Peering through A Window in Time

PADDY Brennan’s A Window in Time – Clare, Ennis and its People Framed through the Generations was launched last Friday night at the Old Ground Hotel.

The book in Paddy’s own words is a pictorial history of the county and the county town in particular. The book is inclusive of well-known local characters, including Slabery Guilfoyle, Jackie Devoy and Frank Malone, blacksmiths, to name just some. It also depicts the old laneways of Ennis and a much poorer environment and society, in which many locals headed for the boat to find work. “In A Window in Time, they are recorded for posterity,” Paddy said.
The pictures include street scenes from Ennis and throughout the county now vanished forever. “One that stands out for me is the old market in Ennis, where it was divided in two by houses, where the current Market roundabout now is. Two laneways joined up the two markets until the mid 1960s,” he added.
The book also reflects religious aspects of life in the town and the county, particularly processions, for example, the Corpus Christi procession, with the altar in the market. Paddy remarked, “These are recorded in a chapter called A Changing Ennis. Any church celebration was marked with a procession, showing the strength of the church in times gone by. The times depicted in many of the photographs were different times.”
A Window in Time features many sporting photographs, including a number of the famous 1962 Harty Cup final between St Flannan’s College and Ennis CBS, the one and only time that the two local teams met, with the CBS emerging victorious.
The book covers other sports including soccer, boxing and athletics.
Photos in the book date back as far as 1904. The county scene is covered with school class photos, ranging from Clonlara to Ballyvaughan and Miltown to Newmarket. Team photos from all over the county are also featured, mainly with teams from the 1950s and 60s.
A Window in Time features a section also on the change from old style metal printing right through to modern technology.
“This book is synonomous with my 49 years working in The Clare Champion and my life in Ennis. The idea for the book stemmed from the Times Past section in The ’Champion. This feature was originally all text, until I initiated including a photograph. Arising from that, I got so many photos and each week for many years one ran with Times Past. So in many, many ways, the book has grown from that. I felt this book was something that had to be done,” Paddy explained.
He added that he is delighted to have brought out the book and hopes that it will bring as much joy to people as it has to him.
Profits from the book are going to the Clare 250 Cancer Centre in Ballygriffey
It is available in local bookshops, or from Paddy at 065 6829096.