Sarah McDowell interview, "Meaningful Objects"

Meaningful Objects Exhibition Image

Gareth

I have my PT cert in my car with me at all times.  I usually lose items over time but I haven't lost my car yet!!   I couldn't even tell you where my Leaving Cert is.  It was something I wanted to do for a long time which I finally had a chance to do last year.

Moses Basket Sibéal

Sibéal was 4 days old when she slept in the Moses basket for the first time. The support legs were long gone so it was sitting inside the cot, that she would progress to when she got too big for the basket. She looked so small and cuddly in there and it was lovely to know that she was the first of the next generation to sleep in the same bed that her mother, aunts and uncles had all slept in.

Whitbread Tankard

This necklace belonged to my Gran (Joice Glass) who won the Whitbread Tankard for playing bowls and my grandfather bought her the silver chain to put it onto. It’s quite a chunky item and not like the jewellery that she normally wore which was fine and elegant. She gave the chain and tankard to me as a present about 15 years ago and I wear it all the time. My Gran was a radar girl in the Second World War, scanning the air for threats to the Home Front with a few adventures along the way. I was born on her birthday, April 2^nd, and we were always close up until she passed away at the age of 89 in 2012. I remember her and her life through this necklace and having it makes me feel closer to her memory.

Lego Spaceman

This is an original lego spaceman from the 80s.  It reminds me how lego wasn’t gendered then, how unrestricted I was in my toy choices.  It also provides a meaningful connection to my kids, and reminds them that even an aul one like me was a kid once.

Moses Basket Maurice

24 April 2006, that was the day when my feet first landed in Ireland to work as a nurse. I was assigned in Tullamore Hospital - Dialysis Unit, there I met a very nice person who eventually became a very good friend and a Godmother of my son. Her name is Mary.  On 26 of June 2008, I delivered a healthy baby boy named Frank Maurice. On the very next day we arrived at home, we got a visitor. Yes, Mary came to visit us. She saw me laying Maurice in the couch while we were talking. She ask me then if I already got a Moses Basket, I said “no”. I actually didn’t know what was she talking about as we don’t have such a thing in the Philippines (not that I know) except for a crib or a pram for the baby. Anyway, she told me she will lend me her Moses basket which I gladly accepted. She then came to give the basket which Maurice was able to use for several months until she got it back to be given again to another lucky baby.  Lucky, because the Moses basket is like an heirloom being handed to different generations of babies and one of them is my son. Thank you very much Mary. 

Curious George

My item is Curious George the jogger.  I got this the night before my fifth birthday from my aunt. I clearly remember the night because I was sick and I was allowed to open one present.  As soon as I saw George I fell in love with him!  His fluffy red tracksuit!  His runners with bananas on the sides! He went to bed with me for years.  He’s survived his eyes being pulled off by my little sister and a million machine washes.  He’s been borrowed by my niece who’s allowed him to hang out with her monkey and he has moved to more than eighteen houses with me!  He’s very scruffy now and when I pull back his sleeves you can see how fluffy he once was, but I’m planning to clean him up pass him on to my little boy!

Money Box, Bible and a candle

I’m kinda cheating by having 3 but to me they come together in a complete package.  The objects, a silver money box, a bible and a candle where all given to me on my christening day.  It’s not that they elicit strong memories of the big day.  They do however always start me down the path of childhood memories.  I always find, before putting them away, that I finish my walk down memory lane thinking of the future.

Moses Basket Amy

Nearly five years after my last child was born, I was thrilled to discover I was pregnant.  My other children were at school and crèche so I was looking forward to having a baby in the house again.  At that time my sister was expecting her first baby so I decided not to tell anyone about my news.  In previous pregnancies I usually looked like I was ready to give birth from the moment I knew I was “with child” as they say.  My morning sickness was not as bad as other times so things were going well.  January 1986 my sister gave birth to a beautiful daughter and she named her Emma.  I went to visit her in hospital and was very pleased that nobody knew I was pregnant.  I had loaned my Moses basket to a friend who was expecting twins, so it was time once again to get the basket back and have it prepared for my baby. The other children were told they were going to have a new baby and were very excited.  This time there was no debate about whether it should be a boy or girl, thank heavens. July was coming round fast and thankfully school holidays had arrived.  It gave me a break from car journeys.  My sister Celestine came down to give a hand with the children while I was in hospital. My sister lived in Dublin, and she told us she was going to fly down to Cork and was picked up at the airport.  My kids thought this was magical and all the friends were informed.  Back in 1986 it was a big deal to travel by air other than going abroad.  I had an appointment with my Gynaecologist on the 2nd of July in the Victoria Hospital and was told to bring my case with me.  After the visit he told me he was going to admit me with the possibility of inducing me the next morning.  I was both pleased and nervous as I had hoped to go into labour myself and this was not going to plan.  I was admitted later that night and about 7.20am the next morning I knew I was going into labour.  I was taken down to the labour ward. Again no time for Epidural!  At one minute to 8 on July 3rd 1986 my daughter Amy Pamela was born, she was beautiful.  It was just the two of us as there was no time for anyone to get in from Aghada.  She was so peaceful and content and very alert.  Some hours later we were returned to my room and she slept so peacefully.  I had to wake her for her bottles she was so content. I was allowed to go home on the Saturday and the trusty Moses basket once more made its way into Cork.    All her brothers and sisters were so pleased to see her.  They all were big enough to be able to help with feeding and changing nappies.  True to form our dog took up his guarding position at the base of mosses basket stand.  Eight years ago last February, it was a great joy to see Amy’s own daughter and my granddaughter Eva sleeping in that same basket.  It brought back all those memories and she looked so much like Amy it was uncanny.  I do hope in future years that the basket will still be used and give some lasting memories for the parents and lovely stories for the occupants.  One little story regarding the plane, Amy’s sister Sarah went to the airport to see her aunt off.  She was watching the plane waiting to take off at the end of the runway, when she said look its like its taking a deep breath before it goes into the sky.

Moses Basket Louise

In 1976 I was expecting my second child.  I was attending the Coombe Hospital and at that time it was the policy of the hospital that you delivered on the date you were due so I was admitted to be induced.  I came to Dublin the night before as my admission was very early the next morning.  This time the Moses basket came with me.  My daughter Louise was born and weighed 6.5 lbs but was unable to keep her temperature steady so was in an incubator for 48 hours.  At last she was able to return to my room.  We were allowed to go home.  I was delighted and at the same time wondering how big brother would react to this new baby.  It went well and over the next few weeks he was constantly checking on her and fixing the blankets.  My father in law spent his time shaking the basket in order to wake up the ‘wain’! Word used in Donegal to describe child.  Louise always looked so comfortable in the basket, and she remained in it till she was two months old.  The last two weeks I used to put Moses basket into the cot as big brother was becoming a bit too helpful and she was safer in cot.  That was nearly 40 years ago and nearly 14 years ago her own daughter used the same basket.  It was lovely to see it still of service and as cosy as ever.

Moses Basket Elaine

Around the end of February 1981 I was delighted to discover that I was pregnant again.  I always suffered with morning sickness but this time it seemed worse. I had four other children and as we lived in the countryside, I was always on the road bringing them to their different activities so maybe this made my sickness seem worse. That involved all into the car whether they were involved in the activity or not.  That made me very popular as play time was interrupted, so many a row was had by all!  Summer arrived and that offered some relaxation.  We always went camping to Killmuckridge in Wexford, so that year was no exception.  The weather was glorious as it always was and believe it or not it was more restful than being at home.  Soon September had come around and it was back to the hectic runs again.  My GP was concerned that I might deliver at home again so visits were more frequent.  My due date was in early December.   I had my bags ready and the Moses basket had been taken down and aired along with blankets and baby sheets. There was a great air of expectation in the house and endless questions as to when baby was coming and most importantly was it a boy or a girl? That was a very contentious matter, as we had two boys and two girls.  It had been decided by my Gynaecologist and GP that I should be brought into hospital before my due date so as to avoid any emergencies!!  I agreed and thought I will avail of an Epidural, as on previous births I went into labour so fast I had no pain relief.  I was admitted on the 26th November and told I would have my waters broken the following morning.  The next morning I was told, due to an emergency it would be after dinner before my procedure could take place.  My waters were broken, I was in full labour and twenty minutes later my daughter Elaine was born weighting in at 9lbs.  There was great excitement and of course the girls were gloating!  They were in the majority and my eldest daughter Louise decided they were in charge!  Once again the Moses basket made its way into the Erinville Hospital. Sometime before I knew I was pregnant we had got a new dog, a King Charles whose name was Zing.  At that time a new video about the life of Judy Garland had been released.  It was a firm favourite in our house, it had some lovely tunes one of which was called “Zing goes the strings of my heart”.  This was the most popular song and it was decided to name the dog Zing.  He was a great hit among the children.  I wondered how he would take to the new arrival.  I need not have worried as he lay at the base of the basket as if he were guarding it.  He was on occasion found at the end of the basket when she was had been taken out of it to be nursed!  All these years later she herself is married and had two King Charles one of which she named Zing.

Moses Basket Gareth

In late August 1979 we moved to live in Aghada Co Cork.  As our house was not yet vacant we moved into a mobile home in Shangarry for a few weeks.  This was to facilitate my two older children attending school and play school.  I was at this time three months pregnant and feeling well. In October we finally moved into our house in Aghada.  Life was hectic and before I knew it my oldest child and his father were off to see Pope John Paul the second as he was coming to Limerick. One memory that stands out for me, was on that same day the sheep in the field behind our house broke through the fence and sat down in our garden.  They remained there till the farmer came for them and then they calmly walked back to the field.  I had not told any of the children that they were going to have a new baby as I felt it was too soon, but as I was washing dishes at the sink my youngest Sarah said to me “you are getting a new baby”.  The following day a friend of mine called to return the Moses basket I had loaned her for her new baby. What a coincidence!  Life moved along and I was getting tired and suddenly Christmas was here.  Mid January I went for my check up and the doctor said he felt it would be mid February before I would deliver.  On the night of January 30th I went to bed as usuaI.  I was feeling very well and looking forward to a visit to a friend the next day minus any children!  I woke at 5 am and was going to the bathroom with the usual pregnancy bladder problems.  I got back into bed and I had an unexplained feeling and within a minute I knew I was in labour.  We lived 30 minutes from the Erinville hospital in Cork and as all my pregnancies had been very quick I knew I would not make it by car.  I phoned my GP who told me in no uncertain terms that I should be calm after all this was my fourth child and I should know better!  Well as it turned out I did know better because ten minutes later I had delivered my second son Gareth he weighed in at 9lbs.  Five minutes later my GP arrived and was very upset that he had missed the event.  Gareth was the first child in 29 years to be born at home in Aghada and his own father was the one who delivered that child.  As I am rhesus neg and my other half was positive I still had to go to hospital. We travelled by ambulance and my new son travelled in his Moses basket.  I found my journey very uncomfortable but the baby had a lovely snug trip.  I don’t know how I coped with all the help I had! The Moses basket was once again the centre of attention in our house.  All my helpers took such an interest in the baby, and because it was at such a nice height nobody felt excluded.  If Moses baskets could talk!!

Moses Basket Sarah

Dear Sarah,

On the 4th August 1977 I was living in Ferbane Co Offaly and expecting my third child.  This time I had decided to attend Ballinasloe in Co Galway.  I was enjoying a quiet time at home the other two children were in bed.  Suddenly I had pains that from previous experience told me I should be on my way to the hospital.  I got into the car and as the bags were already there for “that just in case”. Neighbours were called and we were on our way at 10.30pm.  We made it to Shannon Bridge and were waiting for traffic lights on bridge to turn green.  They did and we were quarter way across when we got a puncture.  At that stage I thought I was going to give birth on the bridge!  Tyre changed and on our way again and we arrived in the main street.  Just as we approached Hayes Hotel the pains vanished.  I had been induced on my previous birth and did not find it a pleasurable event I decided I would like a cup of coffee.  Needless to say my other half did not appreciate this stop off! We were only minutes from the hospital and I wanted to be in control of the situation. As we entered the hotel I could see that a wedding was in progress so we sat in the foyer.  People wandered in and out and two elderly ladies came and sat beside us.  They were discussing what everyone was wearing. At one time one of them asked me when my baby due and I was half tempted to say any minute now! We left the hotel at 11.40 as the pains were starting again.  We got to hospital and I was taken straight into the Labour ward.   As it happened the Gynecologist I was attending was there so at one minute past midnight my beautiful daughter Sarah was born and she weighted 8.9lbs.  Some time later I was taken to my room and there in the corner was the Moses basket.  In all the excitement it had been brought in with the baby bags.  Two days later I was allowed to go home and baby Sarah travelled home in the basket.  There was great excitement with her brother and sister both wanting to put her in and out of basket at feeding times.  Sarah remained in the Moses basket for nearly four months as she seemed to like the snugness of the basket.  That of course was you Sarah and it was lovely to see you put your own son, my grandson Loki into it fourteen months ago.

Love Mam xx

Moses Basket Dermot

On Saturday 30th March I was visiting a friend who sadly had a miscarriage two days earlier.  I was not very comfortable for two reasons, one I myself was very heavily pregnant and due to have my baby in two weeks time.  I was conscious of how my friend was feeling and hoped my visit would not be more upsetting for her.  Secondly I was feeling a bit uneasy in myself and as this was my first baby I was not sure what to expect.  Earlier that day I had placed a bet on a horse called Sunny Lad as far as I know he is still running!  I left my friend and went home later that night I was admitted to the Rotunda Hospital and within  minutes I had delivered my son.  I remained in hospital for three days. On the Monday the Moses basket had to be collected from the Blind Craft shop.  I was discharged on Tuesday so the basket was brought in the car and Dermot my son travelled home in it on the back seat of car.  Probably would be arrested with today's health and safety.  We remained in Dublin in my mothers house.  I don't think anyone except baby got any sleep as we were so excited.  My mother kept coming into the room as she said just checking his breathing.  He was the first grandchild on both sides and my sister who was asked to be the Godmother was so thrilled she kept coming to check too.  He looked so small and comfortable in his basket I am not surprised he didn't wake.  Its funny to think that, that was 41 years ago this year.

Holy Mary

Here's my object.  The 'Holy Mary' statue came from the 19th century terraced house that my parents renovated in the 80's, where I lived with my family above our grocery shop until 1994.  It's a very special house where my Grandmother stayed with us in her final illness and where my Grandad lived until he passed.  It's also where my husband and I now live, after the property was leased for a decade.  The statue, which is the only object that remains from the original house, lived (and still lives) perched upon the window sill above the stairs. Totally inaccessible to all except spiders!  When I moved back in, I couldn't believe it was still there.  I have mixed feelings about our Holy Mary, not a huge fan of statues, I used to think lasers would shoot out of her eyes, but when given the option of removing her recently, I found I didn't want to...she belongs there and makes me smile.

Teddy Beep

This is Teddy Beep, I got him for my first birthday and we've been buddies ever since.  He's a handsome bear of 28 and we've been through it all together, even won a 'Best Dressed Bear' competition!  He's got a grumpy look about him but he's always there with a paw to wipe away tears and open arms for a hug.

First Book

This is the first Book I have made that includes some of the stories I have gathered through the Blog, through interviews and through the socially engaged meal I organised.  The Book is completely hand crafted.  I made my own book cloth, bound it myself and created this particular aesthetic.  It was used in an installation for college and a group crit.  For the installation I presented the book on a poufe in front of two armchairs that belonged to my late Grandparents.  I also had headphones attached to one armchair which played clips of different people I have interviewed talking about their meaningful objects.  Overall the installation was very successful and I got some interesting feedback.

Images from my installation in the College

Hat

This is my dads hat. He died in 1986. I haven't always had it with me. But in the last ten years I kept it in my press.  Anyway have kept it with me for the last ten years or so as I've moved around. it's a small reminder of him and what I lost.

Smelly Nelly

My meaningful object is my doll called “Smelly Nelly”, ehm, my Mam bought her when we lived up in an apartment down in Tullamore. Eh, down the road from a toy shop because we lived with my aunt Elaine. She had a doll called “Gaga” and I kept playing with it and I thought she was mine. So then my Mam bought me “Smelly Nelly”.

Ehm, we named her “Smelly Nelly” because she has a really nice smell and, ehm, when my Mam was over in Bolivia there was a nun there called Nelly and she was really nice. So my Mam decided to call her Nelly after her.  And I’ve had Nelly since I was two and I keep her on this wooden chair in the corner of my room. 

Easter Photo

My most meaningful object, one which I have carried with me through all the years, is a photograph of my father and myself when I was less than six months old holding my very first Easter egg.

At the time Easter eggs were hand made, they weren’t the usual variety that you can buy in the shop. My name was on it and my father is holding me, holding the egg which is nearly the same size as myself. I’ve always treasured this photograph as this coming sunday, the 22nd of February, my father will be 50 years dead.

He was a very good father and I miss him very, very much and frequently look at this picture just to see him, and even though I was only very, very small I just could feel a bond in the picture between the two of us. I will always treasure this photograph and at the moment I am doing some work on my ancestry and it was one of the first pictures to go up on my website.

Rings

My meaningful object is my claddagh ring. My boyfriend, Paul, bought it for me about 11 years ago in a shop in Athlone. Ehm, he had bought me a Claddagh necklace when we were going out three months and it had a green stone in it. So when we saw the Claddagh ring with the green stone, he bought me that as well. The green stone? He was just attracted to it when he saw the necklace in the jeweller’s. It’s not my birthstone but it’s a colour now that I love. So I had it for 10 years and my daughter used to take it and sleep with it at night if she had night mares and, ehm, or if she’d ask me for my ring so that she could sleep with it and felt closer to me so I let her have it, and because it was too big for her I put it on a necklace, on a chain. So she wore this to school one day and then to crèche and I was in work and I got a phone call from my sister saying the ring had fallen off the chain. It was now a square shape and she, my sister, knew that I would be upset. She didn’t want me to get upset with my daughter because she was very upset as to what had happened to the ring. So I was very upset when I  had heard that it was broken and there was nothing we could do to fix it. But I went back out to the car with a big smile on my face and I didn’t let my daughter see how upset I was because it was an accident that couldn’t have been prevented. She had minded it very, very carefully, it was just the chain had broken. So for our 11th anniversary last August my boyfriend replaced the ring in Galway in the Claddagh Ring in Galway. They only sell Claddagh rings, beautiful shop, so he bought me one of them. It’s a much daintier one to the one that he originally got me. There’s little diamonds now on the side; very, very pretty.

And my daughter really wanted one aswell. And because I didn’t really like to give her my ring, because of what had happened before, I’d only let her wear it at night time. So, ehm, for her 8th birthday last month we decided to get her her own Claddagh ring. So I didn’t tell her I was going to buy her a Claddagh ring but I let her look at Claddagh rings and she chose her favourite colour, which was the ruby ring, again it’s not her birthstone, but it’s a colour that she was attracted to. So we bought her her own Claddagh ring, which is very like the first one I had except her’s is red and mine is green. And she loves it. She wears it on her index figure which is quite unusual, I find, but, eh, the ruby represents, eh, eternal love, which is what her mammy and daddy feel for her. And she loves it and she doesn’t wear it all the time because she’s afraid to lose it, so she takes it off and she puts it on top of our microwave because Mammy and Daddy can keep an eye on it there and she knows where it is so when she comes in from school she’ll take it down from the microwave. And when we go for a swim that’s the only time I take off my ring and I place it on the microwave beside hers. And they are our meaningful objects.

Eva (7)

I have this bag, it’s “Frozen”, ehm, my auntie; she had this friend and she made this bag and she gave it to me as a present, and ehm, I really like “Frozen” because, ehm, my favourite person in it is Elsa. And I like Elsa because she has magical powers.  So ehm, oh, it has my name on it and, ehm, and ehm, my auntie’s friend made it with drawings and stuff like that on the bag and, ehm, I think her name is Anna something...

And I’ll keep it in my room over on my, ehm, shelf and there it will be safe so that I can always go and look at it and it’s really, really, really nice to me and I like that it has a picture of Olaf and Elsa and, and ‘cause I like them and I like that it has my name on it aswell.  I got it yesterday...

Gaga

My meaningful object that I couldn’t be parted with is my doll “Gaga”.  I received “Gaga” on the 27th November 1981, the day I was born.  My dad bought her for me.  She came everywhere with me, we never parted for the first 14 years of my life.  Apart from whenever she had to get her body, eh, “fixed” because she had been hugged so much.

Eh, I keep this doll, since I gotten married I’ve moved up to Derry and I keep this doll in my house. As I’ve said I couldn’t be parted from it.  If I have children of my own in the future of course they’ll be allowed to play with her, but she’ll always be my doll.

Necklace

The necklace was a present from my Mam. She gave it to me on my graduation day, September 10th 2014. On the front it has my name in Greek letters and on the back, the year of my graduation in Roman numerals representing my area of study, Ancient Greek and Roman civilization. She knew I had a great love of Ancient Classics, I absolutely love my necklace.

Green Stone

This is my item I brought, it’s a green stone, it’s been handed down through generations from my fathers side.  I think it’s eight generations so far that it’s gone through.  Every generation it goes to the youngest person and every generation has to take a piece off and make something from it and then you hand it down to the next generation.  And because the youngest in my family was actually my sister who passed away and then it was handed to me.  And this will be handed down to whoever is next in the family line.  And it means a lot to me and I wouldn’t go anywhere without it.  I brought it from New Zealand and it will stay with me until I’ve handed it down to the next generation.

Do you know how big the piece was in the beginning when it started?

I was told it was about that size (gestures with hands)  when it started.  And it was first cut by hand, it was actually taken from a part of my fathers land or his families land,sorry, and it’s been handed down ever since ...so...

Do you know what any of your ancestors made with their pieces?

Oh they were all necklaces eh, my fathers was a teardrop just handed down to the very first son of the family or the child of the family, which I lost in the end.  His grandfather and his father made....They’re called pounamus but he had made hand sort of weapons, that we used to use in the old ern times.  And the one before that ehm I think it was a necklace, a ring has been made out of it and something else.... I can’t remember.

And what are you planning on making out of it?

....Bits....I don’t know to be honest with you.  That is supposed to come to you. 

And do you have to be involved in the making of something or....?

It has to be made by you.

Oh...ok...

And nobody else, you can get a hand to cut it of course but I have to make it myself.

Oh that’s very interesting.

So you have to carve whatever item you want..

And that goes to the oldest person in the family that piece.

And the cut off?

And the cut off goes to the youngest so if you were born in between...Hard Luck!..No if you were born in between you get bits and pieces from it, really everybody gets a little piece.

It’s lovely, it would be great if you could get all the pieces lined up, that’s like a time line within itself.

Oh a lot of it has been lost...family has moved.

It’s a lovely colour.

Beautiful colour, when it’s actually cut that’s eh 40 years that hasn’t been cut, but it’s pure green.  When it’s cut and shiny. 

When it’s cut and polished

Beautiful, that’s my piece and I’d never leave without it.

Baby hospital bracelet

I keep this in my wallet, I put it into the spot where my ID should go so that I can see it through the plastic window.  It went in when I was waiting to leave the hospital with him.  My son was a much longed for baby and even though I went through the 9 months of carrying him it was still wonderfully shocking the moment they place your baby into your arms.  Because Loki came early he was taken away to the Neonatal unit and while I was sitting with him his baby tag kept falling off as he was so tiny.  This was the first piece of writing that said I had a baby boy that I saw, and because I was still in a kind of daze I kept reading and re-reading it as though to confirm that it was really real.

Aberdeen Towel

This is my object.  It's fairly battered now but that's because it's coming close to about 20 years old. When I was about to leave for university in Glasgow my Grandmother gave me it.  This is an Aberdeen football club towel.  My brother got at the same time an Aberdeen hat but that's because he wasn't going anywhere and my Granny thought that it might not be wise for me to walk about Glasgow with a symbol of Aberdeen on it.  But at that stage Aberdeen were so shite that nobody really cared I walked around with a t-shirt on and all you got was a look of pity.  So that's gone to Glasgow for 4 years and then back home, and then when I came over here in 2000, so it's 14 years.....19.....yeah it's probably about 20, more than 20 odd years old, and now because of its present state and it's just wrecked, it has become the dogs towel for wiping his feet dry when he comes in from the back so it's still in use because I don't think.....well I could be mean.....it's still got the badge so I would feel bad about throwing it out.  So that's my object.

Well at least it’s functional.  And let’s face it when he comes in after the rain it’s our most treasured object.

Instead of getting it all over my trousers.

Was it your idea that the towel be used for...

Oh yes, yeah because it’s my towel.  All her towels are huge, fluffy ones and all mine are all shite, cheap ones.

Plus the eh bromance with the dog!

Well it’s just sandpaper now you wouldn’t dry with that now, it’s just grrrrruup!

Yeah it’s crunchy

Crunchy yeah

There’s nothing worse than a crunchy towel.

Some are for drying and some are for ‘drying’.

Honey Bunny

This is Honey Bunny and I have had him since I was one.  My parents always let us choose our first Teddy Bear when we were about one.  And apparently we were in Mosney on holidays, I went into a shop and there were loads of Teddy Bears.  He was the only Bunny and he was on the top shelf and they were trying to pawn me off with something else, but I just wanted him.  So Honey Bunny has always been there.  He’s come on holidays with me, been halfway around the world.  Yeah he always goes in my hand luggage apart from the last time I went to America when I said  I would put him in my suitcase, which I did and Honey Bunny ended up in Australia.  So he’s been there and I haven’t.

Picture

I’ve just brought this item, it’s a picture of the village I grew up in because my parents lived there for like 40 years and they don’t anymore.  So my mum gave me this picture, oh about 10 years ago and  I don’t have anything else left of the village and I’ll probably never go there again because they live miles away now.

So what I have done is I’ve brought this picture because it just has something to remind me of the village I suppose.  Their house isn’t in it but that’s the kind of crossroads in the village.....ehm I don’t really have any stories about it unfortunately but eh that’s kind of the main thing that I have that I wouldn’t want to be separated from.

Brownies Book and Toadstool

So here’s my item that is memorable to me.  It’s actually two items, but they kind of are linked together.  I was in the Brownies when I was a child and I absolutely LOVED, LOVED being in the Brownies.  That’s why I've kept my things from the Brownies.  This was my copybook, it said my name Alison and my address and age 8, 9, 10 and obviously I didn’t continue with it beyond that. But ehm I just love looking back through all of the little pictures that I drew when I was that age, and actually, looking back through it I didn’t realise how much we talked about God in the Brownies.

But nearly every page has something got to do with God and little pictures from magazines that we had cut out, and oh, it’s just so cute that we thought God was amazing......Thank you God for the weather......Thank you God for my bed.  And there is a picture of my Mam and Dad in their youth, and my Mam wrote “Alison set the table every day”, because we obviously  were told that we had to do special things at home.  But anyway it wasn’t really even about that, it’s just I loved being in the Brownies and I eventually became the leader of my group which was called a sixer, and I kept the neatest roll book for my group and because of that I won my own Toadstool and I still , I lost the door off of it but I still have my Toadstool and the box that it came in.  But it was very, very, very exciting to witness.  I remember all the other girls being very jealous that I had this and ehm actually in my school copies around the time when I was in the Brownies... Everyday for my news was ‘my news, today is Monday , I have Brownies tomorrow night'.  And then on Tuesday ‘My news, today is Tuesday, I have Brownies tonight’.  And then on Wednesday ‘I was at Brownies last night’.  Then Thursday was ‘I can’t wait for Brownies next week’.  So I always had news when I was in the Brownies.  If only life could be so simple now.

Power point without power point presentation.

This was a power point without using power point presentation I did in the library of LSAD, to illustrate what my work is about and how the blog is an integral part of this project.

Champagne Bottle

This Champagne bottle was bought on the 9th of November 1948 which is the day that I was born.  My father Thomas MacNally bought it and it became a family tradition when my brother and sister were born.

They consumed their bottles but I held onto mine. Had it been stored correctly it would be worth loads of money today. I should have had it lying on its side but I didn't so the cork has dried out.

My grandmother and the bracelet I was given when she died in 2007

This is a picture of my Grandmother Eileen, which was taken when she was 17, before she headed over to England where she was a nurse in the 2nd World War.  She was also born in a Workhouse in Bawnboy Co.Cavan, her Mother Mary died two weeks after giving birth to my grandmother.

This gold bracelet always reminds me of her,as she was always wearing it, and to me she was always glamorous in life.

Necklace

The necklace was a present from my Mam. She gave it to me on my graduation day, September 10th 2014. On the front it has my name in Greek letters and on the back, the year of my graduation in Roman numerals representing my area of study, Ancient Greek and Roman civilization. She knew I had a great love of Ancient Classics, I absolutely love my necklace.

Another story from a former occupant of the Moses Basket

The first time we placed Eva into her Moses basket was amazing. It was the first day we had brought her home and we just stared at her for hours. She looked so tiny in it. It was a lovely feeling as I knew I had slept in that very same basket as a baby too. It was great to have that to share with her.

A memory of the basket and Eva:

Eva was asleep and her aunty Louise and cousin Sibéal came in. Both of whom had slept in the Moses basket too. As Eva was asleep, everyone was being very quiet. Louise then started stomping around the place, trying to wake Eva up for a cuddle. Sibéal got really cross with her. She was 5 at the time.  It was very funny. Sibéal was upset with me too for not giving out to her mammy aswell. But I knew Eva wouldn't wake, she was a deep sleeper from day 1.

Moses Basket

In 1973 I was expecting my first child so naturally I was very excited.  I decided that I would like to get a Moses basket for the first couple of months as I felt a big cot was not very warm for a new born. I started looking around in all the nursery departments but was not impressed with the quality of the baskets on offer.  I was living in Ferbane in Co.Offaly and someone told me that The Blind Craft shop in Rathmines in Dublin made beautiful baskets.  I travelled to see what they had to offer and was so pleased with the quality and workmanship that I decided to order one there and then. They were made to order and came with a wicker stand similar to the wicker used in the basket.  It also had a mattress shaped to fit the basket which was cut from foam so it was a snug fit.  I was very pleased with my order.  The shop agreed to keep the Moses basket till my baby was born.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

My son was born two weeks early so after my stay in the maternity hospital I collected the basket and returned to Ferbane.  I had a very talented friend who made a cover which surrounded the inside of the basket and hood which protected the baby’s head from the bare wicker.  She also made me a matching duvet.  I had five more children and each one used the basket till at least two months old. My brother and his wife also made use of the basket for their two girls.  Through the years numerous people borrowed and used it too.  I would say that forty or more babies had the use of the basket.  I loaned to many work colleagues and apart from the stand which had an altercation with a DOG! it remains in perfect condition.  I am now a Granny and all my five grand children have used it.  I have a God child who is from the Phillipines and he used till he was five months old.  My latest grandson has broken that record by remaining in it till he was six months old! Not that we are trying to break records!!!!!!!!!!!!