Fond memories of the Redemptorist

Dear Sir,

AS a former resident of St Alphonsus Road, currently living in Wexford, I have recently participated in Mass on Sundays via the Redemptorist, Dundalk, live webcam service. Seeing the Church and hearing the lovely singing brought back memories from many years ago. I started in the Redemptorist choir as a boy soprano when Fr Jones was the choirmaster/ organist and choir practice was held in St Gerard’s Hall beside the side entrance to the church. If you were lucky you might get a few minutes on the full size snooker table before or after the choir practice.

Michael Van Dessel, a native of Belgium, took over as choirmaster/ organist on the passing of Fr Jones. I remember some fine singers in the adult choir and I particularly remember that gifted tenor Brendan O’Dowda, in his prime, singing ‘ O Holy Night’ every Christmas Eve night. It would bring a tear to your eye.

I recall going to 7.30am mass in the Redemptorist every Sunday morning and after mass cycling along a very narrow Ramparts, with Mai from the other shop on Alphonsus Road, to Brennans Newsagents in Park Street to collect the English Sunday papers so that my father would have them ready for customers on the way home from 9.00am mass. The worst part of the journey was the climb up the railway bridge on Alphonsus Road with a large bundle of newspapers on the carrier and on the handlebars of the bike.

I would still recognise some of the names being prayed for at mass and one such person, who was prayed for recently on the anniversary of his passing, was Charlie Kinney who had a bakery specialising in cakes and pastries in Bridge Street and Charlie delivered his produce to our shop twice or three times a week. Kinneys pastries, especially the pink triangles and the cream and jam donuts, were gorgeous. Charlie was a very enthusiastic fisherman and my mother persuaded him to bring me fishing with him to the lakes in Monaghan or Cavan on many a Sunday morning. Thanks Charlie.

Kinneys bakery is long since closed but was replaced in my mind and tummy by the Home Bakery and their Apple Donuts. Still the favourite for a special treat when I now visit the home base. I am reminded that on holidays in Dundalk with my mother many years ago my then 4 year old daughter also sampled the fare of the Home Bakery when my mother met a friend there for tea and cream cakes once or twice a week. My now adult daughter still talks about this.

My mother was one of ten and I had well over twenty first cousins living in and around Dundalk and as a youngster many Sunday afternoons were spent either running wild in the Cooley mountains or on the lovely wide sandy beach in Port with a gang of first cousins.

Summer evenings were spent playing football on the green in Cluan Enda. When I got a bit older Saturday afternoons were spent playing soccer in St Helena Park and Sundays were spent playing summer league soccer, for fun, in Darver with a team made up of the first cousins and a few outsiders or playing Gaelic football with the Gaels and later with Dowdallshill. If not playing football on Sundays some of the cousins would play pitch and putt at the Fairways Hotel or if Dundalk were playing at home we would end up in Oriel Park. C’mon the town.

I always try to visit the Redemptorist for the St Gerard’s Novena in October and in the last few years I noticed that St Gerard’s Hall has disappeared and has been replaced by a parish office and meeting rooms. I wonder does the choir practice there and have the ghosts of Fr Jones and Michael Van Dessel moved to the new location to inspire the choir.

Some months ago I attended the funeral of the last of my mother’s siblings in Dundalk. Claire was in her 105th year and was a lovely gentle lady. May she, and all the other aunts, uncles and cousins and all the neighbours and friends from Alphonsus Road that have passed on rest in peace.

Regards,

Gerard Rice