APHEddie Somer’s Memories
Eddie Somer’s Memories
Eddie’s grandfather was a native of Co. Wicklow while his grandmother came from Carbury, Co. Kildare. His father was born in 1905 and died in 1964.
The family moved to Athenry on the 7th of October 1907 when his father got the position of a Herd in the Agricultural Farm, now known as Mellows College. Paddy Dobbyn, who worked on the Farm, met them at the railway station and both families have been very close and good friends ever since.
Move to Athenry
The family lived in the single-storey Newford House with Jimmy Somer’s father and mother in one half and Eddie and family in the other. There was an R.I.C station beside the Ennis bridge.
The agricultural farm, consisting of 690 acres, had been owned by the Goodbody family from 1860 and was sold to the British government in 1904. Four generations of the Somers family have worked as herds on the Farm: Eddie’s grandfather, his brothers J.J. and Mickey and, presently, his nephew, Gerry. The job of a herd entailed looking after the sheep and cattle on the farm.
Family
His father married Mary Madden from Baunmore in 1929 and they had four boys: Eddie, born in 1930, J.J. born in 1932, Mickey born in 1940 and Paddy born in 1942.
Education
Eddie started his education in 1934 in the Presentation Convent National School where his first teacher was Sister Dominic. Other staff members were Masie Waldron, Mrs. Glynn and Sister Ignatius. After making his First Holy Communion in 1937 he moved to the Boys’ National School in Abbey Row in September of that year. Three years later he, along with all the pupils and their teachers, Sean King, Mrs. Woods and principal, Mr. M.J. Walsh, marched together to the new Boys’ School in Old Church Street. There he learned the 3Rs together with Algebra, History and Geography, all through Irish. Regretfully, he didn’t do singing as he had no singing voice. There were 94 pupils on Rolls in 1945. Lunch time was from 12.30 to 1.00 p.m. As the playground behind the school was very small, he and his friends Tommy O’Dea, Jim Kearns, Albie Byren, Paddy Regan and Gerard Collins played in the nearby ‘Back Lawn’, now Kenny Park. Sadly most of his class emigrated to England after leaving school.
World War 2
Eddie clearly remembers the start of World War Two on the 3rd of September 1939 and the ‘spike’ poles in the middle of the fields around the town to prevent German planes from landing.. There was a ‘blackout’ in force with all windows covered after dark. He also recollects the U.S Air Farce Flying Fortress Bomber crash – landing in the field beside Mellows College in January 1943 with top U.S Army Generals on board.
After Primary School
Having completed 8th class he left school in January 1945. He didn’t attend secondary school as there was none in Athenry at the time. The nearest secondary school was in Loughrea.
Serving his time
Shortly afterwards he saw an advertisement for an apprentice in Fitzsimons’ Drapery Shop in North Gate Street.. He applied for the position and was called in for an interview. He was given a mathematical tables test, which he passed with ‘flying colours’, He got the job and he started on the 4th of February. His work day began at 9.30 a.m. and ended at 7.00 p.m. His first task was to string buttons. He went home that evening and told his parents that ‘he was not going in there any more’. He didn’t keep that promise and he went on in later years to own the business.
No ready-made clothes
There were no ready-made clothes available so all items had to be hand made to order. In 1946 a shirt with a linen front and ‘fly-away’ collar cost nine shillings and shoes were 30 shillings. Boots were made from pliable ‘Kip’ leather. Children’s boots were made by James Boylan and Co., Emyvale, Co. Monaghan. There were hand-made, screwed and stitched. And cost twelve shillings and nine pence. A man’s three-piece suit cost 5 pounds and 10 shillings. The cloth weighed and each suit consisted of seven parts. Every second week with cloth for eight suits on the back of the bicycle, Eddie cycled to Tommy Higgins, the tailor, at Annagh Cross.
Eamon Costello
At that time Tommy’s apprentice was a lad named Eamon Costello. In 2010 Eddie was walking down a street in Medejorie when he heard a voice calling his name. Who was it but Eamon who recognized Eddie after 64 years? Eamon, who was reared in an industrial school, told him that after serving his time with Tommy Higgins he worked in Dublin, Limerick and Sligo before moving to England and starting his own business. He retired to Kilconnell and every day visits a local nursing home to say the Rosary with the residents.
