Alan Curran - The gorgeous GSR 800 class. The largest engine to run in the country
Neal O' Hara - Funny how pics I shared are getting attributed to various people on the internet, just glad they are out there for people to enjoy. I'll probably share more on this page as it seems more relevant. For the record this was taken by one of my great uncles, either Joe or Francis O'Hara.
Noel I credit the people that send me the photos I will credit your uncles also for taking the photo
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Photo taken from their Booklet
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Photo ken Larkin
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Noel Fleming history of Sarsfield House Ken Larkin thank you Ken for reposting the article I was able to see it .
The Sons of Divine Providence were founded by St Luigi Orioni
After WW2 .
Thousands of children were orphaned in Italy and he saw the need to care for them so he opened up homes to care for them .
The order grew and spread and eventually they decided to set up a home in Ireland and were given land beside the Ranch where the built a church and a Home for Wayward Boys . There were live in house parents to look after the boys who were for the most part teenagers…
The first priest from the order to live there was Fr Victor who made a great impression on the local people.
They took him under their wing and helped in any way they could . The order worked with the probation services to help keep some of the young men from going down the wrong road … Joe Duffy was a house parent there before joining RTE .
Fr Victor became great friends with our aunt Lucy who ran the little shop on First Avenue and then our Aunt Enda retired from working in the Shelbourne Hotel together with some more local women formed a little committee to make curtains , soft furnishings or whatever was needed for the house or church .
It became a focal point for the community and many local people became traders or Eucharist Ministers in the church.
Fr Victor oversaw the building of the flats on the back field of the Ranch calling them Fr Bidoni Court
And in the complex was a common room for people to meet and this became the place where all the sewing and knitting took place .
My brother SEAMUS worked in a sports wholesalers and often came across material or wool that would be getting dumped and he would bring it home and the ladies in the common room would use their skills to make stuff for Fr Victor to use ….other priests also lived there I can’t remember their names and eventually Fr Victor retired and returned to Italy and the new priest Fr Michael came … in the meantime the need for working with young wayward boys ceased and the original home was converted into flats , so the head priest became an administrator for the complex .
Our great grandparents on both sides came to live in the Ranch when it was built , our grandfather and grandmother were born in the Ranch and to make a point before the boys home was built the land was used as allotments and football was played on the land beside the allotment’s , this area was called the Liffey Hill , generations of children played here , they also played games and football on First Avenue since it was built .
Our family have lived on First Avenue since it was built and we as children played there.
Anyway along comes Fr Michael to take over and a couple of weeks in he was driving out of the gate from the home and some children including my youngest brother Billy’s two sons were playing football there .
He got out of his car and gave out to the children and told them they were not allowed to play there anymore…
When my nephew’s told their dad that evening about the incident, Billy was mad and anyone who knew Billy knew that he wouldn’t let this go so he went over to the home to see Fr Michael who threatened to get the police for him. Needless to say the children continued to play on the avenue.
They eventually found out that Michael had been a policeman in England before becoming a priest , he had a very dictatorial attitude and was never as popular as Fr Victor.
Billy became ill and was in hospital for fifteen months before he passed away and on several occasions Fr Michael came into see him but Billy would never let him anywhere near him .
A lot of local men and women ended up living in Fr Bidoni Court which was great for them in their old age ….
Thanks Ken for sharing that and I hope you don’t find this too long winded …
Kind regards NOEL FLEMING
Ken Larkin
Author
Thank you Noel for that great history and I will add it to the site and send you the link. My own Mother use to cook for the Boys in the late 70s / 80 and worked long side her great friend Joan Tyrrell from Ballyfermot Crescent. Fr Victor along with the other Priests and Brothers were regular callers for Tea to the house. One funny story one of the priests were in our house for their tea and after they left. I was sitting on the couch when I sat on something hard when I looked down one of the older priests had left his false teeth on the couch. When I dropped them down to him the following day he had forgot where he left them. Mu mother had lovely memories working there. Thanks again Noel
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