quality of life in Mercer House. Rosie was very much involved in his life and he really had two mothers. Both of them idolised Joe. Annie was so gentle and Joe and Fr james were her entire life. She was housebound for many years. Fr James visited very often and Annie laid out the china cup and set the table for him. he was always Fr James to her even tho he was her brother. May both of them rest in Peace. Wish I knew about Rosie, come on Phyllis any result of your search??

Unknown said...

I can see the resemblance in Father James' sisters.

Dor said...

Rosie was always very funny, very like Pat and quite a talker. Our Mam used to have a tape recording of an interview she on the street with some radio interviewer. Do you know if it's still around Rita. Would love to listen to it again.

Eileen said...

These are fab pics...I got a start alright when I saw second pic...Waddell resemblence there alright!! Interesting account Rita....I think when Audrey worked in Wexford St she saw Rosie a few times...I may have wrong person..but she definitely used to see one of these ladies

Therese said...

Joe and I knew each other fairly well, he was a year or 2 younger than me. It was Rosie "Rosanna" that Audrey met. Rosie used to do some cleaning and she always referred to it as going to "business". They were really quite funny and good humoured

Heather said...

I remember seeing the bottom picture before. Not sure where.

Evelyn said...

I remember visiting them a few times in their flat in Mercer House. Molly was always in bed, and Annie looked after her with great devotion. It was a lovely home to visit and we always went there with the "begging bag" on our first communion and confirmation days.

Evelyn said...

me again. Notice in the lower picture that somebody is kneeling behind Molly holding her up. They must have taken her out of the bed and carried or dragged her to the door where the light was better for the photograph.

Anonymous said...

its Rosie Evelyn who is kneeling behind . you can see her dress. had not noticed that bit before. Doubt if Annie would have been able to get up from her knees as she had such leg and foot problems.

phyllis said...

Molly is so like Grandad Waddell its uncanny, i went to see Molly Annie and Rosie when i was about 10/11 years old i took our Anne with me, i had found out where they lived from my mam and been me and a very inquisitive
me and very curious about my Mothers side of the family. (we already knew the Walsh side of the family but no one from the Waddell side only mams sisters and brother) so i decided it was time to meet them and see what they looked like,
i found the flat alright the number 55 bus left you right there. Annie opened the door she was a very Pretty women and spoke very sofly,
i told her i was Eileen's daughter and it took her a while to gather her thoughts and realize it was Eileen Waddell i were talking about,
she was so nice, she smiled and took us inside, she took us in to see Molly who was bedridden (i had never heard that expression before)and i don't have to tell you i was really curious to see what that meant, i was only 10/11 years old remember!!
Annie told Molly who we were and she was talking to us while we stood at the end of the bed. Annie insisted that we wait until Rosie came home so she could see us, Rosie was the opposite to Annie, the whole place was alive when she came in
she was so funny.
I could not wait to go home and tell my Mother where we had been......she kept me in for a few week after that!!!! I never met them again.

grahamer said...

this is what i love about this blog,the old photos and then all the story's behind them..

Anne said...

I remember that Phylis! WHile I was reading the first comments memories were stirring, and I was thinking I was there and met these women. I remember Molly, she was, to me anyway, very old and in a bed with a shawl around her shoulders, I remember the two other ladies alright, and going to the flat, was it a few stories up? in a very old part of Dublin. Was Joe there that day? I seem to remember a young boy...

phyllis said...

I was wondering if you would remember that Anne.......yes he was there, he would have been about 7 or so.....do you remember me saying "hello, we're Eileen's daughters"when i think back, poor Annie didn't know us from madam.
funny tho.

phyllis said...

Second floor.

Anne said...

Imagine we were only children and we went into town on our own! DId we get the bus or what? all these adventures in innocent times, I remember we used to to the baths in Patrick street on a regular basis with our friends, imagine that happening now! Beginning to sound so old now...

phyllis said...

We got the 55 bus in the Crumlin village to Anguier st and walk down the lane to Mercer st..see how i remember that as if it were yesterday.

Therese said...

They were on the 1st floor, two flights of stairs and Annie kept the stairs scrubbed because priests James knew called fairly often. Molly kept her purse in the bed with her, Rosie used to say she had a hollow in her back for it, occasionally she would give me half a crown and it would be warm. I wondered how she seemed to have so much money

gillian said...

This is what i REALLT love about the BLOG,THE STORYS THE THINKING,AND ALL THE SO SO PRECIOUS MEMORIES..

Dor said...

Your story is great Phyllis and amazing that you were so interested in older family members at that age. I remember that Rosie used to take care of the altar at Whitefriar's church (would that be the right church Rita). She talked about that in the interview I mentioned before. Apparently some journalist was walking around Dublin looking for "input", well he chanced upon Rosie and got a whole outpouring of input about Dublin and the area and Whitefriars church. It was aired on Radio Eireann. As far as I can remember, he was so enthralled with Rosie that he wanted to do a whole series. Wish I knew where that tape ended up that Mam had.

Dor said...

Talking about purses, I remember another old "lady" who always wore "the black shawl" - some Granny or other. I think she was our Nanna's mother (must have been great Granny McGuire)(do you know her name Evelyn), but as far as I can remember she outlived Nanna. I don't think I was ever in her house, but she did comes to ours now and then. Apparently she had quite a few years on her back and I remember hearing that while she was dying she was searching for her purse in the bed and after she died they found stashes of rolls of notes hidden in different places. I remember Pat telling us that she had a big wardrobe full of fancy shoes and beautiful coats, but she always wore the black traditional shawl. Now Pat was inclined to "embellish" a little, so that could have been significantly exaggerated. There was also another old lady called "Annie" who was related to Mam in some way. I remember that Mam was very fond of her. She had a hearing aid (quite a big thing that she kept under her jersey) and every now and then it would slip down and she'd be really embarrassed. She had a husband, but I cannot remember his name.

Dor said...

Sorry for inundating, but things are coming back and I would love to know who some of these people are. I remember that "Annie" brought a young boy with her once. He must have had diabetes, because she was watching what he was eating and drinking and he had to mix lemonade (it was Christmas time)with water because he wasn't allowed to have sugar.

Unknown said...

This question of finding money reminds me of Aunt Molly. When she died Dad went up to her flat to tidy up and clean things out. He found money everywhere; in drawers, under the matress, in the kitchen etc etc. I don't remember where she lived but it looks like the same type of building the two ladies in the photo are at.
I don't know who remembers aunt Molly. She was a spinster who would stay up 'til 3 am and definitely had her own way about her. She was very kind but not in a way Granny Walsh was, she was a lot more reserved. She eventually got alzheimers. This was long, long before alzheimers was ever a word in our everyday vocabulary.
I was only about 7 or so and she used to embarass me with her questions. I remember the incidents to this day. My little childs mind could not figure out what was happening to Aunt Molly. I was her favorite and now she didn't know who I was or she would tell me off for no reason or she would take something I said completey out of context and make me feel like an idiot. It made a great impression on my young mind and I have never forgotten it.
Another point I would like to make is that this is a great way for the younger generation to find out the rich history of their own family but it is also a great way for the older generation be in touch with each other.
One person I would like to hear more about and see more photos of is Cecil. He was always the perfect gentleman and always had a smile and a hello for us children. He was a very charming man and although he was quiet the room would light up for me when he came in or was present. I really liked him but unfortunately never really got to know him. I remember him mostly as a child and didn't get to see him a lot but I was always glad to see him.

Evelyn said...

Dor
The old lady in the black shawl was Bridget Waddell's mother Catherine (Fitzsimons) Maguire. She was married to Joe Maguire and I have searched without success for their marriage record. I don't remember her ever coming to our house. The only time I remember seeing her was at the funeral of her daughter Bridget, our grandmother. I was about 11 years old.
The boy with the diabetes was no relation. I remember feeling sorry for him that Christmas when he was not allowed to eat anything sweet. I think he was the son of a colleague of Dad.
Wow. We are all running down memory lane.

Therese said...

The memory cogs are certainly turning today. I think the Annie you were thinking of Dor was Married to our uncle Dick,dads brother I remember going to visit her and she was deaf. Yes Jim Cecil was quiet and shy and very very talented.

Dor said...

Yes, Cecil could repair anything. I could do with someone that talented around here today. I thought that the boy with diabetes came to our house with Annie, but maybe I'm wrong in view of the fact that I'm younger than you Evelyn and shouldn't be able to remember that much. Mam seemed so fond of Annie that I was sure she had to be a Waddell.

phyllis said...

Cecil always had a smile for you and quite talkative, he seem to like our Paul, the last time i seen him was in your house in Parmerstown and got on very well with Paul, My mother always has nice things to say about Cecil he was the one that stood up for her in work and at home in Monsterboice road when her mother took her out of work to look after her siblings, he was like the big brother she didn't have.
Aunt Molly was granny walshes sister and lived with them on kildare road, when they built the flats on Galtymore road Molly was allotted one on the ground floor, Jim and i went to see her there we were only in our early teens at the time, not long after that we heard she was found by the police in her nightdress in the middle of the night going to mass, she went into a home where she spent the last of her life...sad.
Getting back to the Waddell,s i heard it through the grape vine that Mams uncle Jack (Mams Mothers brother) lived in Drimagh, i had heard so much about uncle Jack i thought it was time to put a face to this person so i rambled off to where he lived and knocked on the door, of course they brought me in and set me down gave me a cup of tea, His wife was there but i didn't get to meet uncle jack, met his son Joe and his child.
I think maybe i was a little bit obsessed at meeting members of my mothers family...

Unknown said...

When did you go there. Was it a long time ago?

phyllis said...

A long long time ago, maybe when i was 15/16 or maybe even younger.

Dor said...

So Eileen was also taken out of school to look after the siblings. My mother often complained that that had happened to her. We talk about the good old days, but....!!!!! The name uncle Jack vaguely rings a bell, but I don't think I ever met him. What a shame that he lived right there in Drimnagh and most of us were unaware of the fact. Evelyn's genealogical research will be an invaluable gift to the younger members of the clan. You younger members pay heed to me now! Don't wait until it's too late to try and gather information. Why did we not talk to Granna about these things when we had the opportunity and why didn't we try to get to know Uncle Jack. You are to be commended Phyllis! I suppose the answer is that we were just too busy trying to get by!

Dor said...

For the Dowling clan. We should gather and combine our pictures of Peggy and Cecil and make similar videos. Who is most talented?

Unknown said...

That would be a treat for all of us Dor.
I think I have told the following story a million times but here it goes again in response to your comment about not taking the opportunity to see grandparents, uncles and aunts and even siblings.
When I was about 26 I came back for a visit to Dublin from wherever I was living at the time. Mam kept telling me to go see Granda Waddell. Well, I was just too busy to make the trip up to see him. I had plenty of time to go to Bewleys café, to Grafton Street to shop and to be the man about town: but really not enough time to see Granda Waddell.
When it came time to leave I went back to where I was living. I didn’t make it up to Monasterboice Road.
A few weeks or months later I got the news that Granda Waddell had died.
It was a life lesson to be passed on.

phyllis said...

Thank's Dor. That puts a new meaning on things, as i was telling my story i was starting to think i might have been a bit on the mad side!!!!! But it really meant a lot to me to see these people, see what they looked like and the lives they had.
I have to tell you when i went to see Molly, Annie and Rosie it was the first time i had ever been in a flat in my life, it made such an impression on me because it was so spotless and peaceful, it was my dream to live in a flat when i grew up and got married.