Date of Birth: 25th July 1938

Place of Birth: Talbot Street, Wexford

Date Interviewed: 13th November 2009

Summary: Renee Cleary spent her first eleven years living in a thatched house on Talbot Street in Wexford. Electricity was installed in 1945, there was a water tap in the yard and an outside toilet. She and her friends played lots of street games as there was little or no traffic – ‘relievio’ was a particular favourite. She went to confession every week and attended mass every morning during Lent. Every house had a “sick call set” for the priest to use when he called. Renee talks of how women were “churched” whenever they gave birth. The old house was eventually condemned and the family moved into a new home at 11 St. Aidan’s Crescent. Renee joined the Catholic Girl Guides in Wexford and spent her teenage years earning badges and going on camping trips.