Morrissey’s People: Waterford's Lismore Park and Lawn Ladies Club remembered
Patricia Walsh, Maidie Horan and May Jacob spoke about their childhood and their years as members of the Lismore Park and Lawn Ladies Club.
Patricia Walsh, Maidie Horan and May Jacob have been friends for over 50 years, but they have just embarked on a new era of companionship. The trio were among the first members of the Lismore Park and Lawn Ladies Club in 1968 and last month, they represented a third of the association when it was decided it would wrap up having provided women in the area with entertainment and a network of friends across the decades.
“I rang Maidie and May and the other members one night and they agreed (it was) the right thing to do,” explains Patricia, who is far from downtrodden given the many memories it gave her.
Before moving to the estate just off Paddy Brown’s Road, the three ladies each grew up in different parts of Waterford, with Patricia on the other side of the bridge in the now dormant area of Sallypark, a small community to itself and “an absolutely brilliant place to live”.
“We had three pubs, a Garda barracks, three shops and there was about 40 or 50 houses. Everybody knew everybody. When the circus would be on in Waterford all the animals came off at the goods yard as we called it, at the top of Sally Park near Newrath. Elephants and all sorts, and they walked them all the way through Sally Park. Any cattle that was being transported up to Ballybricken was the same.
“My grandmother’s door was open one day – now you’re talking about a very narrow hallway – and a bullock ran in. The men had to catch it by the tail and bring it back out the same way it went in because there was no space for it to turn.”
The local children’s playground was Waterford Golf Club and they would sometimes collect balls before selling them off for a few pence. The odd day, kids from the city, like May, would also safely traipse over from areas like Mount Sion Avenue.
“We used to give out stink about them saying ‘it’s disgraceful all the townies coming over here to play’,” Patricia laughs, before May explains how the townies would pass their days on their side of the Suir.
“I often went down [to the stream at Skibbereen] with the jam jar to catch red-gilled fish, and we didn’t have fishing rods back in them days. We would come out for the day with our bread and jam and pick blackberries. Loads of children from the area came out and we were all safe. We loved to play on the trees on Barrack Street – we’d get a big rope and swing there for the whole summer.”
If they were really lucky, they might venture out on the train to Tramore where Maidie grew up, something she admits was taken for granted given the seaside and amusements.
“We loved seeing the people come out from Waterford. The population of the town at the time was quite small – you knew every single person and they knew you. The races were a big thing at the time. We lived on the way to it and loads of people would be after coming off the train going up Train Hill and Pond Road all asking could we get them a drink of water. We were only children so we loved that. We had loads of roses and people would be pulling them off and putting them on the lapel of their jacket.”
Fr Greg Power set up the ladies club, which brought the women of the area, many of whom were from other areas of the country, together during Lismore Park’s infancy, allowing them to forge friendships, which would last to this day.
“We had no lights on the road, no church, no shops, no school, nothing – just ourselves,” Patricia says.
Their first Wednesday night meetings were in Manor St John and the three women say that it was a vital outlet to them given they had to stop working after they were married.
“Now people just haven’t got the time to know their neighbours,” Maidie explains. “Schoolyards is where a lot of us met, collecting the children. But the Wednesday nights helped us really get to know them.”
Guests ranging from doctors to cake decorators would turn up some nights, one of which inspired Maidie to channel the spirit of her father and do a bit of gardening the following week.
“I remember he came in and was telling us to aerate our gardens. You get a sprong, put it down, shake it and move it along – the grass was going to be absolutely lovely. I remember it was a lovely Monday morning, my husband was about to go to work and I said I’d do it. I put the sprong down into the ground and it got stuck. I didn’t know why and when I pulled it back up out came the water, I had gone through the water pipe! It was running down the road and everything. We had to turn off the water in a house full of children.
“When he came back from work the heavens had opened and he had to dig a hole to get down to the pipe. I was asked to please never again aerate the garden.”
Throughout the year they would enjoy trips, which could be a night at Harney’s in Dunhill or a few nights in Killarney and at home they always jumped at the chance of taking part in a celebration.
May begins: “We used to put on concert nights as well over in Belmont, the Pres, Mooncoin and St Ottoran’s. There was dancing, singing, Patricia’s brother-in-law Patsy Sheridan would help coordinate and put it together. There were sketches as well. I remember winning a fancy dress one time dressed as Adam and Eve. I’d rip up the photo if I saw it now!”
Maidie continues: “We always had sing-songs when at times like Easter, we celebrated 25th wedding anniversaries and that – we would have a party, some cake and maybe a bottle of drink. I know I got a lovely present for mine – a nice little silver tray. The final nine still carried that tradition on.”
“Was I the last to have one?” asks May.
“Yeah, I think you were,” Patricia replies, “I had one when I was 70 a few years ago.”
“I was 80 a few months ago,” states May.
“We’d put together a few pound, a cake and a card and have a great time together,” adds Maidie.
Almost 40 people turned up to the final meeting at St Paul’s Parish Centre to reminisce about the raffles, card games and novelties like expenses from an early meeting where £1.30 was collected for a present to a guest speaker. While they will no longer gather religiously on Wednesday nights, the meetings between each other will never cease.
“The best 50 years ever,” says May.
“Absolutely, a marvellous time,” adds Maidie, “we made some really great memories.”
