Smorgasbord Posts from My Archives -#Memoir #Waterford #Ireland #History – The Colour of Life – The Rosary 1955 by Geoff Cronin

My father-in-law, Geoff Cronin was a raconteur with a encyclopedic memory spanning his 93 years. He sadly died in 2017 but not before he had been persuaded to commit these memories of his childhood and young adulthood in Waterford in the 1920s to the 1940s.

The books are now out of print, but I know he would love to know that his stories are still being enjoyed, and so I am repeating the original series of his books that I posted in 2017. I hope those who have already read will enjoy again and that new readers will discover the wonderful colour of life in Ireland nearly 100 years ago.

This week is the last story in the series and next week I will begin sharing one of Geoff’s other books which I hope you will enjoy.

The Rosary 1955

On February 16th 1949 I married Joan Flanagan in St. John’s Church, Waterford at eight o’clock in the morning. The priest who officiated was Rev. John Flynn, my wife’s first cousin, the best man was Jack Flanagan and the bridesmaid was Irene Murray, both first cousins of my wife.

I was employed by Irish National Insurance Company Ltd. As a clerk, and my pay was four pounds twelve shillings and seven pence weekly. My wife earned three pounds a week working as a book-keeper in Jack Flanagan’s Fish and Poultry business, and our rent on 30 St. Ursula’s Terrace was nine shillings and sixpence per week.

Pregnancy dictated that my wife quit her job in June of that year, and it soon became obvious that my income would not support us, so I went “moonlighting” as a free-lance pianist for local dance bands. The rates were one pound for an 8–12 dance, and one pound ten shillings – maybe two pounds – for a 9–3.

In time, we moved house to 46 Lr. Newtown, and by 1955 I had my own dance band, still moonlighting, the job was slightly better, and I had four children, but that’s another story.

Geoff & Joan Cronin Wedding Photo

At the outset of our marriage, my wife being a religious woman, it was decided that we should say the family Rosary every day. So, each evening after dinner, the family would kneel down, elbows on chairs, and recite the five decades of the Rosary plus “the trimmings”. The latter consisted of prayers for deceased family members, for the souls in Purgatory, for the canonisation of Blessed Martin etc. etc. and took half as long as the Rosary.

But, what with travelling all day and moonlighting until four or five in the morning, the Rosary had a hypnotic effect on me and I would “nod off” after the first decade. I just could not stay awake and only responded with “Holy Mary, Mother of God etc.” whenever my wife gave me an elbow in the ribs, which was frequently! She was a pragmatic woman, God rest her, and it was agreed that however short my night’s rest would be, I would not be disturbed before 8 a.m., and if any of the children woke during the night, she would get up and attend to them.

I came home one morning about 4.30 a.m. after playing at a dance, fell into bed exhausted, and fell fast asleep immediately. I was not to know that one of the children who was teething had got my wife out of bed five or six times, and she was exhausted too, and her temper not the best. When the child woke again and cried fit to wake the house, she prepared to get up yet again when she beheld me fast asleep and snoring gently.

It was the last straw! She decided that I should be the one to get up and see to the child now crying loudly. To that end, she gave me a smart elbow in the ribs and got the instant response “Holy Mary Mother of God” etc. Well, worn out as she was, that good lady just had to laugh as she resignedly got up and soothed the child, and she told this story many times against me over the years that followed.

©Geoff Cronin 2005

About Geoff Cronin

I was born at tea time at number 12 John Street, Waterford on September 23rd 1923. My father was Richard Cronin and my mother was Claire Spencer of John Street Waterford. They were married in St John’s Church in 1919.

Things are moving so fast in this day and age – and people are so absorbed, and necessarily so, with here and now – that things of the past tend to get buried deeper and deeper. Also, people’s memories seem to be shorter now and they cannot remember the little things – day to day pictures which make up the larger canvas of life.

It seems to me that soon there may be little or no detailed knowledge of what life was really like in the 1930s in a town – sorry, I should have said City, in accordance with its ancient charter – like Waterford. So I shall attempt to provide some of these little cameos as much for the fun of telling as for the benefit of posterity.

Thank you for visiting today and I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse of Waterford in the 1930s and 1940s courtesy of Geoff Cronin. As always your feedback is very welcome. thanks Sally.