Above Carrolls was a wall, separating them from Toners, who shared their home with the McKigneys. The mother of Dominican Fr Tumilty was May McKigney, while Paddy married Phil O�Hanlon from Boat Street. Her sister Jean wed TV engineer, Tommy Teggart.

�My granny Gribben and her family lived at No 13, - my mother being the eldest, then Kathleen, Lydia, Willie Joe, Chrissie and Patsy. Unofficial midwife for the area, washing the dead was another of my granny�s tasks. Next door lived the unfortunate Frank McElroy, a bachelor and carpenter, who made coffins for A and E Byrne, undertakers. His abode caught fire and, despite the efforts of Willie Gribben, he died of smoke inhalation.

Next door resided Ownie and Lizzie McKevitt, along with my boyhood pal, Genie, and John, Marie, Willie, Noel, Tony, Gerald, Bridie and a sister who died young, I think that Brian was born in Mary Street.

�Past an old ruin lived the Keenans, - Mary Ellen, Maggie, Tilly, and Patrick (Tubs). This was one of the houses with a well in the back-yard, of which everyone availed in summer. Brendan Mackin�s parents lived next door, - decent people, as was his sister, Sadie, who married Mickey Turley from Church Street. Brendan wed a sister of the famous Jackie Hearst.

�Then we had the McDonalds, Charlie, a docker and his two sisters, who were cousins of Minnie Smith from the Tan Open. McElroy�s sweetie shop was at the end of the row, where we got gobstoppers, liquorice, caramel and toffee.

On the far side from Quay Street were Campbells, - Paddy and his wife, Mary Harte. They had two entrances, one on the street, and the other down Granny Hughes� entry.

Rita Campbell married Terry Quinn, while Kathleen wed Con Hughes. Granny Hughes lived with her sister, Mary Catherine, along with her sons John and Brian. Everyone was made at home.

�The late Fr PJ O�Hanlon lived next door with his parents, Annie and John, also Grannie O�Hanlon, Anne (RIP), Sean and Linda. PJ and I swapped comics every week. Mary Ellen and Maxie McAllister lived next door. Their daughter, Mary married a lad called Lennon.

Down the next entry lived the McCann and Cunningham families (Muskies). Sue�s husband was killed in the Crumlin Harvest crash; PJ was the eldest, then Seanie, Brendan and `big Willie`. An only sister, Maura, died young.

�Bartley and Hilda Feenan lived across the way. There were two sons, Joe, who joined the Royal Navy, and John went to England. Hilda lived for her greyhounds. Biddy Thornton, who would hang over her half-door, was next. Her son went to England, but returned with his two sons on visits. Biddy lived to a ripe old age. The Tomans were next in order, - Jim, Mary and John, who worked in Hales� public house.

�John and Eileen Coulter lived at No 12. Pat, the eldest, was a fair footballer; then Sean and Frankie. The father worked for a firm that recovered dead animals; and often we would climb on the back of the lorry to view the carcases. Eileen died at an early age. Those next door were called Ball, - the father, Edmund, coming from England and marrying a local girl. Two daughters, Bridie and Margo, with son Paddy made up a family.

�Last in the row lived Maria Doran and her daughter, Susie, who wed Billy Tumilty. Their daughter, Mary was killed by a lorry outside the front door. Maria�s husband had died tragically in 1906, while hauling granite to Newry Cathedral. . Three of her sons were killed in the First World War. A daughter, Maggie lived in the town, as did her son, Michael, a market-trader while another son, James lived to a ripe old age, dying in London.

Tom McKeown concluded with Custom House Avenue or Tan Open, where he was born and reared. �It was in No 5 that I first saw the light of day. We shared a yard with Jamesie Duffy and Dolly (nee Kearns). Their son Pat (Sock) was born, then my sisters, Maeve, Carmel and Anne. We shared the yard, box-toilet and water tap. Those were happy days. Then Dolly died at 24, Pat went to live with his granny Kearns, and Jamesie went back to sea. He married a nice woman from Gilford, and they had a daughter, Imelda.

�Dessie Keenan, who married Anne Turley, moved into No 6 and reared Kathleen and Rosina there. Next to Paddy Rice�s lived Mr and Mrs McBride and their son, Kevin, who married a Miss Fee, and reared a family in O�Neill Avenue. Kevin is remembered as a Forester. Michael and Brigid Turley were next, and had three children, Michael and Rita, who died young, while Harry lives in Blackpool.

�The Tan Yard separated the Turleys from the Carrs. Luke and Brigid Carr had sons Pat, Jimmy (RIP), John, Davey, (RIP), Noel, Luke (RIP) and Willie, as well as daughters, Mrs Lily Meehan and Mrs Marguerite Burns. Neighbours like these, you could not ask for anything better!

�And the Smiths lived at No 4, - Minnie, Charlie, John, Kate, and Brigid. No matter what time Minnie sent you for a message, she rewarded you with a hot spud and a clump of butter. Finally, Annabella Kearns was a spinster, who must have read every book ever written. Her half-door was seldom closed, and she always wore her reading glasses up on her head.

�Those were my first neighbours, and will always be fondly remembered,� stated that esteemed entrepreneur and sportsman, Tom McKeown, who now resides at Chapel Road, with a panoramic view of the Clanrye valley, after which his printing firm was named.

< Previous Page