Mr Patsy McConnell’s Railway Recollections

Times Past

Jonathan Smyth

Mark Twain is supposed to have said, ‘the best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.’ A pleasant conversation on shared interests will do the trick when you encounter people you know on the street, or when out for lunch. Anyone who knows me, knows I enjoy railway history and over the years have had the luck to speak to many people who remember them. Quite often when people know you are fascinated by a subject, they will keep you informed, whether it is a newly published book or a television programme. Just at the end of last year I completed a book on Cootehill Railway Station, and it was down to the generosity of others who kindly shared stories and gave of their time that there was a story to tell.

My good friend, the late Mr Patsy McConnell of Ashe Street, Cavan, was one of life’s gentlemen who always had a kind word for others. I remember him meeting me in Johnston Central Library to say that Michael Portillo’s latest railway series was to be broadcast that evening on the television. It was one of his many kind gestures. Railways were often the topic of conversation with Patsy and all manner of matters discussed ranged from long closed stations to the train versus the motor car and more.

Patsy was a son of Mr Jack McConnell whose business premise was on Ashe Street, Cavan. This week's accompanying photograph is from Cavan County Library, and you may observe the signage on the shop advertises battery repair, cars for hire and cycle repair. Jack McConnell had an extensive hire business including cars and lorries and operated a taxi service. An Esso petrol pump located outside the premises supplied fuel to those who owned cars. Jack played on the senior county football team from 1914 to 1920, served on the County Board GAA and was Honorary President of Cavan Gaels G.F.C. Later, Patsy opened a radio repair business from the same building on Ashe Street.

Stationmaster Rafferty

Around ten years ago, I had asked Patsy about the railway one day and then sometime later, I met him walking up Farnham Street and as we conversed he produced neatly folded pages from his pocket on which he had written down some recollections of the Cavan Railway Station. Ever the gentleman, he spoke of others in a respectful manner, using the polite prefix of Mr or Mrs. He told me about the G.N.R. Stationmaster, a man named Mr Rafferty who ‘lived in a thatched house between the railway bridge over the Arva Road, and McCarren’s Factory.’ A native of Co Tyrone, Mr Hugh Rafferty was a Chief Clerk for some time at Belturbet Train Station until his appointment as Stationmaster at Maguiresbridge. He also served as Stationmaster in Dublin, Donegal, Armagh, Monaghan, then Ardee, and lastly, he went to Cavan. Following his retirement in 1950, Mr Rafferty moved to Co Longford where he died later that same year. In those times, Patsy said the signalman was named Mr Halligan. On the former M.G.W.R. (later C.I.E.) side of the Station, the signalman for many years was Mr John Weston who was noted to have been a popular resident and a member of Saint Vincent de Paul Society, the old Cavan Catholic Club and the CYMS.

Patsy spoke vividly of ‘deliveries from the station to town’ being ‘made by a horse drawing a flat four wheeled float driven by Mr John Greenan.’ He added, ‘he was a local character, and, on a delivery, he would tell his customer he would have to go to his office for an invoice.’

Then, Patsy continued with a smile: ‘He wore a flat cap which he would take off and produce the invoice to be signed and when satisfied he would do his other deliveries.’

Patsy recalled that the ‘Farnham Hotel porter would meet incoming trains with a handcart to bring luggage in for customers.’ He also recounted that ‘T Farrelly, who had a small shop, would ‘send B O’Rourke to collect a box of herrings for Friday’ as soon as the train arrived. Another common sight was the queue of local taxi men who waited outside ‘for the train to arrive’.

The railway was relied on for many purposes before most families could afford to run a car. For example, in 1947, Mr McConnell said, there was ‘a train put on for the Bundoran seaside day trip.’ He also talked about the people heading to the ‘Dublin All-Ireland semi-final, Cavan versus Roscommon which Cavan won’ and later ‘played the final in the Polo Grounds, New York’.

He smiled and said, ‘at that time coupons were used for petrol and there were no private cars in use.’ There was a limit to the coupons you could receive with an exception made for ‘taxi men, doctors, clergymen, and vets who were allowed a number of coupons,’ explained Patsy.

Smyth’s Radio

Patsy's mother Alice was a sister of Mick and Paddy Smyth who owned Smyth’s Radio at 60 Main Street, Cavan. She was a daughter of Mr Michael Smyth, JP, a former Mayor of Cavan Town. So, when in July 1911, the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Earl of Aberdeen was on an official visit to Cavan, the Mayor Michael Smyth’s eight year old daughter Alice, at the request of the Urban Council, presented a bouquet of flowers to the lordly visitor for his lady wife. A historical moment Alice undoubtedly never forgot. As a young man Patsy worked at his uncle's shop and when the renting out of amplification equipment became popular at carnivals, football matches and other events, Patsy was called upon to provide the means of increasing the volume of the speakers, or singers. Mr McConnell told me that the ‘hired amplifiers … were sent by train to Clones to P. Mahon and D Dixon who had very popular Dance Bands then.’

Railway Employees

The employees who Patsy spoke of included the following people: Mr Rafferty, stationmaster; Mr Halligan, signalman; Mr Twoomey, clerical; Mr Donellan (Donlon); Mr Gibney, train driver; and Mr John Greenan, railway carter. These employees would have been from around the 1930s to 1950s. Indeed, the full Railway employee list held by the Irish Railway Record Society has recently undergone digitisation by the able assistance of Ancestry.com. These records will keep you engrossed and make for a perfect research project over the winter months.

Again, I would like to acknowledge Mr Patsy McConnell for the information he kindly provided.