Martin Kearney

Martin Kearney:
My name is Martin Kearney. I was born in the Blascaod Mór in 1931. My mother died- I hardly remember her. I was too young, my father brought us all up and my sister, the oldest, who was fifteen, her name was Kate.

He was very young and he died, Shamus, he was very young, he died and the people on the island made their own coffins and buried him on the island- they used to bury the young there all the time on the island. Then I had an older brother who was two years old than me- Sean. He got sick after Christmas and we couldn’t get him to a doctor. He was there for a while suffering for a week and then all of a sudden he died. He stayed three days in the house dead. That turned me against it- I didn’t care about it anymore.

So after that, that’s when Earnon de Valera came around to visit all the islands. To try to get everyone off the island; he didn’t have to wait for me. I left anyway and came to this country. I left in ’51.

(Living on the island was really hard) Oh yeah…. But we didn’t know the difference we didn’t know anything else. Everything had to be done in season. When you catch the mackerel, it had to be in season, the sheep.. and it lasts a lot longer when you cure it. It will have the same flavor.

My brother Tom left the year after me. My father moved out with my sister Cate in Ballydavid. We got rid of everything we had the sheep, whatever everything we had. That was the end of it. Did they move out before the official evacuation? Yes in 51 they come back to Springfield.

(I stayed with) my Uncle. On Moorin Street and my Aunt. It took me 7 days to come over here I came over on the Georgia big boat out of Cork. I had a few friends of mine who were back here on vacation, Mrs. Skaheen, Mrs. Crohan, Mrs kehoe, lived on Mystic street off Carew Street, we had a lot of fun with them.

Coming to Canada first then we went to New York it was late at night it was after 5 o’clock they wouldn’t let us land because it was too late the tugs wouldn’t take the boat in. I was looking at that place I said America holy mackerel all the lights. I said, “what am I going to do? I’ll be lost forever.”

I’m here on 70 Boylon Street since 1953, and I never stopped working and I didn’t leave my life yet she is still with me.

Go raibh míle maith agat go léir. Tog go bragh bog e. Take it nice and easy.

Music: Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin “Traditional Music from Clare and Beyond,” The Munster Bacon and Come Along with Me (jigs).”