Date of Birth: 28th September 1936

Place of Birth: 94 Wolfe Tone Villas, Wexford

Date Interviewed: 7th July 2009

Summary: John Lacey was one of twelve children growing up in Wolfe Tone Villas in Wexford town. John says “we were starving” but admits “I had the greatest childhood of all time”. Life was tough for the family. John started working part-time when he was nine and left school at fourteen to work in Liptons in Wexford. His father was a docker and almost lost his leg in a terrible accident that left him out of work for three years. John and his sister would often visit the convents in town to ask for food. The family home had no electricity and he remembers the galvanised bath being taken out for “bath nights”. John has a terrific recall of some of the characters who lived then and describes the various activities he and his friends would get up to. John’s indomitable spirit helped him through these tough but happy times. He intends publishing a book on his life entitled ‘The Rich Life of a Poor Boy’.