Mayo memories: Brylcreem, Ponds, and ham and tomato sandwiches

PART 2

By Tom Gillespie

THE uncrowned queen of entertainment in Castlebar was, without doubt, the late Nan Monaghan of St. Bridget’s Crescent in the county town.

Following a lifetime on the stage, Nan (nee Denning) passed away in February 2011.

Twenty-five years earlier, Nan contributed to the 1989 Castlebar Parish Magazine where she looked back on a colourful career and the characters she met along the way. In later years Nan became the Queen of Panto.

In her article she wrote:

Other great characters on the road were Tony Chambers from Newport, better known to his friends as ‘Monty’, Joe Dunne, Fr. Meehan Place, Mickie Halligan, Lucan Street, Jimmy Feeney, Gerald Ralph, Bernie Murphy, McHale Road, Tom Walsh, Westport, and Tim Davitt, a drummer, who all played with Tony. Tim was the local postman in Newport. I sang with Tony and his band for several years. John Regan, McHale Road, was another popular member of the band.

One gig I did with Tony always stands out in my memory. We played for the 50th birthday of Major Blackwell (the Blackwells of sauce fame). The celebrations were held in a marquee near Mulranny and it seemed half the town and country were at it. Some of his guests flew from England in their private planes and landed on the strand at Mulranny.

A calypso band was flown in from England and the Castlebar Christmas lights were hired out on the night to light up the grounds.

The party started at 8 o’clock in the evening and finished the following morning at 8 o’clock when the maids served breakfast to all the guests.

For the Blackwell gig we were paid £8. You were normally paid for a night’s gig in silver, shillings, sixpences, two bob or half crowns out of a paper bag in the back of the car.

The sum paid depended on the crowd at the dance. If it was small you were cut a few bob in your wages. However, on the night of the Blackwell party we were all paid in pound notes.

On another occasion, while playing with Tony Chambers in Achill, we were given a meal before and after the dance, a real treat in those days. Most hall owners provided sandwiches and minerals. The bigger halls usually served ham and tomato sandwiches.

One particular night in Achill we were told by the hall owner to go across the road to his house, a lovely thatched cottage.

“Sit down there,” he said, “and have a good meal.”

On the table were five cups, a loaf of bread and a knife, a pint of milk, jam and butter - some feed at four o’clock in the morning.

Singing and playing can be very thirsty work and there was one night when there was no sign of refreshments being produced. Towards the end of the dance a youngster marched up the centre of the hall with a large container.

However, our expectations were soon deflated when we discovered it was full of water. I can still see the look of disbelief on Tom Walsh’s face.

The dance halls were in a class of their own. Many of them had gas lighting or paraffin oil lamps. The sound system was worked off batteries. If they ran down the batteries were taken out of the car or van.

This was fine until we tried to start the car, for the homeward journey, to find the batteries were flat. This often resulted in the car having to be pushed several miles, often in rain, hail and snow, to get it started.

Paraffin oil and crystals were put on the dance floor to make them slippery. The smell of paraffin as you walked in the door was overpowering.

Nearly all the boys and girls used to cycle to the dances in the late ‘40s and ‘50s. I can still see the lads coming into the hall removing their bicycle clips from their trousers, putting them in their pockets and finding a safe place for the bicycle lamps and pumps.

Brylcreem was liberally applied to the young men’s hair and the ladies applied Ponds cream and dark red lipstick to make them more attractive.

Occasionally, when some of the young men had too much to drink, a fight might ensue, but come hell or high water, the band played on.

I also played with Paddy Durcan’s band from Middletown, Manulla. There were three brothers in the band - Paddy, Tom and Mick. Joe Dunne played the sax and Jackie Byrne on trumpet.

I sang with Brose Walsh for a number of years. Brose had three sons in the band - John Noel, Thomas and James - as well as Pat Richardson and Seanie Bourke.

Jimmy Deacy and Seamie Gavin also played with Brose. I had the privilege of playing with Dan Doyle in the Brose band. Dan was the gentlest of men and one of the greatest musicians I have worked with.

Later came the Maryland Swingtette. The line-up was Kevin Bourke, Tom Walsh, Padraic McDonald, Dick Gillespie, and the one and only Mickey Guthrie from McHale Road.

I also had the privilege of working with Madame Bourke, a very talented lady who thrilled the many thousands who came to the Travellers Friend Hotel, Castlebar, over the years.

Many of the great troupers on the music scene have gone to their eternal reward. Others are still going strong and bringing happiness into the lives of so many people.

And for myself, I went into another line of entertainment. But that’s another story for another day.