March 21st, 2000

Today is my mother's anniversary.
She died 71 years ago of pneumonia after childbirth. Her baby was buried one week before her. Her name was Kathleen. It must have been a sad and lonely house. Poor Delia, on whose shoulders fell the whole weight of responsibility. If she only had some nice aunts and uncles, like my children have today, but people weren't as caring.
Our farm was not large, but father rented land for extra grazing. We had about six cows, just for milk and butter for the family. We had horses, sheep, 'any' cattle and always pigs. I hated the pigs. You'd hear them squealing a mile away when they were waiting to be fed, and you had to be careful that they didn't toss you in the trough, when you took them their food in. That was women's work, at least in our house. The farm was divided into pasture, land crops and meadow.
The only thing I ever liked about farming was the haymaking. We used to take the dinner out to the meadow, and we'd stay a while, messing about with the hay, then came the day when the hay was brought into the haggard, and we young ones were allowed to tramp down to the haycocks as they got higher. It was great fun.
My father killed the pigs for the family's consumption. If it was a pig that we had reared from a piglet, we hated the whole after action and managed to disappear until the sorry business was over. The bacon was cured with salt. The pig was boned and cut into sections, the sides were rubbed hard with salt and then stored in a thick wooden box in the cool dairy, with a layer of salt in between. It took a while for the bacon to be ready for eating, but we had the lovely boned with lots of meat on, pork ribs and fillet of pork. Also after a few days, the lovely black puddings made with the pigs blood, oat meal, pepper and salt. We shared the meat and black pudding with the neighbours and when they killed their pig, they shared with us.

I remember the day when electricity came to our house. It was very exciting. My father switched on. It was much easier than getting the paraffin lamp ready.
My father is a very good amateur vet, he treated all our animals, but if there was a very sick cow, the vet would be called. We were a very lucky family to have such good health, because a child would have to be very sick indeed, before a doctor would be called. Cows were valuable.

My brother Tom was exceptionally clever. At leaving age of fourteen, he and three other boys were at the top. The other three boys went on to college, because they had the money and influence. Not so much Tom. His headmaster asked my father to allow Tom to go for further education and offered to tutor him until he could get into college. My father said he was needed on the farm. End of dream. He and Eddie went into the building trade. Tom became a carpenter. Eventually he went to live in Dublin. He went to evening classes and got a degree in Sociology. My mother's two sisters came after our mother died to take us girls to America. It wasn't to be. I was glad later in life that we didn't go. I would not have liked to bring up my family in America, and I wouldn't have met Mylie and had my lovely family. Anyway, that is all in the might have been.

I have thirteen grandchildren, another soon and one great grandchild. Never a dull moment. Birthdays, Christenings, school activities. There is not much time to be miserable.
I feel so privileged, as I was over thirty when I got married.
Well my family have obtained the education denied to me. College and University and degrees all over the place. Even if it was later, rather than sooner.
Martin and Anne were the only two who went to University in their early twenties. Patrick was a builder with his friend Michael. In his middle thirties he decided to do his A-levels. He did very well. Then University and a Law degree. Now he is a barrister and I am proud of him. It can't have been easy. Michael also had his own business underpinning houses. One day on his way to work a car crossed his path, knocking him off his motorcycle, injuring him badly. End of underpinning days. He also did his A-levels. and got As all through. He went to Oxford and got a first in History. He is now studying for his Masters. So after that, who knows.
Myles was a milkman. Decided to study for a teaching degree. Spent four hard years at Greenwich University and got his degree. He is now a teacher.
Anne and Martin have taught English for years. Anne in Spain and Martin in England, Italy, Australia and South America. Now back in Italy.
Mary and Sean haven't gone to University but they do very well. Sean is a business manager and Mary a legal secretary.

I am happy that every child today has the opportunity to attain an education. Whether or not they take advantage of it. It's all taken for granted now. Most parents are behind their children all the way. Others are not that interested. I still have ties with the school where my children started in the sixties. Two of my grandchildren are there. I take my littlest one, to and from each day and I meet all the young mums. So my life has come full circle. Aren't I lucky that I got on well with my family and their husbands and wives and all their children. May it continue so.
I have two Spanish sons-in-law and three English daughters-in-law who are all very good to me.