Peggy Moroney
Interviewed by Órfhlaith Mulligan / photos by Emma O’Brien
Órfhlaith: How long have you lived in the area?
Peggy: 60 years.
Órfhlaith: What’s a fond memory you have of living here?
Peggy: When I was young, my house in Ballymore Co. Longford was a céilí house. Almost every evening after the rosary at 6:30, the neighbours would arrive and wait outside ’til we were finished. They’d come in and sit around the table and play cards, some would throw darts and rings. Sometimes they’d dance the ‘Siege of Ennis’ or something like that. Mammy would make tea and they’d pull at her soda bread! We used to have a 20 gallon skillet pot of potatoes cooking on the fire. Some nights they’d take a cooked potato and eat it with our homemade butter. They’d leave around half eleven or 12 at night. I remember Johnny Brennan, Pat Reynolds and Paddy Higgins. No women came, only Josephine Geraghty and she’d be talking to Mammy. One night I told her that she had hair on her face like my little pet pig! I paid dearly for that!
Órfhlaith: Have you seen this community come back from hard times before?
Peggy: I was born in 1937 and was 8 when World War 2 finished. I remember rations. We would go shopping in Granard and my mother would be looking out for Mrs. Cronogue who might have spare rations books for her. She would send me into the shops looking for her, then we would ‘bump’ into her by the way and get a ration book for more tea! We came back from these hard times because we had nothing and we’re used to nothing. We all relied on each other and helped each other.
Órfhlaith: What are some things that have helped you through lockdown and what brings you joy?
Peggy: My family visiting helped me through lockdown. Even at the height of it, they’d come and we’d sit apart in the kitchen or outside if the weather was good. My grandchildren bring me joy with their stories and their trials and tribulations with school and work. I love to see them getting on and making progress.
Órfhlaith: What does community mean to you? What sort of things are you doing now to stay connected to your community and family?
Peggy: Community means my neighbours. My neighbours Connie and Margaret bring me to mass on Thursdays and Saturdays. My friend Rosemary Reilly and I meet up with Father Jim (The Gunner) Brady and we go to Crover House for a meal every few weeks or so. We catch up with all the stories of the parish.
Órfhlaith: What message do you want to share for yourself and this community in 10 years time?
Peggy: Make friends with your neighbours and don’t fall out over petty things. It’s nice to have friends to bring you through the hard times and you can have a laugh with them, even at the bad things that happen. At the end of it all, you only have family and friends.
Shown below is another photo taken during Peggy’s visit from photographer Emma O’Brien.