Creative Writing Eileen Casey
Life story in lockdown
My paternal grandfather and his people before him, built a lot of the still standing fine buildings in Birr, County Offaly, including the Post Office
Hi everyone, it’s good to be back and to be writing for Senior Times again. It’s some semblance of normality in these abnormal times. Just before the lockdown I received good news from a friend. Seven years ago, I attend my nephew’s wedding on Long Island. A glorious day, beautiful wedding and wonderful guests. Among them was one really interesting lady, the bride’s grandmother, Walstrout (Wally) Stanton. Wally married an American after WW2 and had a very happy life with him. Indeed, her whole life to date is a life well lived. I featured Wally in Senior Times many years ago but I’d just like to say that yes, her memoir is published Do not be Afraid where she recounts growing up in Germany as a young girl and her transitioning to America when she eventually married her husband. Memoir is a fascinating subject. We all have stories to tell. .I spent the lockdown researching my paternal grandparents. The Cordial name is associated with building in County Offaly. Stonemasons for generations, my paternal grandfather and his people before him, built a lot of the still standing fine buildings in Birr, County Offaly, including the Post Office. The Cordial name and its association with stonemasonry is mentioned in Jackie Lynch’s My Hometown , a beautiful book of photographs featuring buildings of note in Birr. So because of my lockdown research, I thought it a good idea to encourage readers to explore their family history. Memoir is a wonderful way to pass down the legacy of family lore. It’s fair to say that tracing the family tree, while being a specialised area, is also far more accessible nowadays. Genealogy, for example, is online 52 Senior Times l August 2020 l www.seniortimes.ie
James Joyce was always trawling through newspapers, especially The Courts’ Section. However, for mining family history, it definitely helps to be a hoarder
with lots of really strong websites and if you are going down that route, you will already know that these quests usually begin with documents (birth certificates etc.). Researching old newspaper archives can often yield a gem from a particular timeframe, a gem which will sparkle in your writing. For example: On one of my trips to the States, I came across a commemorative newspaper journal which gives the front page for all the inaugurations of American Presidents. Together with details of these events however, there’s also lovely references to the news of the day, including advertisements. I discovered that some years before the sinking of Titanic, The Duchess of Manchester refused to pay the excise on corsets she had brought in from France and that they were impounded and placed in a warehouse for public auction. Again, these details may be a case of one man’s meat, another man’s poison but there’s often enough ‘meat on the bone’ to feed the imaginative juices. James Joyce was always trawling through newspapers, especially The Courts’ Section. However, for mining family history, it definitely helps to be a hoarder (not in ‘Hoarder next Door’ mode) but to be able to hold onto papers/objects that are definitely going to help you write your memoir. Letters are extremely important to keep. I purchased a box of ‘crap’ (my husband’s words) recently at a car boot sale. However, in the box I found a letter dated 12th August, 1914 from The Travellers’ Aid Society (a society set up to help vulnerable young women travelling on boats and trains in search of work). I’m chuffed by the idea of having a letter that’s one hundred years old. I may be able to use it in a ‘factional’ way in a memoir. Overall, I keep important things, at least they are important to
