Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 21 hours ago
Pat 'Pudgie' Hyland, The Shannon, Enniscorthy - Full Interview
This interview with Pat Hyland is a personal oral history about growing up and living in The Shannon in Enniscorthy. The chat is 50 minutes long and in it he reflects on his childhood, family life, work, community, sports, and traditions. The conversation highlights how people lived with limited resources, relied heavily on neighbours and community, and spent much of their lives connected to local activities like fishing, greyhound racing, hurling, and social gatherings. Pat shares many humorous stories, local characters, and memories, showing a strong pride in the Shannon area and the people who lived there.
Pat describes growing up in Armstrong’s Ranch with seven siblings and his parents. The family moved into a house that had been boarded up due to a housing shortage, entering through a window because there were no available homes. He talks about hard work and making do with very little, from gathering a bresna of sticks for the fire to ‘acquiring’ a bit too in places that they shouldn’t have been. Such was the reality. He tells a great story of jumping the wall of the priest’s house and helping himself to a head of cabbage and a few onions, but not telling his poor mother the full story.
What really comes across is how tight-knit the community was, with neighbours helping each other. One thing that struck me was how so many of them had nicknames, mostly the men. He talks about the harmless divilment they got up to, playing tricks on each other and entertaining themselves.
He tells me about how they fished the river and the old fishing huts that once dotted the Slaney. Pat has a lifelong passion for keeping and racing greyhounds, and he describes breeding dogs, racing successes, and the daily routines of caring for them, and how important dogs were to local culture. He also shares a few funny stories — some made the cut and some didn’t. He also talks about playing hurling and the connection to The Shamrocks, the local GAA club, but most importantly his connection to The Shannon and the people from this part of Enniscorthy. Have a listen and enjoy and if you are from the area and have someone in mind for me to record - drop me a message.
List of Contents
00:00 Introduction – Growing up in The Shannon
01:18 Moving into Armstrong’s Ranch house
02:05 Family background and relatives
03:00 Grandparents’ house and early memories
04:00 The old shed where locals gathered
05:05 Neighbours and community life
06:00 Small houses and big families
07:20 Cold winters and life without heating
08:40 Characters from the neighbourhood
10:15 Stories about local characters
11:50 Fishing traditions on the Slaney
13:30 Catching fish and dividing the catch
15:10 Old fishing huts along the river
17:00 Knowing the river and swimming spots
19:10 Life around the river as kids
21:40 Hard times and making food stretch
23:20 Neighbours helping each other
24:20 Swimming in the river
25:25 Local athletes and sports stories
26:20 Buying and breeding greyhounds
27:10 Naming dogs and early racing memories
28:05 Daily routine caring for dogs
29:40 Life around the greyhound track
31:20 Stories from the racing world
33:00 Dogs, breeding and local pride
34:08 Gathering sticks for the fire
35:10 Sneaking wood from the priest’s fields
36:05 Childhood adventures and mischief
37:30 Robbing apples and teenage stories
39:10 Growing up around The Shannon
41:00 Nicknames everyone had
42:20 Playing hurling for the Shamrocks
44:20 Great hurlers from The Shannon
45:00 Remembering Eugene Redmond
46:30 Pride in The Shannon community
47:10 Keeping family living nearby
48:40 Working in the local school
49:30 Hard work and local values
50:00 Looking back on life in The Shannon
........................................................
I recorded this conversation on the 4th of March 2026 as part of a larger Oral History Project in the Templeshannon area of Enniscorthy. Although part of the wider town of Enniscorthy, The Shannon retains its own unique identity, accent, customs, and mannerisms. It also has a very strong community bond and deep-rooted connection to place, not found in other parts of the town. These interviews are being undertaken in a bid to celebrate these qualities and are supported by Wexford County Council through the Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme.
Pat 'Pudgie' Hyland, The Shannon, Enniscorthy - Full Interview
This interview with Pat Hyland is a personal oral history about growing up and living in The Shannon in Enniscorthy. The chat is 50 minutes long and in it he reflects on his childhood, family life, work, community, sports, and traditions. The conversation highlights how people lived with limited resources, relied heavily on neighbours and community, and spent much of their lives connected to local activities like fishing, greyhound racing, hurling, and social gatherings. Pat shares many humorous stories, local characters, and memories, showing a strong pride in the Shannon area and the people who lived there.
Pat describes growing up in Armstrong’s Ranch with seven siblings and his parents. The family moved into a house that had been boarded up due to a housing shortage, entering through a window because there were no available homes. He talks about hard work and making do with very little, from gathering a bresna of sticks for the fire to ‘acquiring’ a bit too in places that they shouldn’t have been. Such was the reality. He tells a great story of jumping the wall of the priest’s house and helping himself to a head of cabbage and a few onions, but not telling his poor mother the full story.
What really comes across is how tight-knit the community was, with neighbours helping each other. One thing that struck me was how so many of them had nicknames, mostly the men. He talks about the harmless divilment they got up to, playing tricks on each other and entertaining themselves.
He tells me about how they fished the river and the old fishing huts that once dotted the Slaney. Pat has a lifelong passion for keeping and racing greyhounds, and he describes breeding dogs, racing successes, and the daily routines of caring for them, and how important dogs were to local culture. He also shares a few funny stories — some made the cut and some didn’t. He also talks about playing hurling and the connection to The Shamrocks, the local GAA club, but most importantly his connection to The Shannon and the people from this part of Enniscorthy. Have a listen and enjoy and if you are from the area and have someone in mind for me to record - drop me a message.
List of Contents
00:00 Introduction – Growing up in The Shannon
01:18 Moving into Armstrong’s Ranch house
02:05 Family background and relatives
03:00 Grandparents’ house and early memories
04:00 The old shed where locals gathered
05:05 Neighbours and community life
06:00 Small houses and big families
07:20 Cold winters and life without heating
08:40 Characters from the neighbourhood
10:15 Stories about local characters
11:50 Fishing traditions on the Slaney
13:30 Catching fish and dividing the catch
15:10 Old fishing huts along the river
17:00 Knowing the river and swimming spots
19:10 Life around the river as kids
21:40 Hard times and making food stretch
23:20 Neighbours helping each other
24:20 Swimming in the river
25:25 Local athletes and sports stories
26:20 Buying and breeding greyhounds
27:10 Naming dogs and early racing memories
28:05 Daily routine caring for dogs
29:40 Life around the greyhound track
31:20 Stories from the racing world
33:00 Dogs, breeding and local pride
34:08 Gathering sticks for the fire
35:10 Sneaking wood from the priest’s fields
36:05 Childhood adventures and mischief
37:30 Robbing apples and teenage stories
39:10 Growing up around The Shannon
41:00 Nicknames everyone had
42:20 Playing hurling for the Shamrocks
44:20 Great hurlers from The Shannon
45:00 Remembering Eugene Redmond
46:30 Pride in The Shannon community
47:10 Keeping family living nearby
48:40 Working in the local school
49:30 Hard work and local values
50:00 Looking back on life in The Shannon
........................................................
I recorded this conversation on the 4th of March 2026 as part of a larger Oral History Project in the Templeshannon area of Enniscorthy. Although part of the wider town of Enniscorthy, The Shannon retains its own unique identity, accent, customs, and mannerisms. It also has a very strong community bond and deep-rooted connection to place, not found in other parts of the town. These interviews are being undertaken in a bid to celebrate these qualities and are supported by Wexford County Council through the Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme.
