Blessing of the cars

Are you old enough to remember getting your car blessed?

This photograph, taken in Templemore Town Square, c 1965, was generally accepted as match day traffic. However, following a conversation with Joe Barry, we get the real story behind the event.

Upon closer inspection, many people can be spotted sitting in their cars; there is a crowd gathered on the right hand side outside Kelly’s Hardware and the Eagle Bar, while a priest can be clearly seen on the steps of the Town Hall. But it was the three ESB poles that gave the most significant clue as to the time of year.

Joe informs us that he can vividly remember tying the three Christmas trees to the poles in the mid 1960s, probably the only decorations in town that year.

The event generally took place between Christmas and the New Year, when all vehicles would be blessed for the year ahead.

The truck with the white back on the left hand side is from Vaculug, the old Rubber Factory, which today is home to Michael Coonan’s tyre business and Templemore Badminton Club. The two trucks directly behind it were from Lancegaye, later Triplex, Taylormade, and now Lippert.