Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
89 year old Bridie Kavanagh, Kilrush, Co. Wexford
Here’s six minutes of a recording with the most wonderful woman, Bridie Kavanagh from Kilrush, County Wexford, that I recorded today.
I was in Bunclody Day Care Centre doing a chat with the older people there, and while loads of the men and women caught my ear with their stories, Bridie in particular really connected with so much of what I was talking about - as she'd lived them
As I was leaving, she was chatting to me and I said I’d love her to tell me about a lovely old Irish word bóithleáns (bohlyawn) that she still had for dried cow dung which was used as a fuel on the fire for baking. My own mother used it, and so did many people around north Wexford and comes from the Irish word bó for a cow.
So I said, “If you’ve a minute, come in and I’ll record you talking about it.” All I had was my phone — and sure, here it is.
In just six minutes you get such a powerful sense of Bridie and her life and at the age of 13 going to Dublin to work. She had 16 children, lost her husband in his early 50s, raised her family, and talks about living in a two-up two-down cottage. She knitted aran jumpers for 'pin money' and used it to build on a bedroom. These are the people so many of us came from, hard working and determined and decent people.
What’s most endearing is her spirit — her sense of divilment, the craic, and sheer enjoyment of life. If you have six minutes, I’d highly recommend listening.
On an aside, I’d especially love any of my Newfoundland friends — particularly those from Trepassey and the Irish Loop area — to have a listen to the accent. This is a lovely old Wexford accent and manner that I'm sure some of you can relate too. Also note her lovely pronunciations, expressions and terms and I love how she used childer instead of children.
Thanks for the chat, Bridie. I’ll be back to you in the new year for a much longer conversation and a few laughs.
Text: Michael Fortune
89 year old Bridie Kavanagh, Kilrush, Co. Wexford
Here’s six minutes of a recording with the most wonderful woman, Bridie Kavanagh from Kilrush, County Wexford, that I recorded today.
I was in Bunclody Day Care Centre doing a chat with the older people there, and while loads of the men and women caught my ear with their stories, Bridie in particular really connected with so much of what I was talking about - as she'd lived them
As I was leaving, she was chatting to me and I said I’d love her to tell me about a lovely old Irish word bóithleáns (bohlyawn) that she still had for dried cow dung which was used as a fuel on the fire for baking. My own mother used it, and so did many people around north Wexford and comes from the Irish word bó for a cow.
So I said, “If you’ve a minute, come in and I’ll record you talking about it.” All I had was my phone — and sure, here it is.
In just six minutes you get such a powerful sense of Bridie and her life and at the age of 13 going to Dublin to work. She had 16 children, lost her husband in his early 50s, raised her family, and talks about living in a two-up two-down cottage. She knitted aran jumpers for 'pin money' and used it to build on a bedroom. These are the people so many of us came from, hard working and determined and decent people.
What’s most endearing is her spirit — her sense of divilment, the craic, and sheer enjoyment of life. If you have six minutes, I’d highly recommend listening.
On an aside, I’d especially love any of my Newfoundland friends — particularly those from Trepassey and the Irish Loop area — to have a listen to the accent. This is a lovely old Wexford accent and manner that I'm sure some of you can relate too. Also note her lovely pronunciations, expressions and terms and I love how she used childer instead of children.
Thanks for the chat, Bridie. I’ll be back to you in the new year for a much longer conversation and a few laughs.
Text: Michael Fortune
