Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
In this in-depth interview, Tim Corrigan shares vivid memories of childhood in The Shannon, his family working on the River Slaney, old Irish wake traditions, dance halls of the 1960s, and the folklore that shaped generations in this part of Enniscorthy. From sand and gravel boats on the Slaney to stories of banshees, holy wells, and ghostly encounters near Vinegar Hill, this conversation captures a way of life from this part of County Wexford.
There are great first-hand accounts of:
Life in Enniscorthy in the 1950s and 1960s
River Slaney sand and gravel boats (“the cots”)
Corrigan’s Pipe Band and local musical traditions
Captain Wafer Hall and 1916 connections
Garrynisk Cemetery & St. Coorawn’s Holy Well
Traditional Irish wakes and funeral customs
Street games, orchard raids, and childhood mischief
Old cures, superstitions, and banshee stories
Christmas memories on Vinegar Hill
Leaving school at 14 to support the family
For anyone interested in Irish social history, Wexford heritage, folklore, or the lived experience of people from this timeframe in Ireland, this interview offers warmth, humour, and insightful local memory.
..........................................................
List of Contents:
00:00 Father Murphy Park & Vinegar Hill
01:20 Spring Valley & Moving Home
02:34 Billy & Eileen Corrigan
04:41 Grandfather Corrigan: Army & England
06:05 Corrigan’s Pipe Band
08:08 The Slaney Sand & Gravel Boats
09:57 Building Liverpool’s Pier Head
11:13 Captain Wafer Hall Built by the People
12:44 Dances, Rows & 1960s Nights
14:15 Family Loss & Childhood Illness
15:37 Garrynisk Graveyard & 1798 Connections
16:54 Planting Trees & Pike Marches (1998)
17:24 St.Coorawn Well & Healing Water
18:25 Funeral Stops at the Blessed Well
19:01 Grave Digging & Homemade Crosses
20:02 Funeral Black Diamonds & Doorway Mourning Signs
20:23 Wakes in the Homes
21:12 Standing Coffins & Tight Doorways
21:38 Coffin Pranks & Dark Wake Stories
22:42 Halloween Door Knocking & Running
23:37 Robbing Orchards & Lady Finger Apples
24:57 Strawberry Picking for Redmonds & Others
26:08 Blackberries & Adding a Drop of Water
26:54 Field Mushrooms & Secret Spots
27:50 Hazelnuts in the Woods
28:54 Mitching School & Walking to the Beach
29:52 Turnip Lanterns & Halloween Pennies
31:12 Lemonade Bottles & Chester Cakes
32:14 Collecting Jam Jars & Going to the Pictures
33:28 Rabbits, Hares & Superstitions
34:45 His Mothers Home Baking & Christmas Pudding
35:52 Colcannon, Hard Times & Leaving School
37:04 Starting Work at 14 & Buying a Table and Chairs for his Mother
38:33 Vegetable Gardens & Good Neighbours
39:51 Eating Kid Goat & Christmas Traditions
41:04 Pitch & Toss at the Crossroads
43:18 Horseshoes, Marbles & Street Games
44:29 Playing Hurling in The Bog, a Drowning & burning Black Caps
47:21 The Coffee House & Old Stagecoach Route
48:05 The Dangerous Reservoir & Childhood Fears
49:53 The Banshee & Family Warnings
51:00 Turning Your Jumper Inside Out
52:15 Ghostly Figures on Pierce Road
53:42 Strange Lights & Apparitions
54:46 The Little Houses & The Well
56:42 A Haunted House
58:27 The Man with the Hole in His Jaw
59:14 A Cure from the Woods
59:55 Buttermilk from Mrs. Sunderland
01:00:13 Playing on Vinegar Hill
01:00:35 Cowboys on Christmas Morning
01:01:22 Growing Up in a Different Ireland
..........................................................
I recorded this conversation on 26 February 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.
..........................................................
In this in-depth interview, Tim Corrigan shares vivid memories of childhood in The Shannon, his family working on the River Slaney, old Irish wake traditions, dance halls of the 1960s, and the folklore that shaped generations in this part of Enniscorthy. From sand and gravel boats on the Slaney to stories of banshees, holy wells, and ghostly encounters near Vinegar Hill, this conversation captures a way of life from this part of County Wexford.
There are great first-hand accounts of:
Life in Enniscorthy in the 1950s and 1960s
River Slaney sand and gravel boats (“the cots”)
Corrigan’s Pipe Band and local musical traditions
Captain Wafer Hall and 1916 connections
Garrynisk Cemetery & St. Coorawn’s Holy Well
Traditional Irish wakes and funeral customs
Street games, orchard raids, and childhood mischief
Old cures, superstitions, and banshee stories
Christmas memories on Vinegar Hill
Leaving school at 14 to support the family
For anyone interested in Irish social history, Wexford heritage, folklore, or the lived experience of people from this timeframe in Ireland, this interview offers warmth, humour, and insightful local memory.
..........................................................
List of Contents:
00:00 Father Murphy Park & Vinegar Hill
01:20 Spring Valley & Moving Home
02:34 Billy & Eileen Corrigan
04:41 Grandfather Corrigan: Army & England
06:05 Corrigan’s Pipe Band
08:08 The Slaney Sand & Gravel Boats
09:57 Building Liverpool’s Pier Head
11:13 Captain Wafer Hall Built by the People
12:44 Dances, Rows & 1960s Nights
14:15 Family Loss & Childhood Illness
15:37 Garrynisk Graveyard & 1798 Connections
16:54 Planting Trees & Pike Marches (1998)
17:24 St.Coorawn Well & Healing Water
18:25 Funeral Stops at the Blessed Well
19:01 Grave Digging & Homemade Crosses
20:02 Funeral Black Diamonds & Doorway Mourning Signs
20:23 Wakes in the Homes
21:12 Standing Coffins & Tight Doorways
21:38 Coffin Pranks & Dark Wake Stories
22:42 Halloween Door Knocking & Running
23:37 Robbing Orchards & Lady Finger Apples
24:57 Strawberry Picking for Redmonds & Others
26:08 Blackberries & Adding a Drop of Water
26:54 Field Mushrooms & Secret Spots
27:50 Hazelnuts in the Woods
28:54 Mitching School & Walking to the Beach
29:52 Turnip Lanterns & Halloween Pennies
31:12 Lemonade Bottles & Chester Cakes
32:14 Collecting Jam Jars & Going to the Pictures
33:28 Rabbits, Hares & Superstitions
34:45 His Mothers Home Baking & Christmas Pudding
35:52 Colcannon, Hard Times & Leaving School
37:04 Starting Work at 14 & Buying a Table and Chairs for his Mother
38:33 Vegetable Gardens & Good Neighbours
39:51 Eating Kid Goat & Christmas Traditions
41:04 Pitch & Toss at the Crossroads
43:18 Horseshoes, Marbles & Street Games
44:29 Playing Hurling in The Bog, a Drowning & burning Black Caps
47:21 The Coffee House & Old Stagecoach Route
48:05 The Dangerous Reservoir & Childhood Fears
49:53 The Banshee & Family Warnings
51:00 Turning Your Jumper Inside Out
52:15 Ghostly Figures on Pierce Road
53:42 Strange Lights & Apparitions
54:46 The Little Houses & The Well
56:42 A Haunted House
58:27 The Man with the Hole in His Jaw
59:14 A Cure from the Woods
59:55 Buttermilk from Mrs. Sunderland
01:00:13 Playing on Vinegar Hill
01:00:35 Cowboys on Christmas Morning
01:01:22 Growing Up in a Different Ireland
..........................................................
I recorded this conversation on 26 February 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.
..........................................................
