Date of Birth: 25th July 1934

Place of Birth: Distillery Road, Wexford

Date Interviewed: 17th October 2008

Summary: Marie Flanagan was born in No.2 Distillery Road, Wexford. The nurse took her from her mother as soon as she was born to be baptised in Bride Street Church – this is why the name on her baptismal certificate reads Mary instead of Marie, in spite of her mother’s wishes. She was a happy child, content with school, and never bored as there were always games to be played, especially up in ‘The Rocks’. Her father was away in the British navy and Marie remembers a very upsetting time when he was missing in action and presumed dead. Fortunately he turned up alive and well in a hospital. After some unpleasant experiences as a teenager working as a domestic help Marie went to London and remembers seeing the bombed buildings as a result of the Blitz. She worked at various jobs there and particularly recalls the ‘Pea-souper’ London smogs where you would be completely lost. Marie had to spend some time away from her young family when she was diagnosed with TB but fortunately she made a full recovery. She returned to Wexford, the town she still loves, but remains critical of some of the planning decisions of modern times.