Tape 130 April 1978 Mikeen McCarthy.

T/a self and family, born 29.7.3l.

Father from County Tipperary but born in Kilrush, Co. Clare.

Family were metal runners,"half and half" (part settled part travelling)

Grandfather from Cashel, Co. Tipperary, Grandmother from Kilrush.

Mother, Janie Coffey, born on Valencia Island "near enough a Yank".

Mother's mothers name was Gemell.

Father's main trade metal runner, then tinsmith.

Name of tinsmith tools.

Worked on ships.  Father came to England to work, worked in mines in Wales.  Became professional fighter.

Joined army, was in Dunkirk, deserted from the army.

Father born 84-85 years ago.

Mother sold ballads at fairs, description of selling ballads.

Mikeen had to read ballad from her as she couldn't read, in this way he would learn the air of the songs.

Mother's father, Mike Coffey nicknamed "the Pippler" because he was renowned as a step dancer. 

Worked mostly as farm labourer.

Mother sold holy pictures, statues, rosary beads around Christmas.

Travellers as basket makers, mat makers, mops1wireworkers, pegs, flowers made of timber.

Mother’s uncle made life sized horse out of wire at Chapeltown in Valencia Island.

Fishermen made all their own equipment.

Carved life sized man out of trunk of tree, sold it to Englishman for £5.

Modes of travelling, horses and caravans, tents.

Father never left the three towns Caherciveen, Kilorglin, Dingle, "if he left these three towns he would be on holiday".

Grandparents travelled in donkey cart with tents, prior to this would live under the carts.

Travelling with donkey and saddlebag.

Sleep in workhouses in wintertime, in cowsheds.

Family well respected by settled by settled people.

Gorgies attended Travellers funerals, in some cases paid for the bellringing.

Family names,  Gemell , Coffey (grandfather, mother's side of family),  McCarthy (father), Faulkner (grandmother). Dooley (Mikeen's wife), Doherty (mother), O'Brien (grandmother), Mikeen's sisters, Delaney, Coffey, Dooley, Kennedy

Other names related to family, McCann, Reilly, Delaney, Driscoll.

Father from Tipperary called foreigner by mother's family, objected to marrying outside family.

Arranged marriages still take place, common up to twenty years ago.

Brother John(died aged 23), sisters, Eileen, Peggy, Biddy, Kathleen,

Ages. Mikeen 47, Katie 49, Biddy 51, Peggy 53, John would be 55, Eileen, (“don’t tell her”)  56 or 57.

Lived in Caherciveen for 4 years, received his only education there.

Always went into house in winter.

Lived in houses for four  years in Caherciveen then only 3 or 4 winters.

Jobs worked at; first man to build caravans for The Cork Caravan Company,Scrap, tinsmith, making 3 leg tables, chimney sweeping, turf cutting, fish gutting, ballad selling, street singing, making flowers, horse and donkey dealing.

First came to England 25 years ago with 2 horses and a caravan.

Number of children (only 12), ?'and 24, Biddy,22, Kathleen 20, Michael 18, John 16, Peggy 14, Josie 12, Richard 10, Eileen ? Patrick ? Thomas 6.

The Seahorse (story)