Christmas in Nenagh 50 years ago - a report from a revered columnist
Some of the happenings in Nenagh during Christmas 1972 - a half century ago - are related by our late revered columnist William J Heaney in his weekly column, ‘The Passing Parade’ in our festive issue of that year.
One of Willie's weekly customs as a local newspaper man was to visit the wards in Nenagh hospital to quiz patients about how they ended up there. He would then give our readers the news on their accidents and misfortunes that led to their admissions.
Willie's weekly column was highly popular as it contained so much of what was happening around Nenagh. But we're not so sure that in these modern times patients in the local hospital would be too happy about a local reporter turning up at their bedside to ask to provide the details of their illnesses for publication in the paper!
Here's the leading piece in Willie’s column from the festive week in 1972, which, as you will see, features what today would be considered the personal information of patients:
“It is St Stephen's Night as I write, and the only opportunity I'm likely to have this week of both wishing you all a kind and peaceful New Year and lending words to the hope that you survived the Christmas happily in the best of company. Blessings are for sharing, and nothing could give me greater pleasure, my dear friends, than to have each of you share all mine.
“Both Joe O' Connor and JKC, the only traders I had an opportunity of talking with today, told me that ‘this was a really great Christmas in Nenagh’. Their verdict will, I am sure, be endorsed and passed unanimously by the rest. Certainly, Saturday must have been a day to make the traders' hearts rejoice; the streets were thronged, and every shop seemed to be overflowing with customers.
“As usual, however, at ten pm, there was hardly a sinner in sight, with the exception, that is, of a small group of carol singers who were doing their stuff outside a pub in Silver Street. At that hour, of course, the air was fur-coatish, and the carol singers would surely have been more comfortable in the pub than they were outside it.
“Not that the weather gave us much cause for complaint. Christmas, instead of fulfilling its threat to be a pouring-wet one, was mild and even sunny, and the rain contained itself until the dark hours both of Christmas Eve and of Christmas night.
“Saint Mary's of the Rosary was absolutely crowded for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve; Fr John O' Driscoll was celebrant, and Canon Denis Kelly, PP, filled the role of Master of Ceremonies in the pulpit. The 35-member choir, trained and conducted by Mr John Moloney, PC, and with Miss Josette McGrath at the organ, sang Max Filke's Mass of St Charles Borromeo; the carols were sung before Mass, and included the ‘Adeste’, ‘Silent Night’, ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are’, ‘Merrily to Bethlehem’, ‘In Nightly Stillness’, and ‘Oh Holy Night’ (by Adolph Adams).
“The weather was both wet and cold.
At Solemn High Mass at 11.15am on Christmas Day the choir sang a Gregorian Credo, and Canon Kelly intoned a Latin preface.”
QUIET IN THE HOSPITAL
Willie continues in his column after his visit to the hospital: “All was quiet in the hospital for Christmas; the wards and corridors were again exquisitely decorated - a work of art and a labour of love. Most of the patients had gone home, and those who remained were entertained by Brother JF Casey, CBS, Kathleen Reddan, Anne Meagher, Tony Geaney, MJ Morgan and sons, and the Durkans.
“The only casualties were Paddy Farrell (18), Rearcross, who was injured in a car crash on Sunday morning, and WJ Ryan (17), Leugh, Thurles, whose right leg was broken when his motor-cycle crashed. Miss Elizabeth Starr, Grange, Nenagh, was injured slightly when she was thrown from her horse during the hunt at Carhue on St Stephen's Day. Over 40 members of the North Tipp Hunt took part in the annual meet, and the first fox was run to the ground at Carhue.”