Interviewed by Minny Timlin

Minny: How long have you lived in the area?
Drewey: 91 years.

Minny: What’s a fond memory you have of living here?
Drewey: My fondest memory is when my family and I moved into our new house in 1952 and how proud they were of their new house. I still live in that house!

Minny: Have you seen this community come back from hard times before?
Drewey: When I was 16, cattle were sold for about 20 pounds which wasn’t a lot. When Ireland was thinking of joining the EEC, this community nominated a man to travel to Brussels to find out what would happen if Ireland joined. When this man returned, he told them cattle would get 70 pounds for their cattle. The community thought he was joking because of how much money that was!

Minny: What are some things that have helped you through lockdown and what brings you joy?
Drewey: Farming was a great help to overcome boredom during lockdown. I liked being able to spend time with my cows. I enjoyed being able to watch the cattle mart on TV to bring a sense of regularity to my life. I liked having neighbours close by that I could safely call to and see during lockdown.

Minny: What does community mean to you? What sort of things are you doing now to stay connected to your community and family?
Drewey: I’m proud of how I was connected to my community when I was younger, but now that I’m older I haven’t stayed regularly connected besides going to mass and the pub and seeing people there.

Minny: What message do you want to share for yourself and this community in 10 years time?
Drewey: I hope people in the community will keep well and survive and get back to business after Covid, and keep working away as before.

Shown in the images below is the art that Minny created in response to her interview with Drewey – hand prints of hers and Drewey’s.