Date of Birth: 2nd April 1925

Place of Birth: Crory, Crossabeg

Date Interviewed: 1st August 2009

Summary: Edward Hawkins lives just a short walk from the farm at Crory, Crossabeg , where he was born. He grew up in a farming family and has farmed all his life. He was one of nine children and they all had to help with the various chores around the farm. Edward learned to plough from an early age and on his first attempt in a local ploughing competition he came second. He describes the various seasonal tasks of the farmer’s year. He recalls how as a young boy he would be up at 5am to drive cattle along the road and over Ferrycarrig bridge to the market in Wexford town. Driving sheep to Enniscorthy would take even longer. If things went well his father would treat himself to “a couple of half-ones” in Westgate and Edward would get a lemon soda. However, a real treat was getting the chance to buy a ½ pound of broken chocolate for 4 pence in the L&N shop in Wexford. Edward describes the techniques of harvesting and threshing and well remembers the sound of the corncrake in early summer.