My Life Sory by Joe Roche

I was informed that I was born near my Mother in Rathmines in 1927. I have no memory of the event. In fact the first event I can recall was the Eucharistic Congress.

My father had a bicycle with a saddle on the crossbar and I traveled around the south City. The docks were always included and the origin and the origin of any ship or cargo was discussed with the local people. This gave me an interest in travel and geography. Thanks to the Library in Rathmines I was able to get books on worldwide travel. I owe Andrew Carnegie a debt for setting up the Libraries in Dublin.

Rathmines in the thirties was a happy time for me. Like all my friends my expectations were simple by today’s standards, for instance one penny could get 16 toffees or a bar of chocolate. Four pennies was the price of Cinema admission. It was usual to try and collect two jam jars and exchange them for four pence in a local shop. It could take half a day to locate two jam jars; but a visit to the Lucy Lane usually brought results, unless other kids had the same idea. Two old pennies would be worth about one cent today.

The summer meant swimming in the Canal or the Dodder and the best of all the sea at Sea Point or the Forty Foot. This meant a lift on the Da’s bicycle so until I could ride a bike sea swims were rare.

Once a year we all went to Bray for the day. The narrow street down to the Sea front was full of shops selling all kinds of desirable goods but the money was in short supply. So it was down to the sea and a swim in very cold water. A small fire was lit and tea made. Boiling water was sold along the front to those who could afford it.

The Emergency (Second World War to the rest of the world) put a different style of life into the Rathmines area. The blackout and rationing and the bombs dropping in the South Circular Road and Terenure made the gang join the Air Raid Precautions Service. Some went to the Fire service while I went to the Emergency Communications. I now had a second hand bicycle and this meant I could go anywhere I wanted.

I went all over Dublin, Wicklow and Meath. I joined An Oige and went into the Six Counties to secure Tea and Cycle Tires which were not available in Dublin unless you knew someone who had a supply. The same applied to chocolate cigs, whiskey and almost everything required for normal living by our standards.

While I was underage I joined the L.D.F. in 1943 and experienced a new outlook on life. Three weeks in Gormanstown under the supervision of CIS Doyle made me appreciate how well off I was at home and yet I grew to love the Army way of life; the comradeship, the organization and even the discipline and most of all the Bullshit. I am glad to say that each year we have a renunion which I always attend.

In 1945 I got a job as an apprentice Electrician and in 1952 I got a job in Manchester which was to change my lifestyle as after a short period I was in charge of all the work the firm carried out in The Republic and Northern Ireland.

In 1956 with the introduction of the Factories act 1955, my skills were saleable and I got a job in a semi-state Company with a pension at 65. I thought I was made. However Market Forces intervened and at very short notice I was told that the management thought I should retire at 60 so that I could enjoy the remainder of my life. My economic state was not taken into consideration.
So in 1987 I found myself in a situation I had not made plans for so I went to the local Citizens Advice Centre. They pointed me in the right direction as to how to preserve my Social Welfare Rights and prepare to reenter the workforce. I eventually got work with the Central Statistics Office and a variety of short-term jobs.

It was at his stage I decided that I owed a lot to The National Social Service Board and I applied to become a volunteer. I was accepted trained and posted to Mount Argus Centre. The expansion of the Sundrive Road Centre made Mount Argus redundant and volunteers were sent to Sundrive.

It was at Community Services Workshop that I was made aware of what’s now the Genie Project and I can operate a computer, go on the Internet, send an email. In addition I have met a small group of wonderful people who have had the same experience as me.

I owe any success in life to my parents, my wife and family, teachers and now members of the Genie Project, in particular Phil for showing me how to type at age 75 and Steve, who demolished all the electronic walls and cul de sacs that I have encountered in the last eight weeks.
I will sign off here.