Gaelgoiri Laimbe anseo 75 bliain.

The 1930's in Ireland were tough times.I have heard my ancestors discuss them and they have made it clear that there wasn't a bob stirring because Dev. had refused to pay the Land Commission Annuities to the Brits and they had retaliated by slapping prohibitive levies on the import of livestock to Britain ,which commodity then as now was the one thing we could produce in abundance.Brave man compared to what we have now.
Not only was money scarce but food also.And genteel poverty was rampant.In fact my mother ,having read Angela's Ashes,thought very little of Frank Mc Court for belittling his own people because of their poverty ,when nearly everybody else was also that way but would not shame their people and country by broadcasting it.
I have heard people saying that they had to survive on crab apples in the period between the spuds running out and the emergence of the new praities.My uncle Paddy worked at the building of the "White Man's Grave",more civilly known as Dalgan Park  and so called because the wages paid at the construction of same in the thirties was twice the usual rate , people were treated worse than slaves and a good few died during construction.In later years Paddy remarked that "if the foremen there during his time there were not in hell there's no such  fu..... place."
Nevertheless the job was much sought after and I heard that on the first day that Pat Rattigan sallied forth on his bike to work there his mother Biddy.who lived beside the Mc Cormack's called worriedly into them at dusk because Pat wasn't home and she feared he might have been killed.They all waited together for him on the boirin until he eventually turned up.
This was Pat's second job,his first one having been with Captain Eccles ,who lived in Phipherstown House and for whom Pat spent six months driving a horse and dray to collect farm machinery borrowed from the Captain ,but which the borrowers "forgot" to return.
In the thirties Dev organised a grant for farmers to clean their ditches.The grant was 2 shillings and  six pence a perch and farmers sublet it out at half the grant rate to the unlanded .Dinner was thrown in and the common practise was for the farmer's family to eat at the dinner table in the middle of the kitchen and the workers to eat at a side table at the wall of the kitchen.
Even between the workers there was discrimination as I have heard that a man of the road,who lived in Horan's shed, called Mc Keown (I think he is buried in Dunderry Cemetery ) made the comment when he was served one herring to everybody elses two " Mam.wheres its companion".
In such times in 1937 De Velera had the decency and found the money to bring thirteen families from Connemara to Lambay,in Kilbride of this Parish.Irish was and still is the working language of these households.
Each family was supplied with a  house on twenty five acres,two cows,a horse and cart,chickens ,hens and a cockrel,to be polite.I presume that they had to pay Land Commission Annuities to the Government.
Well last weekend the arrival of the families in our midst was celebrated well.A dinner dance was held on Saturday night in the Aras in Rathcarn and Mass was said in Irish in Kilbride at three on Sunday by Father Noel Hornick .I was at that Mass ,which was packed to capacity and a member of each family contributed something to the ceremony.In my own case my granddaughter Aisling Mc Donagh ,whose father Terry is the son of Tommo (R.I.P.) and Mary ,read a lesson and I am as proud as punch of her as her Irish is fluent.
The original arrivals  increased and multiplied well and a fierce crowd turned up.There has been much intermarrying of the Lambay people with other families in the parish and they are contributing much to the community.Terry was a staunch GAA man for Dunderry  Club and County and is training the under six hurlers ,where his son Cormac excels.Aisling is an outstanding camogie player and Tomas Conroy is a hurler of note and a good footballer too.The Currans,O Learies ,Conries and Martins ,Joe ,Patsy ,Domo,Damien,Michael  , the Grogans and the Griffins,Joe,Evelyn and kids Joe ,the exceptionally talented  camogie player Julieanne and Pearse ,to name but a few have all made massive contributions to the GAA here and wider afield.And my dead friend John Conroy enticed five hundred euro membership from everybody in Lambay to help build the Clubhouse ,when money was needed.
Two household names from that neck of the woods ,namely former Labour T.D. Frank Mc Loughlin and T.V.personality Blaithin Coffey and her sisters were at Mass  .Yes they are both Lambay people from Kilbride and Dunderry Parish people.
For the record the people from the West landed in Lambay two years after the people landed in Rathcairn as the houses were built later.
And as a matter of record the GAA pitch in Rathcairn was put there by the contributions of both Lambay and Rathcairn people in days gone by.
I have had the pleasure of drinking,socialising ,falling out with and falling in again with some of thee people of Lambay and very much appreciate the enriching values and customs  they have  shared with us.And yes Missus I will pay you back the Two Euro you loaned me to put on the plate last Sunday.
A resounding congratulations to all involved and a pleasure to be there.