Throwback Thursday: Recalling wonderful trad music nights in Cork's Phoenix bar

MANY of you send in your memories via email, but there are several of you who still prefer to put pen to paper (Rose, of Ballyvolane, is such a one, as is Willie O’Sullivan, of The Glen.)

We had another wonderfully packed epistle from Mr O’Sullivan the other day, recalling a personal friendship with one of the true greats of Cork traditional music, known to all and sundry as Timmy the Brit. How did he get that name? Read on and you’ll find out!

“Hi Jo, it’s me again,” writes Willie. “I hope I’m not overdoing the writing of stories and memories. It’s just that I think you have given me the writing bug, and while I’m writing, I’m thinking of other stories, of another time.

“If I’m going overboard, just give me a text and I’ll understand and promise not be offended in any way!”

Offended? Us? Keep on writing, Willie, boy!

Thus encouraged, Mr O’Sullivan continues: “If you remember in my past notes, I worked in Munster Meats on Watercourse Road. Something I remember is that while there were over 200 people employed there, everyone had a nickname inflicted on them, and everyone’s nickname had a local story behind it.

“I will go through some of them at a future time, but today I want to talk about just one, Timmy the Brit.

“His real name was Timmy McCarthy (recently passed, alas). he worked as a butcher in Munster Meats. I worked there as a kid, doing odd jobs, cleaning, etc.

“I must tell you that at that time you could only train as a butcher if your father or your uncle was already a butcher [what, no women?]. It was known at the time as a closed shop trade.

For some reason, Timmy took me under his wing. He went to the Butchers’ Union (Cork Operative Butchers Society) at 55, North Main Street (still there today) and told them he was willing to take me on as his apprentice if they would make an exception to the rule. Which, happily, they did.

Willie continues: “In 1969, I started my first year apprenticeship. (A lot of people would know me today as Willie the Butcher.) But back to the nickname Timmy the Brit. At one stage, Timmy felt he had had enough of the meat trade, and decided to move on to better things, so he applied for a big job in the London-based company Green Shield Stamps.

“Anyone living in Cork in that era would remember them, as they later opened shops here. “

Here, Willie take a diversion.

“Before I go any further, perhaps I should explain Green Shield Stamps for the younger generation. Most shops in those days stocked both the stamps and the cards. How it worked was when you made a purchase, you would get so many stamps depending on the amount you had spent. 

I can’t remember what the ratio was re pounds, shillings and pence and the amount of stamps you got, but I am sure thousands of people out there will have that info. Help me out!

“Then, when your card was full with stamps, you placed it somewhere safe and started a new one. Eventually, you could pick out the gift you wanted in the Green Shield catalogue and could go and collect it.

“They stocked mostly household goods, and when you got them it seemed somehow as though you were getting them for nothing, even though you had probably paid through the nose to get the stamps in the first place!”

Diversion over!

“Back to Timmy the Brit. He got the job, and duly went to England to take up his position. Unfortunately, he didn’t really get on there, so he returned to Cork and Munster Meats where he was made quite welcome.

“The only thing is, when he did come back, he brought with him a very loud Cockney accent which he retained forever. What a lovely man, and character.

We worked together for some years, and about that time he took on a sideline of making bodhráns, at which he was very successful.

“It then became a natural progression for him to start playing the bodhrán as well. This is when it really kicked off for Timmy.

“You see, by playing it, he became involved with the whole Irish traditional music and set dancing scene.

“Timmy formed his own little group of set dancers which became extremely popular. They would perform everywhere.

“I do remember they had rooms on the Mardyke where they would practise, but I think the real breakthrough came when they started outdoor set dancing sessions at the Lough two nights a week in which everyone could join. They became famous.

While set dancing was Timmy’s first love, he automatically got involved in the music side of things.

“If you wanted to join a trad session that time (early 1970s) you headed for Union Quay corner. There were five pubs in that area, all with early morning licenses to cater for night workers, mainly dockers and bakers. Then, in the evening, the Irish trad music sessions would start.

“The three trad pubs were The Lobby, The Riverview, and The Phoenix (all still serving today, thankfully, albeit under different names: The Ould Lobby, Charlie’s, and El Fenix, respectively).

“I think the Phoenix was favoured most by Timmy (and myself). This was because it was always seen as a real old fashioned pub. A great feature was it being the last pub I remember with sawdust and wood shavings on the ground. I think this tradition continued so long because the owner (Tom Dineen) also worked in a small furniture store, hence the bag of sawdust regularly carried home.

It will be imprinted on my mind forever: the joy of finishing work late in the evening, strolling into the Phoenix, which was always dimly lit, with a blazing coal fire, and hearing Timmy the Brit and the lads tuning their guitars, banjos, squeeze boxes, getting ready for their session.

“Timmy beame so good at what he was doing in the trad scene, he set up the Cork Folk Festival, which is still going on today, fifty years later, and now world famous.

“At this stage, Timmy and myself went different routes, although remaining in the butchering. Timmy opened his own butcher’s shop on the Cross Douglas Road (I think it’s a bicycle shop now) and I (now qualified) continued in lots of different shops, in both city and county.

“Timmy was successful in his shop (of course) but he wasn’t going to give up on his beloved set dancing. So he called on me to look after the shop while he went to Ballyvourney on the Kerry county bounds at weekends, to continue teaching set dancing.

This operated well for both of us - work for me, and what he loved to do for him.

Willie has another lovely anecdote to share with Throwback Thursday readers.

“This leads me to a funny story. Poteen at that time was (fairly) freely available in and around the county bounds. So Timmy would bring back a few bottles each week (I can tell this story now as Timmy is playing his beloved bodhrán up there in the sky, RIP, so ‘They’ can’t do anything about it!)

“Anyway, in the course of my day’s work I would have regular meat orders from his customers. A typical weekly one would be two steaks, four chops, 1 lb mince, 1lb steak pieces, and a bottle of poteen, which would await collection under the cabinet, discreetly camouflaged in De Echo!”

Willie (thanks to the generosity of Timmy’s wife) shared with us a picture of this great upholder of the ancient tradition of set dancing, and founder of the Cork Folk Festival, Timmy the Brit (facing page).

Willie filled six carefully written pages with that wonderful account of times past, and assures me that there is more to come. Are you looking forward to those as much as we are?

Now, over the past few months we have had some marvellous memories of the old Model School which had a hand in educating so many Corkonians. Michael Quinlan wrote to say: “In your Throwback Thursday article of November 30, 2023, you showed a photograph of some pupils in the Model School in 1956. I attach a photograph (above) that may be of interest to you. It is of the girls’ 7th class in the Model School and was taken in the early 1940s.”

And, as a helpful extra, Michael sent us the chart from the back of the picture, showing who was standing where for that image to be taken.

Any names you recognise in there? Do let us know if you do!

“My sister, Nuala Quinlan (fourth from left in the back row), is in the photograph,” says Mr Quinlan. “It was sent to me by my niece, Patricia McMorrough, who really should get the credit for unearthing it!”

Well, thank-you sincerely, Patricia. These old photographs, especially if they carry the added value of names and/or dates, are priceless when it comes to family and local history.

Michael himself also attended the Model School from baby infants around 1956 to 5th class.

“Unfortunately, memories are fading. but I remember Mrs O’Reilly teaching us in baby infants and Risteard O’Murchu in 5th class. I recall Mrs O’Reilly as a kind teacher.

“In 3rd class we had a Mr Murphy teaching us. I recall him as a good teacher who got our attention by telling us a story and without the need for corporal punishment.

“Mr O’Sullivan taught 4th class. 5th class was Confirmation year. I recall that entire class being regularly subjected to corporal punishment and my hands bleeding on one occasion.”

Michael also remembers well the turf fires in the schools mentioned in previous Throwback Thursday features. “Unfortunately, the students did not get much heat, as it was usually blocked by the teacher warming themselves!”

Other memories Mr Quinlan brings to mind are:

Throwing caramel sweets to the class after Confirmation

Longer holidays at Christmas, as An Post used the school for sorting the extra mail

Extra days off during elections

A visit by Jenny Dowdall as Lord Mayor.

A display by yo yo ‘experts’.

Thank-you so much for those memories, Michael. Regular readers, don’t forget to tell us if you recognise anyone in that Model School pic from the 1940s!

Meanwhile, Pat Kelly, from Blackrock, was pleased with the recent feature on Johnny Campbell and his adventures in the beat clubs of Hamburg when he should have had his head down studying hard at UCC!

“Hello Jo. On Throwback Thursday on January 11, I saw the photo of you and Johnny Campbell. In the feature, he mentioned the pianist for that Hamburg trip as John White, a very good player. John is my first cousin! He had told me about Hamburg and the band.

The last time I saw John was on the early train to Dublin many years ago. I was then on the board of The Carers, and John was on his way to Dublin airport, from where he was flying to Europe to meet his daughter.

“I do not have his number, but when I last saw him, he was living, I think, in Aherla.”

Well, it’s often said that it’s a small world, but isn’t it an even smaller Cork? How many times have readers been talking to a complete stranger in a café or pub only to hear, after a while, the slow response, “Ah, sure I know who you are now,” followed almost certainly by, “My cousin was married to a friend of your brother’s…” or “My auntie Hanora used to go to school with your mother.”

It’s one of the pleasant experiences that make you know you’re in Cork and nowhere else.

Send us your own memories. Email jokerrigan1@gmail.com. Or leave a comment on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/echolivecork.