Mahon, Andrew (Andy)

Date of Birth: 8th July 1925

Place of Birth: Irish Street, Bunclody, Co. Wexford

Date Interviewed: 28th May 2010

Summary: Andy Mahon was one of nine children and grew up in the house he was born in at Irish Street, Bunclody. These houses were known as “the flags” because of the flagstones outside. Andy’s mother died when he was fourteen. He remembers the clay floor of the kitchen and, unlike the other houses with their open fires, they had a Stanley range to cook on. Water was drawn from a nearby stream. The house had no electricity or toilet. Andy talks of the games and activities popular when he was young. “Pitch and toss” attracted big crowds. He and his friends hunted rabbits with greyhounds and they spent a lot of time swimming and diving in the Slaney. Andy talks of his years as a gardener and builder, the great characters he knew, and of fair days in Bunclody.