Jean's Journal: 'Negative Nellies' and changing grandmothers
by Jean Farrell
It’s a pity that the photograph above doesn’t come with sound. If it did, you would be able to hear Tommy Berry singing ‘Jail House Rock’ and your toes would be tapping! Mine were, on a recent Saturday morning in Irishtown.
The lovely song lifted my heart and sent me on my way smiling.
Later, that same afternoon, I again walked along Irishtown and this area was crowded. People were sitting on the seats chatting away. Others were listening to a different singer, enjoying his songs.
This is a buzzing part of our town now. Many folk walk along it on their way from the towncentre to Golden Island, via Dunnes Stores.
Do you know that hundreds of shoppers come from all over the west of Ireland and the Midlands to shop in Athlone? We have a fine town indeed.
I’m enjoying Gearoid O’Brien’s articles in the Westmeath Independent about the shops we all remember from our past. The purple shop in the photo was Brett’s. It is now a St Vincent de Paul shop. There are a great many second-hand books for sale here, including lots for children books also.
As the tiles were being laid in this area folk said, “Oh, they’ll be very slippy on wet days,” and other similar negative comments. This is not the case at all.
I hate to hear negativity. We read many complaints about trouble on our trains and on the Luas. My friends and I regularly travel to Dublin. Free-travel for our age is a wonderful concession.
In almost all cases the trains are on time, they are clean, and we feel very safe. It’s the same on the Luas, both red and green. I have never felt unsafe and am always offered a seat, usually by a person of colour.
“There’s nothing to do in Athlone,” is another complaint I hear. How wrong these moaners are! There is every variety of sports’ clubs in town, to suit all tastes and ages.
If none of those interest you there are numerous other clubs in town. Some that come to mind are bridge clubs, book clubs, chess clubs, knitting groups, patchwork groups, men’s sheds, as well as lots of choirs, and our wonderful library
Athlone Regional Sports Centre has enough going on there to keep a person occupied all day long. One can walk and swim or partake in the numerous activities in their very fine gym.
Whether you are a toddler in the junior playground or an oldie at Exwell, there is something for all in Athlone Regional Sports Centre.
So, I say to all the negative Nellies and Neds - instead of sitting at home on your phone complaining - get up, get out and get a life!
I was sorry to miss the recent opening of The Mary O’Rourke Bridge. This lovely event took place at the same time as Grandparents’ Day was held in our grandchildren’s National School.
As I looked around the packed hall, full of grandparents, I noticed wheelchairs and walking aids parked there. I thought to myself, “Isn’t it awful being the same age as old people!” All the men had grey hair or none! Us women had a bit of colour in ours, thanks to lotions, potions and good hairdressers!
As I watched my two lovely granddaughters singing, I was very proud of them and delighted to be able to attend this joyous event. I thought of friends whose grandchildren are in schools in Brisbane, Amsterdam and California.
Grandparents matter. We must never underestimate our influence on this generation. After all, we reared those who are rearing them. Life may be changing but the basic values our parents passed onto us are the ones we passed onto ours, who in turn are passing them onto our grandchildren.
I’m thinking of values like respect for others, tolerance, honesty, kindness, self-disciple and common-sense - to name but a few.
I wouldn’t pay much heed on how they behave as teenagers at all, for they are only testing boundaries and finding their feet. It gladdens my heart to see my adult children, in their late forties, having the values their grandparents passed onto me.
We must take into account too that much of their basic characteristics are in their genes. As I’ve written here before - our ancestors sleep in our blood and brains, their packets of DNA neatly arranged pretending not to matter, but oh how they do! In Irish we learnt, ‘Briseann an dúchas trí shúile an chait,’ in English, ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’
I’ve taught generations of children here in Athlone. I see, over and over again, how the values (good and bad) of their parents are shared now with their grandchildren. It gives truth to the saying - to know how your children will turn out, you need to go back 100 years.
Isn’t it amazing how young grandparents have become since we became one ourselves! A group of my friends and I were discussing our own grannies, lately. Most of these women were born at the end of the century before last. My maternal grandmother was born in 1888.
When I was a young teenager she was aged 75, the age I am now. I recall an old old woman, always dressed in black, clutching her big handbag to her big bosom! She wore awful thick stockings through which I could see awful varicose veins.
My granny was a strong woman, full of self-confidence. My mother was the same. And I am too, thanks to them.
I repeat, grandparents matter!
jeanfarrell@live.ie