The third of a 4-Part article ( read Part 01 here and Part 02 here ) looking back at Togher from the 1940s to the 1970s from the perspective of the Hegarty family , as told by Anne O'Driscoll ( nee Hegarty ). This third short installment begins at the brow of Ardmanning Hill and proceeds down both sides of Togher Road right up to Togher Cross and a little beyond. * Items marked in RED are gone!
1 - Longs Farm
Paddy Long operated a farm between O'Driscolls house and Ardmanning Cottages up to the early 1960s. This farm was bought out by compulsory Purchase Order where the Corporation intiiated a new scheme of houses for sale on a short mortage lease where potential buyers could involve themselves in the design process. Paddy's story is told here.
Longs Farm ( L ) & Bannons House ( R )
* It must be remarked that one of the newly constructed ( 1962 ) bungalows on Ardmanning Hill is the only structure in Togher to bear the name " Togher Road "!
* The journey now moves to the opposite side of Togher Road.
2 - Bannons House ( see photos above )
Anne jokingly recalled how she had a crush on one of the boys who lived there. It is thought the family moved to Ballincollig after a compulsory purchase order was placed on the land. Noel Bannons father ( one of the siblings who dwelt in the house ) moved to Greenmount while his Brother moved to Greenwood Estate and worked for Irish Steel. The 2 Brothers also had a sister who once lived in the old house.
3 - Unknown ( Crowleys? )
Anne recalls an old lady who lived here always dressed in black and wore a bonnet.
4 - Hosfords Farm
Anne recalls how the family kept to themselves. This family moved to Ovens , Ballincollig in 1967 after compulsory purchase order of their land.
** Please note that not all old cottages and houses were mentioned in interviewing Anne O'Driscoll. They include Ardmanning Cottages , Bunny and Pata Cronins house , Carmelville , Murphys , McCarthys , Leaca Ban and a slew of others which the blog has covered in other articles.
5 - O'Donnells
A tall Garda named O'Donnell ( after which the lane was named ) lived in a big yellow house ( Deanrock House )
6 - Sean O'Briens
Anne remembers Seanie O'Brien who operated a market garden ( where Market Gardens estate is today ). His sister married a next door neighbour , Frank Moran.
7 - Mannings
The Mannings owned the big house ( where the Barrs clubhouse is now ) and most of the land thereabouts. They had 2 sons who tragically died young. However John Joe Hegarty of The Laurels on Pouladuff Road was great friends of one of the boys and was unofficially " adopted " by the family. This would prove fruitful in later years. There were also 3 Daughters ; Dolly , Greta and Breda. Greta , known as Auntie Greta to the Hegarty siblings , worked for one of the top men in Guinness and even traveled with him to New Zealand for 3 years. However Cor kwas her first love and she eventually returned home. Breda was married to the owner of Follains bookshop in Cork City. Both Greta and Dolly would often jokingly profess their loved for John Joe Hegarty. In the early 1960s , Con Neenan who had served with John Joe during the War of Independence was looking for a new home for the Barrs. He had become a wealthy businessman in America and had the finances to fund such a place. However John Joe had the connections with the Mannings ( Anne : " Whatever John Joe wants , John gets! " ). So it was that the Barrs pitch became a reality and many years later their own club house built on the site of the old Manning house.
8 - Kearneys
This was a small cottage angled to the corner of Togher Road and Mannings Lane.
9 - Roches
Owned all the land where the old Post Office was and now the Dental clinic.
10 - The Forge
Anne remembers a man who wore plastic glasses and used to break rocks with a big hammer.
* Anne went on to recall how she and her sisters would travel up to the Merries known as Gurdys ( a German traveling company ) in Doughcloyne and would also play down by the stream. They would also go up Mathew Hill to Lehenagh House and steal apples known as " blood reds ". They would then move onto Barretts farm to the Green Patch and have a picnic and watch the Bandon train as it travelled through Togher. They would often place half pennies on the tracks to make them flatten so as to look like real pennies as the train passed over. One pennie would get you 12 Caramels! One of these doctored pennies even found its way back to The Laurels shop!
11 - Lehenaghmore House
Anne went out with Thomas Ryan of Lehenaghmore House when she was 15 back in 1955. She loved going up there as she could smell Mrs. Ryan's brown bread and cakes from the gates. Anne : " If you had loaves of bread , you definitely gave half a loaf to somebody else. It was after the war and everybody minded each other.
We were lucky , we had the shop ; and an aunt had another shop on Shandon Street. She used to get big crates of tea and sugar which were put into little bags for sale. "
She remembers her Aunt Maud turning the bags with two knots at the side. Her Uncle John ( Fennell ) owned a shop and petrol pump in Belgooly and used to visit The Laurels in his motor car which excited the Hegarty children so much
they would literally lift him out of the car. He would present them with
a half crown and a penny for their troubles. Even though the half crown
was worth more , Jack insisted on getting the hen penny while insisting
that Pauline got the half crown or the " horse " which was worth five
shillings.
Pauline and Anne would save their money under a board in their wardrobe and would later spend it in Woolworths where they would buy little figurines of perfume.
