Tony Beatty's Story

At the age of 4/5 years I went to Stanhope St Convent. It was a Convent run by the Sisters Of Charity.

I had a nun called Sister Sanaclause; She was a lovely person. My teacher’s name was Mrs Brennan, I remember she was a large lady; She was my teacher from Junior Babies ‘til 1st Class. I made my First Communion in there at 7 years old, I remember we were asked to decide on which School we wanted to attend.

My Mother suggested I go to the Christian Brothers in North Brunswick St. I applied and was accepted and started 2nd Class, I stayed there ‘til I was 14 years old. In the meantime I had done and passed my Primary Cert, and entered Secondary School, I then left after two years and left to go to work. I had applied for 4 different jobs and was ok to start in each.

My Father advised me to go for a job that would have an apprenticeship. There was a firm that was very well established called J&C McLaughlin’s Ltd. that was looking for a boy to serve his time as a Brass Finisher Apprentice. They were in Pearse St. Dublin and not too far away from where I lived.

I was to serve 7 years of which I was to attend Bolton St College at night (3 times a week for 5 years) I did this and passed my Junior and Senior Certs at my trade. The job we did consisted of working with non-ferrous metals. That is metals like Copper, Brass, Bronze etc.

I worked in a lot of churches in Ireland, England , Scotland and Africa. When I was 19 I went on my first big job on my own. It was unusual to be out so early on your own. This was in Cork City at a place called Wilton Cross. I had helped to make a copper house for the top of the Church Dome and also to erect a cross of top of this. There was lots of other work as well. I was working there for about nine months. This was in about 1969.

I also spent about a year in Galway Cathedral where I made the front and side doors (in the factory) and went to site to erect them. The Dome also had a tower 40 ft high called a Flitch. We made rails and statues all in bronze to last a lifetime.

I loved my work and always enjoyed doing it. I was about 20 years altogether on sites. When Brass work was scarce we went into Aluminium work. Erected hundreds of shop fronts. IDA Factories up and down the country. Jobs like Cork Regional Hospital (700 windows and Front Entrances). I went as far away as Calabar West Africa, This was for a Harbour to be constructed for the Nigerian Government, near the border with Cameroon on the West Coast. My firm had made different Buildings (Transit, warehouses, Fire Station, Maintenance & Office Buildings).

I stayed ‘til after I was 36 years with the firm. When it went into liquidation, I was lucky to keep on working with the new firm (only one out of the old firm).

I had run a new part of the firm when I came home from Africa. It was a steel Blasting & Spray Painting Factory. The new firm called Shirlings & Sons, asked me to set it up and keep it running, as they had no one to do it. (I had run it for 5 years) so had no problems. I worked for Shirlings for 14 years ‘til I retired. I had worked 50 years without a break.

In the last few years I had a few accidents. When working with another man loading a trailer, the chains slipped and the 5.5 ton load drove me through the floor of the trailer. I got a bit of a limp but arthritis set in on my spine.

Loading another trailer, 60 frames sprang up and down and sliced off my R.H. finger After surgery they fixed it ok . At the end I got a bad dose of Dermatitis on my face, neck and scalp. I was advised to give up the work to get away from the fumes, vapours and paint, so even with no pension and only 65 I got out of the environment.

After saying all that I was slowing down. I found I could not stand or walk too long. The accident on the trailer had done the damage to my vertebrae at the top and bottom of my spine. I put in for an invalidity pension and got it. It is not much money to receive after all the years but I’m over 66 now so what the heck, I keep going with the help of my Computer & Classes.