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Family Fortunes: My glamorous parents gave us a wide view of the world

My idyllic childhood was derailed when my father died of cancer at the age of 48

‘I like to look at this picture of the two of them, glamorous and happy, full of optimism and hope’

Anne O'Farrell
Thu Jan 14 2016 - 11:00

We think of the postwar years in Ireland as a time of deprivation and repression, but my parents, who came of age then, were timeless. They possessed an avid interest in international culture and were determined to have their own opinions, despite accepted norms.

My father, Brendan, a man of gentle disposition but with a wicked sense of humour, spoke many languages, loved literature and was a lifelong Francophile. My mother, Joy, a formidable lady with strong opinions, demanded that people justify their arguments, whether they be her children, the parish priest or influential figures she met during my parents’ rich social life together.

They bequeathed their six children a love of books, music and languages. One of my early memories is being brought to the old Stillorgan library, before the shopping centre was built. There, hardback books were locked away in caged presses and the smell of the nearby abattoir assailed our nostrils.

Some Friday evenings we were brought to the SFX Hall on Gardiner Street to hear Mozart or Beethoven, or to struggle to sit still during the uncomfortable sounds of Stravinsky.

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We were sent as children to St Kilian’s German School, which imbued us with a love of languages, other cultures, music and crafts. This in a time of negligible immigration, when few strayed outside the confines of the national school system.

This idyllic childhood was derailed when my father died of cancer at the young age of 48. My mother, who left employment because of the marriage bar, was forced to return to work after 20 years.

She single-handedly held her family together, putting six children through college, borrowing money to become a landlord to help the family finances, and still finding time to work with the Women’s Political Association and taking a successful case against the government to bring in equal pay for female civil servants.

The good times did not last, but I like to look at this picture of the two of them, glamorous and happy, full of optimism and hope, on the cusp of their wonderful life together.

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