Tales From The Cutting

Over the course of the last few years , the Blog has had the pleasure of meeting up with both the late Ann Sisk and Mary Walsh of The Cutting. Both of their stories were related and published here on the blog , links below. However following information from Ann Sisk in our archives and ongoing conversations with Mary Walsh , the actual whole story of The Cuttings can now be told. These take the form of simple memories , anecdotes and recollections which paint a rich canvas of a magical past that can now be brought back to life.

The Cutting

The numbered map below outlines the 2 principal landowners of The Cutting , with Sullivan of Deanrock Villa owning the land south of the railway line and Marshall owning the land north of the railway line together with the rest of the occupants. These were the final residents up to the 1960s and into the early 1980s.

Legend of The Cutting
( Number=Name below )

 

1: Sullivan - Principal Landowner
2: Sexton/Hourigan
3: Sullivan
4: Cronin
5: Storage shed ( later lived in by Cronin Bros. )

6: Daly

7: Sisk
8: O'Sullivan/Nyhan/Spillane
9: Cronin

10: Madden
11: Cronin

12: Club house
13: Walsh
14: Marshall - Principal landowner

15: Shanahan - on marshall land ( removed 1950 )
16: Roche - on marshall land ( removed 1950 )

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These are the personal memories and thoughts of Ann Sisk ( m.O'Neill ) of her time in The Cutting and after. Ann had many aunts and cousins living in close proximity , Kearney's were cousins , Mrs. Roche ( Hangdog Road ) was her Aunt and she was related to the Allens on Doughcloyne Hill though her Mother.

Ann Sisk

Ann recalls : Jackie O'Sullivan ( nickname Jackobin ) formally of Deanrock Terrace used to boil spuds over an open fire on the railway line for us all , in the dark evenings , god , the innocent fun we all had. He was an older man than the rest of the guys , but he hung around everyday with the lads , in my time he came over from Glasheen every day , ( something that would be frowned on today. ) 

Ann's hand drawn map
showing important locations

When we were young, to have water we had to go to the pump by my old school for water, we had to take turns , so I would try to stay out on the railway line when it was my turn , the line was a bit deep and I was little so I'd watch to see if one of my brothers came home , he'd get the job , because I was the only girl at the time.

Ann's hand drawn map
indicating other locations

 

We picked Mrs Dalys gooseberries , and she would have a glass of juice and gooseberry tart for us after , her front gate opened onto the cutting in front of the steps up to the road.  A beautiful lady , her daughter Jeanette and I were very good friends , but she moved to England to a nursing job.

Ann circa 1967

We had such fun on the railway bridge , a meeting place you could say , even my own Father chatted my Mum up on that bridge as she rode home on her bike.

Mr. Sisk ( on left ) on Togher Railway bridge
circa 1940s

 

Dad built a kitchen on to the right and back of the house and when he was doing the holes for the handles for the door , I was about 3 years , he asked me to look through the hole at him , of course I did , and he blew the sawdust , which went into my eye , ( he was young then thinking it was fun, but he knew better after my mother was finished with him , poor Dad. )

 

Road being realigned 1975

So many regrets , it was all on my Mum's shoulders , to sell to the sharks , and in her innocence , she took the pittance she was offered , we didn't know at the time. She was a proud Lady , always even when we had nothing , but she always made sure we didn't go without. I remember her face to this day , 7 of us waiting to see what the gas man took out of the meter , but I'd prefer thinking of her when there was some coins left over , her smile , she looked so beautiful. But to get to the point of her having to sell her home , she took the first offer , even though they would have given her anything she asked for their new road ( BASTARDS ) they knew what they were doing , but they actually went for a hell of a lot more , and I mean a lot more.

 

Bridge being demolished 1975

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These are the personal memories of Mary Walsh and tie in with Ann Sisk who was her best friend.

Mary Walsh 1950s

Mary recalls a story her father told her when as a child living on Pouladuff Road he would often go up to play at the Teampelleen. On this occasion he accidentally knocked over a headstone and uncovered a baby's body. He would also have gone to the original school house in Togher ( demolished 1891 )

Johnny Walsh , Denis Sisk & Robbie Dineen
Leprechaun Valley , Liberty Stream
Rear of lady Harris' land

Mary's mother was good friends with Mrs. Sexton who lived in the cottage next to Deanrock Villa. She recalls one night in 1957 when she was 12 as she and her mother were walking back from the Sextons in the dark and crossing the former railway track ( lifted in 1955 ) an almighty shriek broke the silence. Her mother informed her that it was a banshee. Next morning they learned of the passing of Ann Sisk's grandmother!

Honora Sisk
Ann's Grandmother

Tommy , the eldest brother went to England in the 1950s to set up a company. His younger brothers , twins Michael and Billy worked for Sonny Barretts thinning turnips. In time Michael a.k.a. Micka was to join his brother in England ; Johnny drove Micka up to the airport. It was there that he saw an extremely small plane and promptly remarked :  " It looks like a seagull , I'm not going up in that , take me back home , I'll get the boat! " Which he duly did.

Mary's brothers with Tommy Marshall's
greyhounds in his back garden

Mary recalls that Tommy Marshall was a very stern man and employed a worker called Lynch who drove a Volkswagon van. Mary used to mock him and angered Tommy Marshall who yelled at his worker to " nettle the arse off her! " On another occasion , Mary pushed him into a pig sty!

Mary has many memories from her childhood and adolescent years. Two incidents revolve around Lady Harris's house Feirm Bawn up Doughcloyne or Spur as most locals knew it. Eileen , Mary's sister used to mind the house when Lady Harris went off to England. One night a cat jumped through an open bedroom window and scared the life out of her! Another more bizarre incident involved Robbie Dineen from Barrs Lane and a local woman called Kay Foley who used to live in Lady Harris's house. ( She wore so many layers of clothes that one time she was knocked down by a bus and survived due to the many layers absorbing the impact! ) She was rather unkindly known as " Dracula " and one day when she was not at home Robbie imitated her by dressing up and scaring the local children by staring out at them through a window!

Mary's brother's proudly displaying
their catch from the stream

Mary's childhood was full of local drama as she and her friends explored the area. One incident centered around Mr. Ryan who used to watch his crop of corn through binoculars for any intruders. Mary and her friends would be running around his field knocking over the corn in the process which resulted in him chasing them all the way back to The Cutting! He used to shoot crows with his shotgun and at one time injured his arm as a result. Nellie O'Reagan who lived in the cottages near Feirm Bawn was another target of their playacting and she would give chase after them , not even stopping when the kids ran into the stream to escape her as she too ran after them soaking wet trying to catch them , but all in vain , as they easily outran her!

Mary recalls her sister Eileen's husband showing a map of a new proposed motorway through Togher and uttering the prophetic words " One day all these houses will be gone ". This was 1957! Mr. Walsh replied that that would never happen. Eileen's husband was also something of a plumber and as Mary's house had no indoor water supply , decided to connect the pump outside the post office to the back of Mary's house. So he quickly dug up the main road and laid a connecting pipe right up to an outdoor tap at the back of the house , filling the road in as fast as he had dug it! Mr. Walsh duly arrived home and asked what was the tap doing there but was calmed down by his wife saying how handy it was having their own water supply. The house in common with many others in the area was connected to the electricity supply in 1957/8.

Mary recalls several characters associated with the Bridge or line. One such man was a vagrant who lived literally under the bridge! Here he lived , slept and cooked for himself and this carried on for about two years - 1963 to 1964 before he mysteriously vanished. Locals knew him as" Trampas " named after a popular character from the then T.V. series - The Virginian played by the actor Doug McClure possibly because of his likeness to him.

Doug McClure as Trampas

Another man used to dig ground with his hands , then shovels , go up Han's steps , across the bridge and wash his hands under the pump! Local myth suggests he was either digging for God , trying to get to Hell or looking for his wife! He originally lived on Albert Road in Cork City. In their innocence Ann and Mary used to taunt him by throwing stones off the bridge at him and he'd throw them right back up at them! Finally the Sisters came one day and took him away to hospital.

Mary's mother used to warn them of a strange man with a suitcase who used to walk the tracks saying he was a Doctor and to beware of him. One day Ann and Mary actually  saw him and ran for their lives!

 

Mary Walsh in the grounds of Lady Harris'  house
 

 

Mary recalls how she and her best friend Ann Sisk were so excited by the arrival of T.V. that on one occasion whilst in town , they noticed a T.V. on in the window of a shop and ran across the road to look at it. So quick were they that they nearly knocked a shawlie over who screamed after them " You're two thoroughbred bastards! "  

Mr Walsh was not somebody for change. However when Eily Hourigan became the first in The Cutting to have a T.V. , Johnny ( Mary's brother ) rented out one for 7s6d a week. Mr. Walsh at first was not impressed but his love of westerns and detective shows won him over ; watching The Fugitives , Hawaai 5-0 and Wagon Train which was his favorite show.

Helen Lavallan , Mr. Walsh's Mother

Ann Sisk and Mary ( her best friend ) once encountered an otter in the stream. Ann thought it was a dog! She recalls that big fish caught in the stream were called collies , medium size were known as red breast fish with smaller types being known as torneens.

In common with almost every person in Togher at the time , Mary's Father and Brothers had nicknames : Mr. Walsh was known as the Captain. Tommy had a job working in Clancy's pub in Cork City and was forever after known as Clancy , Billy became known as the Gripper  being left handed when bowling and Michael was known as Tiny , because he kept using the word and Johnny being long and skinny became known as Long John Silver. Mary was known as Nancy Coppery or Biddy Early ( who was accused of witchcraft in the 19th century. )

Mr. Walsh outside Celia's pub
a.k.a. The High Chaparral