Date of Birth: 2nd February 1927

Place of Birth: Screen, Co. Wexford

Date Interviewed: 14th July 2011

Summary: Marie Williams grew up in a large Georgian-style house, with bathroom and running water, in Screen village. Her father was a “great man” and owned the first tractor in the area. He also had six threshing sets which he hired out, covering an area from Kilmuckridge to Kilmore. She recalls rising at 3am for the family’s annual four hour trip to Dublin in their tiny Austin car. Their large orchard supplied Wexford town with apples during the years of WW2. Marie gives details of how apples were preserved in barrels of sand. She started secondary school in the Loreto in Wexford in September 1939 as a boarder. She spent six unhappy years there – the food was “terrible” and the nuns were “awful strict”. She also suffered from ill-health during this time. After working for several years in Dublin she met and married John Williams and settled in to the family farm in “this beautiful part” of Clonroche. Marie spent many years as an active member of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association. Her strong faith has helped her through the years and she has a very positive outlook on life. She is full of praise for her neighbours and the support they give her.