Missing the usual Easter feast of sport
EASTER SATURDAY was a glorious day, the sort of carefree morning, afternoon and evening where briefly you get lost in positivity and convince yourself that all is right with the world.
Watching pink and white cherry blossom petals spiralling slowly to earth, rhythmically fluttering as they’re caught by the gentle, almost non-existent breeze as you while away an hour or two under the heat of the welcome sun.
It wasn’t all lazing about, as the family came together to play a mini soccer match, we kicked balls over the bar from all angles and practised hurling skills in the sweet spring sunshine, as the latest addition to our crew, a fourmonth-old Miniature Schnauzer, chased us around playfully, trying to ensure he wasn’t the only one missing out on the fun and games.
It sounds like an idyllic afternoon in the quiet countryside, and in many ways it was, but something was gnawing away at the back of the brain reminding me that all was not hunky dory, and for once it wasn’t the pup doing the chewing.
As the sun tickled the back of my neck, my mind drifted to what I would normally be doing had life been carrying on in the manner that we would all consider to be normal.
The morning would have been spent shouting encouragement from the sideline and trying to juggle soccer matches and Gaelic games blitzes in that complicated period where tough choices have to be made as the seasons overlap.
Then, as it’s bang in the middle of the club month of April, it would be off to some local G.A.A. ground to get my teeth into a bit of feisty championship action as sides continue to shake off the cobwebs of the winter months and put themselves in the best possible position to challenge for honours at the business end of the season as autumn rolls into winter.
In an ideal world, the local Junior soccer scene should have been hotting up similar to Saturday’s pleasant weather as titles are farmed like potatoes and teams eye their day in the sun with cup final appearances, but the closest thing I got to competitive action on Sunday morning was helping the young lads search for the Easter Bunny’s bounty.
At least my line of work means I still get to chat sport with the subjects of interview pieces, and it keeps the old grey matter ticking over putting their thoughts and my own musings into words, but that pretty much is the entire sum of competitive sport in my life right now.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been a great one for watching full games that I already know the outcome of, so there will be no binge watching of titanic battles of the past for me.
I can manage highlights reels of classic G.A.A. games, magic moments from the Premier League and beyond, or some such entertainment to soak up an hour or two, but, as I sink into my spot of the sofa, the patience never manages to stretch to a full 70 or 90 minutes when I know what the scoreboard will read at the final whistle.
Of course, there are far more important things in life than sport, especially when you consider those out there with real concerns, but we all know that when players of all ages return to the playing fields it will be a real tonic for the mind and the soul and help to give the country the lift that it will need after enduring such hardship.
The pessimist in me believes we won’t see any live sporting action at all this summer, and we’ll be into September or October before we hear the smack of a boot on leather, the crunching clash as two hurls collide, or the excited chitter-chatter of eager young children as they return to the training field with broad smiles.
Hopefully I’m well off kilter here and life returns to something resembling normality sooner rather than later.
Until that glorious day, we should cherish whatever special moments come our way and promise to never, ever take anything for granted again.
What I wouldn’t give to watch a bit of Junior ‘B’ hurling right now.
other skin complaints. ‘Clarkes Blood Mixture gets to the root cause of the complaint by cleansing the blood of impurities. Everyone, of all ages, will derive benefits by taking this famous medicine, the proven remedy for blood and skin complaints. Insist upon CLARKES BLOOD MIXTURE - the original Blood Purifying Medicine - equally good in liquid or tablet form.’
Yet another advertisement for Clarkes Blood Mixture headed ‘Blood Impurities Affect Vitality’ stated ‘Impurities in the blood cause many serious complaints, and unless these are arrested in the initial stages vitality is lowered and relief cannot be obtained. CLARKES BLOOD MIXTURE is the reliable medicine for relieving Rheumatism, Lumbago, Rheumatic Aches and Pains, Pimples, Boils, Rashes, and many other Skin Complaints. Insist upon Clarkes Blood Mixture. The Original Blood Purifying Medicine. Equally good in liquid or tablet form. Sold everywhere at all Chemists and Stores.’
Another product aimed specifically at women was Bile Beans - The Spring Tonic & Blood Purifier which posed the question - ‘Why not a Lovely Clear Skin for Spring. This was answered with ‘ The first essential of personal charm is a skin without blemish, a complexion without fault. If your blood is free of harmful toxins, the complexion reveals it, especially so in Springtime. A clear, healthy skin is the reflection of that perfect ‘inner health’ which nightly Bile Beans bring. Cleansing the system of fat-forming wastes, toning up the digestion and improving your appearance and vitality, these fine vegetable pills provide the foundation of personal charms. So if you want to be admired for your lovely, fresh complexion and radiant health, start with Bile
Beans tonight.’
Carters Little Liver Pills was a rival product which offered users vitality claiming that users ‘would jump out of bed in the morning full of vim and vigour.’
‘Did you hear? There’s CARRAGOL for the children! Mothers everywhere are passing on the good news that Carragol - the splendid nourishing emulsion of cod liver oil, Carrageen Moss and hypophosphites - is more plentiful this year. So it will be easier to keep children free from coughs, colds, and other winter ills.’ [Available] from chemists. [Price] 1s.3d., 2s.9d., and 4s.6d. Reflecting the acute shortage of glass containers, users were encouraged to ‘Return the jar complete with cap to your chemist please. Future supplies of Carragol depend on this.’
RHEUMATISM - Don’t neglect the first symptoms - twinges of pain in your limbs and body. Drive out the pain with Sloans - It’s wonderful what a few applications do. The soothing, warming liniment penetrates to the Inflamed tissues, stimulates the circulation and stops the pain. Sloans Liniment is just as good for lumbago, sciatica, backache, sprains, bruises and cramp. Sold in all Chemists and Stores. SLOANS Liniment KILLS PAIN.
The worry of Constipation - The remedy for constipation and its worrying symptoms is a dose or two of Beecham’s Pills, the perfect laxative. Get some Beecham’s Pills today and look after yourself. 1s.1d. and 2s.9d. (packed in Eire). Also in PENNYWORTHYs.
She doesn’t know she’s going GREY - That the tragic thing about most hair troubles -they’re so insidious that they’ve got a grip before you know it. And nothing ages a woman more than greying, thinning, faded, lack-lustre hair. But she - and you - can quickly end age-adding hair troubles. All that’s needed is a course of Mutesco. This timeproved tonic promotes growth, restores the natural colour, stops falling and clears away dandruff. From chemists [priced] 1s.9d. and 3s.9d. She needs Mutesco - The Monastery Hair Tonic.
In the version of this advertisement aimed at men, they were told ‘Men - Look Ten Years Younger Now’ with the same claims being made.
Other products being advertised included ‘DDD Prescription for Skin Disorders, Boils, Rashes, Acne, and Dermatitis’; ‘Fynon’s Salts for Rheumatism’; ‘Maclean’s Brand Stomach Powder’ and ‘Bisurated Magnesia’ for stomach disorders; asthma suffers were promised relief by ‘Silbe Asthma Tablets’ , while ‘Aspro’ tablets sold in packets of 5 for 3d. and 27 for 1s.3d., promised relief from headaches, colds and a variety of painful conditions.
Wednesday March 28th was Ash Wednesday and marked the commencement of Holy Week with all the various liturgies and ceremonies associated with it commencing in all the churches of the different Christian denominations active in the town at that time.
This was the last day until Easter Sunday that places of entertainment were open as they then closed down until Easter Sunday as did other various forms of entertainment until that day. At the monthly meeting of the Town of Bray Vocational Education Committee, chaired by Rev. R. Brady, present were Mr. E. J. Little, Mr. Edward Byrne, P.C., Mr. J. Duffy, P.C., Mr. D. J. Bateman, P.C., Mr. M. Dempsey, Mr. G. Byrne, Mr. P. Ledwidge, Mr. D. Sayers, and Mr. R. J. Connolly standing in for Mr. J.F. Meagher, Chief Executive Office. The meeting was of a brief duration with nothing of significance being discussed.
The days between Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday were busy ones for the clergy of the different religious denominations as they carried out all the religious ceremonies associated with Easter, while traders carried on as normal.
Continuing to Saturday March 31st - Holy Saturday, the Department of Supplies published their latest notice detailing the Maximum Retail Prices that traders could charge customers for items. This notice applied to cloth, clothing footwear, sewing threat, knitting wools and yarns, leather (sole), animal feeding stuffs, fertilizers, shot-gun cartridges, horse-shoe nails, and mild steel. It was illegal for trader to sell any of these items above the permitted price and any purchaser of these items who felt that they had been overcharged was advised to submit their complaint in writing to the Department of Supplies, Ballsbridge, Dublin, for investigation and any follow up action required i.e. prosecution.
Later that evening in a Raidio Éireann broadcast, Mr. J. Carroll, B.Sc. spoke about the damage caused to fruit by insect pests and how they could be eliminated at a time when there no fruit imports and only domestic fruits were available.
Easter Sunday was busy one for all the clergy in the town due to the various religious ceremonies associated with that day but it appears that the Easter week-end was a relatively quiet one with no difference to any of the previous week-ends. Coming so early in the year it lacked much of the spirit of previous years. But nonetheless trains and buses brought plenty of visitors to the town on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday and were packed to capacity since no additional services were provided to bring people out from Dublin or to return home. Those who missed the last bus or train home simply had to walk home or stay overnight until the next day’s services commenced. The biggest attraction in the Bray area on Easter Sunday night was the Bray Licensed Traders and Assistants’ dance in the Opera House, Woodbrook, Bray, from 9pm to 2am, in aid of the funds for the new Catholic Church. The bar service was provided by the Royal Hotel. Bray, and in a sign of times, a free bicycle park was provided.
A forthcoming local event was the Bray Harriers’ Hunt Club Calary Race Dance in the Bray Head Hotel on Tuesday April 10th from 10pm to 3am. Tickets which were 8s. 6d. included supper with Evening Dress as the attire.
Away from Bray that Easter Sunday, in Berlin Adolf Hitler moved his headquarters from the Reich Chancellery to a series of bunkers underneath where he would remain until the end of April when he took his own life. In the Pacific the U.S. 10th Army landed on the Japanese held island of Okinawa and would face intense Japanese resistance until June 20th when the surviving Japanese forces surrendered.
As life resumed in the town on Tuesday April 3rd, the death was announced of Mr. Edward Byrne, P.C., member of the Bray Urban District Council, following a brief illness. Born in 1870, he was one of the founding members of the Bray Labour Party in 1913, and a founding member and first Treasurer of the Bray and Kingstown and District Trades Council. In January 1920 he was elected as a Labour Party for the West Ward of the Bray Urban District Council and was co-opted a member of Wicklow County Council in 1921 and served as chairman of both these bodies. He gave long and dedicated service to these bodies and to the other public bodies he sat on and was always interested in providing better housing for the working-class and was responsible for a number of housing in Bray and other parts of Co. Wicklow. His son Edward Byrne (1908-1994) and grandson John Byrne, also gave a long and distinguished service.
Advancing to Friday April 6th, at the opening of the Bray District Court before Mr. Liam Price, D. J., the District Justice tendered his sympathy to the relatives of the late Edward Byrne on their recent loss and was joined by the legal representatives present in this. Cases heard related to an shot gun accident to a vermin exterminator in the grounds of Loreto Convent, Bray the previous October in which it emerged that the sister from the Order who held the license for the shot-gun was the only permitted user and could not delegate her authorisation to another user. While the exterminator was guilty of an offence by using the shot gun, the case was dismissed and the Probation Action applied; the dog of a Greystones man which attacked a 78-year old woman was ordered to be put down as its owner what not complied with a previous court instruction to keep his dog under proper control at all times; the owner of the Horse and Hound, Delgany, for fined £2 for a beach of the licensing laws after ten people were found drinking on the premises at 00.52 a.m. on Sunday March 18th.
Six were fined 6s. each, one 5s., and the remaining three 3s. each; a man who allowed 7 cattle was fined 14s., and a Dundrum motorist 2s. 6d. for an unlighted motor car.
And that’s how austerity Easter 1945 was in Bray...........