Do ye remember Jem?
1963 The year nineteen and sixty three was powerful year in Wexford. The film 'Ben Hur' was so popular that the Abbey introduced postal booking so that you could be assured of a seat. Remember those days, that was when school children were brought to such edifying spectacles as part of
their studies. Wexford Port was on its uppers because in March of that year the infamous sandbar caused the official closure of Wexford Harbour. On the streets, traffic was beginning to be a real problem. So big was the
congestion that a proposal was made that we might have to introduce one-way traffic on the Main Street. Meanwhile bingo was the opium of the people with Wednesday night sessions at Dun Mhuire costing 6/= that's 30p. for big prizes
often up to £100. Everyone recalls 1963 as the year of the Kennedy visit when we all looked for our faces on Telefis Eireann, Bealach a Seacht. Do you remember how we watched that old black and white television through specially
purchased rolls of blue cellophane? It was supposed to protect our eyesight. Some people squinted at the screen through coloured sweet wrappers and convinced themselves that they saw colour pictures. St. Patrick's Fife and Drum
Band, then truly "The Boy's Band" celebrated 70 years in existence telling us how they bought their instruments at Matty Furlongs. Cash and Carry was the wholesale buzzword in 1963 with AWL opening their warehouse at the
old Redmond Hall in Spawell Road. Another opening in that year was St. Michael's Club in Green Street that officially opened its doors on December 1st. But I suppose the biggest memory is the assassination of
Kennedy just over 40 years ago this week. Everyone is supposed to remember where he or she was and what he or she was doing. I think I was watching the series 'The Thin Man' on the telly when Charles Mitchell appeared to make the
announcement. Incidentally, Kennedy's brother in law Peter Lawford was in that show. Of course it was after the death that the whole 'beatification' began. Plastic statues of JFK appeared almost overnight. These joined a similar
caricature of Pope John XXIII on every shelf of television set in the country. Then came the dual picture of them. We marvelled at this 'Irish Catholic' president and sadly, we credited him with more than he deserved. He barely
beat Nixon for the presidency. It was his successor, Johnson, who implemented civil rights for coloured people. It was JFK who sent troops to Vietnam. It was JFK who brought us to the brink of nuclear war because America did not
like having socialists in Cuba. Let us always remember people in the best light – be they peasants or kings – but let us not paint a false picture.
Will I ever forget?
Do ye remember, Jem?
When a night out meant a trip to White's Barn. That was in the days before disco
killed the live band and we in wexford made the weekly or twice weekly pilgrimage to the local equivalent of the Knock Marriage Bureau. Back in those heady days Whites was the epitome of cool. It was also a one-stop-entertainment
shop. There was the Shelmelier Bar for the cosy drink at an open fire – it later became the library is now destined for re-furbishment. Parallel to it you could go in for dinner – not that most of us could afford it. No, we usually
repaired to Main Street door and the fantastic coffee shop. Once more the open fire was a feature with the enigmatic painting above. Did that guy have three legs? How that coffee shop survived is a mystery. It was always packed
but how we could make that coffee or coke last. Margaret must have had the patience of Job to put up with us. For the ballad lover there was The Long Room where the Aran sweater brigade could enjoy rousing folk and rebel songs.
But the main feature was The Barn. Here we danced, drank – usually coke – and eyed the members of the opposite gender. The entrance was up the corridor under a glass roof. Coats were handed in at the cloakroom where the raffle
ticket was pinned on and the other number safely stowed in an arse-pocket. Then on to the ticket office and the seven and six or later ten bob admission price was paid, under the watchful eye of the set of bouncers. Then you
entered that other world. Dark timbers, red leatherette seats and the smell of drink. But the more important sense was hearing. The air pounded to music and you could feel it vibrate in the floor as you passed the stage on your
left. You might decide to go up on the balcony above the band to get a birds eye view of the inhabitants. Arriving early you were most likely to hear The Supreme Seven, The Visitors or occasionally The Travellers. These were the
local support bands that entertained for the first two hours and we all knew most of the members from the 'day jobs'. I remember Jimmy Flynn the guitarist extraordinaire – he was from my home turf of Bishopswater and I also worked
with him for a time in Joyce's Hardware. By coincidence I also worked with vocalist Dermot Kelly in The Free Press. Other locals entertaining us included Michael Holman, Tommy Hore, Dermot Kelly, John Lappin, Michael Kelly, Don
Sadler and Pierce Turner among many others whose names will leap to the minds of anyone reading this. Then there were the national acts like Tweed and The Conquerors and of course international stars like The Move and The
Tremeloes – we were part of a great circuit back then. Dancing was always the primary activity followed by matchmaking and then drinking. Unfortunately, at times The Barn resounded to fisticuffs and sadly there was seldom a night
without a row or fight in the latter years. Now Whites is to be re-modelled. We are bound to lose some of those essentials of so many youths but will The Barn survive? I certainly hope so. Will I ever Forget?
Do you remember Jem?
When Wexford was classed as a seaport
town, situated on the west shore and in the upper part of Wexford Harbour, with a railway station 93 miles from Dublin. Among its industries were the manufacture of agricultural machinery, furniture, mineral waters and bacon
curing. (Ah the good old days). The "Wexford Free Press" and the "Wexford People" were published on Saturday and the population was 11,328. Shops closed for a halfday on Thursdays.
The members of Wexford Borough Council were: ALDERMEN COUNCILLORS The Town Clerk
and Executive Sanitary Officer was John J. Byrne and the Medical Officer of Health—Thomas E. Pierce. M.D., M.C.
Among the businesses were:
Accountants - Brandon. Ferguson
&. Co., The Bull Ring ; Deevy W. A. & Co., New Ireland Chambers, The Bull Ring and Hodnett & Co., 36 Selskar St. Pierce Philip & Co. Ltd, Mill Rd Ironworks and
Smith's (Engineering) Ltd were busy making and exporting farm machinery. You could buy your farm machinery from Bennett. A. J., Redmond Rd. and O'Connor, Denis, 5 Rowe St., Upper.
Corish Raymond E Custom House Quay And O'Brien. Thomas J. Selskar House, Selskar St. were the principal auctioneers. Clover Meats Ltd. Were in full production. Godkin & Co. (Wexford) Ltd., Main St., North,
Kavanagh, James, 22 Main St., North. You had Bank of Ireland, The Crescent , Munster &Leinster Bank Ltd., Main St., North. National
Bank Ltd., Custom House Quay, Provincial Bank of Ireland Ltd., Thomas Ashe English, John & Co. Ltd., Custom House Quay offered printing and bookbinding. Cousins Ltd., Old Pound Builders
& Contractors included Dowdall. James, King St. McCormack Bros., Custom House Quay and Wexford Timber Co. Ltd. Redmond Rd. were the builders' providers. Crescent Cabinet Co.
Ltd., operated from Church Lane and Slaney Industries Ltd. at Windmill Hills. Taxis and cabs were still only in the films but you could hire a hackney car, usually for funerals or weddings from Byrne. T. William St.,
Doran. P. William St., Hopkins. Christopher, Bishopswater, Kehoe. K., Francis St., Meyler's Car Rentals. Redmond PIace. Morris. A., Tuskar View For haulage you had Cullen, James, Ballinaglough, Barntown, Meyler, James. Selskar and O'Rourke, Mark A., 17
Swan View We were still a country town with our own cattle dealers, Doyle. Fred. Rocklands and Kirwan, James, 28 Corish Park
Regular cattle sales were held at Wexford Cattle Sales Co. Ltd., Redmond Rd. Chemists in the town were China, Glass & Earthenware Dealers
Going to the pictures meant Abbey George's St., Capitol. Main St., South or the posh sounding Wexford Palace Ltd., Harper's Lane
Imco Ltd. Cleaners and Dyers was at 30 Main St., South. Coal Importers were
Wexford Gas Consumers Co. Ltd., Trinity St. provided gas and coke. Wilsonite Concrete Product Ltd., Commercial Quay were our block makers. Confectioners
For the bag of sweets you could go to Dillon. J., Bride Place, Fox. M. 10 Main St. North, General Stores, 106 Main St., South, Granada Grill, Main St. South, Kelly, Mrs. John St
Lr, Kelly Sean, 70a Main St. South, Kinsella, Miss. John St. Upper, Murphy, 38 Main St. North, Murphy. 105 Main St. South, Murray's, 17 Selskar St, O'Byrne 45 John St., O'Connor. Elizabeth. 4 Main St. North, O'Neill.
Patrick, 79 Main St North, O'Toole, Mrs. Stonebridge, Reville, 68 Main St. North, Roche William. 68 Main St., North, Shudall's. 62 Main St., South, Star Restaurant, Whelan, P 29 Selskar St, White, A. 22 Main St. South and of course
Woolworth, F. W. & Co. Ltd., 29 Main St. South. Oh yeah Jem, the year was 1965 and we may have more next issue and more on some of the names mentioned too.