Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago

---

This is an oral-history interview with Kevin Mernagh about a handwritten ledger kept by his father, documenting the use and running costs of a hackney car in Ross, Co. Wexford, roughly from 1947–48 to 1951. Kevin sees the ledger as much more than an account book: as instead it provides a detailed glimpse into everyday life in mid-20th-century rural Ireland.


The book records individual journeys and expenses, including:

Petrol, oil, tyres and other running costs
Journeys to railway stations, including people leaving for England to emigrate
Funerals, including work carried out for Cooney's, local undertakers
Journeys to hospital, particularly the county hospital in Wexford
Church and religious occasions, including baptisms
Trips to dances
Transport connected with coursing and greyhound events
Journeys involving the county board, apparently transporting GAA players
The names of numerous local people and families

A great book and one that sparks many more conversations and areas of interest and research.