Getting sober best thing to ever happen me

IT is almost 19 years now since Stephen Guthrie, a member of staff at Liam Cannon’s greengrocery in Castlebar, quit the booze, writes Tom Gillespie.

“I knew I had no choice but to put the cork on the bottle,” he confessed.

The McHale Road native had been working in Heaton McFerron in the town. He admitted: “Unfortunately, the drink took over and the firm had no choice but to let me go. Today I thank the management for that. I became fond of drink and the drink became a serious problem, health-wise and everything. I had a lot of hospitalisation, a lot of my stomach was removed due to bleeding ulcers.

“The year 1996 was possibly the worst year of my life. I had lived with my partner Jane for seven years and sadly she passed away on January 11 due to the disease of alcoholism. I lost my job and the house I was living in. 

“I was glad to see the back end of 1996 and hoped 1997 would improve. However, my drinking continued into the new year.

“I remember the 12th of January, 1997, walking up the Main Street, a broken man. I was beat to the ropes.

“I knew I had no choice but to put the cork on the bottle. I went to my parents’ house and phoned a good friend who I knew had been sober for three years. I asked if he could help me.

“He took me off to a meeting the following day. I remember going into that meeting. I was shaking like a leaf. They told me to sit down and they made me very welcome.

“They offered me a cup of tea. I was not able to hold the cup. One of them told me to sit on my hands and the other poured the cup of tea into me.

“My sobriety started from there up to today. In the end the drink beat me.

“I have nothing against alcohol. I love to see a person having a few drinks and enjoying themselves. There is nothing nicer. I can still go out and enjoy myself without having a drink and I could have probably always done that.

“Getting sober in 1997 was the best thing that ever happened to me. I met my wife, Cindy, in 1998. I walked in to see her father, John Halligan, who had come back from England to retire. There was this beautiful woman sitting there and he said, ‘Steve, this is my daughter Cindy’. Little did I realise that within five months we would be living together as partners and then we got married.

“I have just been blessed really. Things fell into place for me. I started with greengrocer Liam Cannon in 1998 as well. It was a tremendous year for me, meeting Cindy and working for Liam. I had a good number of jobs in between.”

Stephen started working for Christy Hoban in Castle Street when he was about 14. “I got on well with Christy,” he said. “He went up to the parents and asked could I finish school and he would take me on. He wanted me. I worked there until sadly Christy passed away, and shortly after the shop closed in 1971.

“When he closed I moved to Paddy Hoban’s. It was a toss up between Paddy Hoban and Sean Horkan. I spent a couple of months in Hoban’s and then I moved up to Horkan’s. I got on very well with Sean.

“I got a few terms in the Bacon Factory. I had about five terms. I was never permanent. You would be taken on in June or July and you would be kept until shortly after Christmas, when you would be laid off.”

Stephen continued: “But the first job with Christy Hoban was one that I loved. I loved the man. And I love doing what I am doing today with Liam Cannon.

“I was taught a valuable lesson from Christy Hoban. He said, ‘Butsy (that was my nickname), the hardest thing to do in business is to find a customer and the easiest thing to do is to lose one. When you find them make sure you look after them’. I have always tried to look after customers when they come in the door, regardless of who they are.

“It is a privilege working for Liam. He is one nice man and very fair. Hopefully we can keep going for another number of years.

“The most important thing in my home is peace and contentment. I was blessed after I got sober that Cindy and I were able to buy a house.”

Stephen got involved with Castlebar Pantomime in 1988. He explained: “It was just by chance you know. I auditioned. I thought I was going into the chorus. But they gave me the part of Wishy Washy in Aladdin, to be Aladdin’s brother. I never enjoyed anything as much with my good friends Sean Lyons, Frank Forde, Lar Davis, Mary McHale and Claire Kenny. The late Nan Monaghan would have been partly responsible for getting me the audition at the time.

“I spent a good couple of years with the panto. My favourite would have been Beauty And The Beast. I thought there were tremendous characters in it. I worked with Mary Lally in it. We were the two sisters of beauty.

“I also did a couple of plays along with Ann Garavan and The Castle Players. We were the very first group ever to put a play on Midwest Radio. Spring was the name of the play and I had the very first lines in it. I enjoyed the stage. There was no fear there.”