Working in The Lodge in Tourmakeady in the 1940s

IN the 2001 Tourmakeady annual Waterfall magazine, Mary Lally from Derryveeney contributed an article, recalling how she went to work at The Lodge, Tourmakeady, in the early 1940s when she was 16 years old, writes Tom Gillespie.

She wrote: I had a vague idea where The Lodge was located - somewhere in the woods and that the avenue from the grand gate led to the big house.

As far as I know, the Churchfield people knew very little about The Lodge, or Drimbawn.

Some had worked in the woods and on the land but I don’t think any local girls had worked in the Big House until the 1930s.

I was told to call for an interview on a certain day. I was very excited about going to work and the prospect of having a few shillings for myself. My parents had their reservations at first but another local girl worked there and her parents had no complaints so I had my first venture into the working world.

At that time the place was run as a Grade A guesthouse by an elderly gentleman and his niece - I have forgotten their names. They were reasonable people and not too hard to work for.

They had an English accent and I found it hard to understand for at least a few weeks.

The very first evening I went there I had to wait on a table for at least 15 dinner guests. I had no notebooks and it wasn’t easy to remember what each person wanted.

They would have at least six or seven courses, all cooked to a high standard and brought to table beautifully presented on the best of china and silverware.

It would have been a very busy day in the kitchen for the cook who was a local girl who had trained in the art in some school or convent. I helped and soon learned a lot about food and cooking.

The lady of the manor often helped and made some savouries. Today (2001) they would be known as ‘starters’.

That first day, as what was known as high tea was being prepared for some guests, she said to me: “Bring in the eggless, milkless, butteries cake for tea.” “God bless us,” I said to myself, “what sort of cake could be an eggless, milkless, butteries cake?”

It turned out to be a boiled fruit cake with brown sugar and a spoonful of dripping. It looked and tasted very good.

The Lodge today (2001) is not a quarter of what it was in the old days of the affluent gentry. It was so luxurious and beautiful. Most of the carpets were like mink or some expensive fur. The drawing room was out of this world. The dining room had those huge old paintings, some of which were ancestors of the owners who seemed to watch and stare at you as you moved around as if to say: “I’m still here and watch yourself.”

The beautiful big marble fireplace must have been the relics of the landlords who persecuted the local people and were long gone. Even though the fireplace was beautiful there was still some strange coldness about them that I couldn’t understand.

It was like a haunted room, this big dining room, even with all its silverware, grandeur, paintings, etcetera.

That year of 1940 was a fairly busy year at The Lodge. The guests, I’d say now, would have been the remnants of the gentry and aristocrats of that era. The ladies dressed beautifully for dinner in their long silk and velvet gowns, with jewellery and diamonds of every hue.

They had some big hunting parties there. One in particular stands out in my mind as that evening the hall carpet was rolled back to open up a cellar door that I never knew existed.

Loads of the most beautiful silver was taken up out of there for this special hunting party.

There were big bowls and small ones. Silver jugs and silver trays, candlesticks, silver platters, gravy boats and lots more, and not to mention the special china and glassware. The tables gleamed with silver and glassware, also the sideboards and side tables.

When I saw the silver being taken from the cellar I said to myself: “Now I know why you always go around at night after me closing the strong shutters and latching them securely.”

I think he never missed a night that he didn’t check those closed shutters and clasps. All that valuable silver had to be secure in the cellar.

When the hunters gathered in and dinner was well prepared, the gong was struck and they all gathered in the dining room. They were mostly men. This time our own local priest was one of the guests. It was nice to see one of our own.

Dinner went well and afterwards the priest delivered a nice speech. He wasn’t long here at the time. Among the things he said was that he often walked up the avenue and wondered who was in The Lodge or what went on there. I’m sure he was as gobsmacked as myself to see all the silver and all the luxury that abounded there.

They always had a late dinner which meant we had to work late so it was a long day from 7 a.m. until almost midnight at times. The guests usually retired to the drawing room where coffee was served and some played billiards in the spacious billiards room.

I don’t think they drank much as I never saw anyone drunk there. Now and again we got tips but not a lot.

They employed two gardeners full time. There was a big walled garden and an orchard. Nearly all the food was grown there, except for meat. They had all kinds of vegetables and fruit but it was brought into the kitchen fresh every day.

There were broad beans, runner beans, string beans and various other kinds. Artichokes, various kinds of cabbage, celery, sweet potatoes, beetroot and all kinds of potatoes, turnips, carrots, onions, lettuces and much more besides that I have forgotten.

Then the luscious fruit. All kinds of eating and cooking apples, plums, pears, figs, lovely green and red gooseberries, black and red currants, and many more.

The apples were put to a lot of use. We made all kinds of puddings and sweets for dessert. There was snow apple, apple amber, apple pie and apple dumplings.

The other fruits were also put to a lot of use as puddings and various dishes. A lot of it was bottled and preserved as it came into season and put away in the storeroom.

The big Aga cooker in the big kitchen was a masterpiece. There was a huge hot press as well. All of the bed linen and table linen was taken to town to the laundry.

That reminds me of the big yard and stables close to the orchard and garden. Those fine buildings were of the finest cut stone. Some were two storeys, with large granaries, and had the best of wood flooring with nice windows.

The horse stables alone would have made the finest of houses.

Even the old wash house or laundry was there with its ancient large sinks and wringers. No washing machines then!

Towards the end of the year a big change came to The Lodge. World War II was raging in Europe and there was rationing and scarcities of all kinds of foodstuffs, clothing, coal and oil - almost everything.

The lady of the house often came into the kitchen and talked at length about the war. She had family members active in the service and some had gone overseas. She was so proud of them and firmly believed the allies were winning the war and fast. That was long before America entered the war.

Christmas came and there were big celebrations with rich cakes and puddings, turkey and spices and other goodies.

They were generous to us at Christmas. I remember getting a lovely teddy bear full of chocolate, a nice scarf and gloves and a brooch.