Reproduced with kind permission of Mary Angland, editor of the Duhallow Diary.  This piece was published around 1989/90.  Thanks to Anna Collins who found the clipping.

by Humphrey Shine

Back in the 1940′s Stephen O’Keeffe, now of Ballyduane, gave the use of a field near Coolock Bridge for a sports meeting.  He wouldn’t take a penny for it so three of us on the Sports Committee decided to give him a day at the threshing in return.  It was during the war years and the compulsory tillage.

Going away that evening after the threshing, Stephen called me back and put into my hand a pound note.  “Go into town lads, says he, and have a drink”.  The three of us Michael O’Neill, Jamsie O’Keeffe ad myself were traveling bicycle.  We were delighted.  Michael O’Neill didn’t drink so we decided he wouldn’t come in with us at all.  I never had a pound in my pocket before.

Leaving our bikes at the West End we went to Jack Corney’s in Church Street.  Mrs. Collins – Hannah Mary, was behind the Bar, we came to know her well after – a fine decent woman.  We put the pound up on the counter.  “Two drinks there, I said, and we don’t want any change we are going to drink the pound”.  Jamsie and myself drank away and the pound was still on the counter and after about two hours Hannah Mary said, “lads yer pound is gone” and she took the note off the counter.

How many pints did that pound pay for?  You’d never believe it!  We had twenty four pints taken – that was twelve each – 10d a pint.  Hard to believe it today!  After that Hannah Mary stood us another pint each, so coming out we had thirteen pints each – not a bad pound!

From a newspaper article – 12th of August 1963. The library was located on Church Street at this time. (supplied by Anna Collins)

“In the North Cork town of Newmarket they are telling the story of the literary pig which insisted, despite locked doors and well-secured windows in getting into the local library and browsing among the books.

The pig broke loose from the town mart and toured a number of streets before it decided to visit the library.

Finding the door locked it took a ‘running jump’ at the closed window and landed on the floor of the fiction department in a shower of flying glass.

With its head bloody but unbowed, the pig abandoned the works of fiction after a brief perusal of the titles. With a cursory inspection of the department of English literature, it turned up its nose and went to the shelves carrying volumes on European history.

It was then that the Librarian, Mr. Patrick O’Shea, arrived and when aid was summoned the loudly protesting pig was borne back to the less literate companions at the mart”