On Old Grawky Hill

• Things that thrill From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1213 days old)

  Things that thrill Cold beer Tractors in hayfields Girls in vests on sunny days riding bikes down steep hills finishing work early snow cable cars Makes me glad to be alive. What a wonder… more

• Ghosts From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1235 days old)

  What is a ghost?  Do they exist or is it just a big fairy story?  I am sceptical about most alleged supernatural claims however I must confess to a few experiences over the years that have l… more

• Jobs - we all knew what people used to do From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1269 days old)

  The world has moved on a lot in the past thirty to forty years. In towns across Northern Britain huge swathes of heavy industry have disappeared, not too many folks work in textiles, mining or steel … more

• Pubs From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1273 days old)

  When I was young my father, a man who liked beer would often call into a boozer for a libation when we were out and about. As a result I became familiar with the outside of such classy pubs as the Se… more

• 21st Century Employment - its not all its cracked up to be From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1404 days old)

  As I sit staring into space at my high powered workplace. I sometimes forget that I am at work. Cuts and re-organisations have disposed of many of my colleagues and I often find myself alone with pl… more

• The Old House From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1408 days old)

  Folk songs can sometimes be very apt, I think this captures pefectly the emotions that we experience when it dawns on us that some of the big experiences of our lives happened a long time ago: Lon… more

• The value of Cousins From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1416 days old)

  Cousins are funny things. As a child they were the kids you played with when your parents dragged you out on Sundays to visit relatives. As you got older you probably saw them less and less until on… more

• Life on the edge From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1451 days old)

  Living life to the full means what exactly? To some folks its all about adventure going to dangerous places, doing dangerous things facing deadly foes. Extreme sports guys are never happy unless… more

• Christmas a time of Goodwill From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1471 days old)

  Now that you are all busy planning your futures, remember to set aside time at Christmas to enjoy yourself. Reading the various newspaper and magazine articles about Christmas that appear at this tim… more

• Getting the most out of life From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1478 days old)

  Life is one of those things that for most of us just happens. I suggested the other day that those of you fed up labouring in dull jobs should take control of your lives and go and do what you want t… more

• Expectations From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1482 days old)

  What were your expectations when you left school? Get a job, get rich,buy a big car, live in a big house, marry an attractive spouse, have many children and live happily ever after. Maybe you had a … more

• Being Appreciated From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1485 days old)

  Why is it that no one ever gets the praise they are due when they are in a position to benefit from it? At funerals most people agree on the dead person’s good qualities in a way they would nev… more

• Parents From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1488 days old)

  All families have secrets, one of the most common ones is who is your father? Most of us at some point in our lives wonder if we are really related to our parents. People whose values are the polar … more

• The changing of the Guard From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1503 days old)

  Families are funny things. For long stretches they can survive with minimal contact between the constituents. The key events that bind are weddings and funerals. Times when long forgotten friendshi… more

• Age and Conversations From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1509 days old)

  As I get older I frequently find myself telling long convoluted stories about mundane events. This I believe is the first sign of codgeritis a problem that afflicts everyone from early middle age onw… more

• Irish Railways From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1513 days old)

  Rail travel in Ireland is ok if you live in the environs of Dublin(you can get the DART) or if you live in Galway, Cork, Wexford, Waterford, Limerick, Sligo or Belfast in which case you can get one of… more

• Gaelic Football - Tyrone champs again From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1516 days old)

  Well done Tyrone All Ireland football champs for the second time in three years. In my youth I dabbled with Gaelic but never mastered the game, the handling and bouncing stuff was just too confusing.… more

• What is a job? From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1521 days old)

  What is a job? Is it something you do simply to earn money or is it something that you do to define your role in society. When you tell a neighbour what you do at a social event do they mist over and… more

• Full Circle From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1528 days old)

  Before the 1960's woollen underwear was deemed essential for life in the outdoors particularly in the winter. Wool went out of fashion as wonder fabrics like Rayon, Polyester and Nylon were used for … more

• Fuel Crisis From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1531 days old)

  The current 'Oil Crisis' may well be a product of some sharp practices by the oil producing coutries and the big oil firms to push up the wholesale price of crude oil. Certainly other than increased … more

• Does Civilisation disappear when the tap water stops flowing? From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1535 days old)

  Watching events in the American South I was struck by the differences in the way the New Orleans and Mississippi hurricane damage and aftermath has been reported. In New Orleans it would appear civil… more

• Custard or Indian Buck From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1538 days old)

  In the old days of the thirties and forties people lived a lot more simply than they do now. Luxuries were few and far between and many families were practically vegetarian through necessity rather t… more

• The Good Old days From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1553 days old)

  Down by the shore of the Sea Lough in between the glistening ranch bungalows stands my Great Grandparents house. It is still owned by one of my distant cousins but it has fell into rack and ruin. My… more

• TB Vaccination withdrawn From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1557 days old)

  Yesterday I read that mass vaccination for British schoolchildren against TB (the dreaded BCG) has been discontinued. The grounds for this are somewhat cloudy but cost and a shortage of the vaccine a… more

• Transport From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1559 days old)

  My great uncle Pat was the first man in Grawky area to own his own car, back in the 1920s. Before that people walked, travelled by horse, train, bike or boat. In the 1930's my father became the prid… more

• Tourism From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1562 days old)

  Tourists have always enjoyed visiting sites of antiquity to see how ancient civilisations lived. The Grand Tour of the Seventeenth, Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was about absorbing the culture… more

• Castle on the Hill From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1564 days old)

  East of Grawky is another hill. At the top of which is an ancient castle. The view from here is wonderful looking down on the the Big City in the North and out across the Lough to the glens beyond w… more

• The Plantation Town From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1566 days old)

  About eight miles west of Grawky is an old Plantation Town. It used to be a port and a rail head but both industries died out in the early twentieth century. From the forties to the nineties the tow… more

• Childhood Games From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1571 days old)

  As a child I remember playing all the time. From the age of three onwards I played outside with the rest of the kids in the area. I got into scrapes fell in burns, got caught in barbed wire, fell of… more

• Where did the linen industry go? From JohnBKelly in On Old Grawky Hill (1573 days old)

  Listening to my parents and their friends talking about the old days was sometimes fun and frequently tedious. Life in rural Ireland in the 20's, 30's and 40's was hard. If you didn't like broughan … more

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