hi joe i watch ur form for some information on this area and nothing is ever said about the barreck wall as we were know just wondering has anyone got anything like old photo,s or what ever thank u

Hiya Violet, I could write a book about North Queen Street alone and perhaps reveal history that none today are aware of, such as its origins and early name now conveniently written out of local history, But I think there are others who were reared in the area reading the Forum who would like to kick off on old old yarns, characters etc.
I have done a 3 hour video (DVD) interveiwing older people , sadly many have since passed away, but such is the worth of recording their stories and memories.

Your post brings it to my mind when I was a young lad a terrible murder of a catholic woman took place. I'm not sure of the street but it was of the antrim road and they got the guy who did it.It was a brutal murder resulting from a break in. well the guy got of by some technigal flaw but it was obvious to everyone why he got off and there was a terrible outrage and disblief over the whole injustice. I wonder if he is still alive to this day.The name Taylor comes to my mind but I don't know if that was the name of the women or the culprit. Maybe you, Joe can fill in the blanks. I was too young at the time but I remember it so well because of THE brutalityof it all and the talk it brought about.

Yes Rusty, you are speaking of the infamous "Robert The Painter" murder of Mrs Mary McGowan a Catholic lady in her Ponsonby Avenue home in Newington, Antrim Road in 1949 by Robert Taylor a painter who done some painting for her. Taylor, an Orangeman was from the nearby area of Tigers Bay.
It is well known that a scenario was set up so that Taylor could escape justice on a technicality thus avoiding be hanged which was then the auto penalty for murder.
Much to the disgust of Catholic people and other right minded people, Orangemen carried Taylor shoulder high singing Orange songs from the High Court, bonfires were even lit in some areas.
Taylor is now dead himself.

Hello Joe, that video you mentioned about talking to older people, I would like to order one. Also, any other videos of Belfast people talking and relating stories. Let me know the details, name of video, etc., and I will purchase. Anything on oral footage in the Falls would be great
Regards, Ann Delaney, Australia

Hiya Ann, there are different DVD's with stories from people recorded, I will list them here....

1 The Barrack Wall.
2 Half Bap/Little Italy
3 The Old Falls Reunion
4 Greencastle Memories
5 Sailortown Memories
6 The Old Ardoyne Re-Union
7 Sailortown Memories/Reunion

Other DVD's showing old footage are ...
"Old Belfast"
"The Old Falls"
"Short Strand"
"The New Lodge"

My e mail is rushlight123@hotmail.com

hi joe i remember that murder.i think the reason tayler was caught they found barly in the turn up on the legs of his pants[might be wrong]i would like to get a dvd of the area.thank u violet muldoon

hi joe me again.i forgot to say tayler threw a pot of soup over the women thats what i meant about the barley.

I done all my schooling at Lancaster St PES 1931---1940

and if there any oldies out there who can recall my late grannie Gibson who I believe met her last days in a fire in some "waste" mill around the early 1920s. I would appreciate any news about that-----She came from the Henry St area thanks

hi i came from valentine st my father was spider kelly he worked in cooks in the 50s 60s i live in huddersfield now i came 2 england in 1974 i have 3 sisters still living in belfast anne kate and mary i also have 2 brothers there tommy and william

hi peter we lived in the new lodge (donore st) my brother used to work in cookes i wonder if you remember him his name is sammy kelly

hi hilda no love i dont remember ur brother when i was a kid i use 2 hang around allams cattle market also i use 2 work at the cattle pens with my uncle barney lavery he lived in henry st ne was married 2 my mothers sister eliza my uncle tommy worked there as well but he was killed in mc gurks bar he was my mothers brother any how happy easter hilda

hi peter iremember the kellys was peter kelly ur uncle he made the best chips in belfast i thank there might have been other kellys i lived in alexander st how in adelaide cheers

hi violet my father was spider kelly he was a boss in cooks rags store in the early 60s i think the chippy ur on about was the savoy it was on north queen st and it was owned by peter kelly but no relation 2 me and ur right the chips were lovely

hi peter i do remember spider kelly he might remember me but he would remember the duffys heggertys my cousins mc dermotts they all lived in our street i can tell u there was some fun in and around our streets and u were always sure to see a fight on saturday night i live in aussie now but the memories of alexander st r mine to keep for ever i go home alot but sad to say my brothers and sisters r all passed away cheers violet

hi violet ur right wot u say well i live in huddersfield yorkshire since 1974 but u know wot they say love u can take people out belfast but u cant take belfast out of the people am i right r wot

hi peter u r right what u say i never would have left belfast if my circumstances had been different how i have to stay for my family but i go home as much as i can i have really good mates from when i was growing up cheers violet

NE LOST YOUR EMAIL MY NEW ADDRESS IS pauline.lappin@yahoo.co.uk get in touch

it was at the top of little georges st,,, and if i remember right it had 9 boxes for sitting in and two large fish tanks, with tropical finsh in them

you are thinking right peter kelly sold thre best fish and chips ever my mouth is watering thinking about wonder what his secert was cheers

hi pauleen i don,t know if u want me to reply r someone esle if u want to get in touch my email is vmuldoon@adam.com.au cheers

I knew your Dad very well, smashing bloke. He was my boss when I worked at Cooks. I used to come up to Gt George Street when you were a baby, Spider used to send me up there to Rita with a couple of quid. I used to go down to your Grannys every morning for the big mug of tea and a buttered bap for Spider's breakfast. He had eyes like Robert Mitchum.
One day he came up to the yard and told me confidentially, out of the side of his mouth, "Joe, Man Utd's plane just crashed. Everybody's dead." Everybody stopped work and we all had a big discussion.
He was the most generous person I have known. All the down and outs used to come up to the yard and Billy Spider made sure they had money for a meal and a bed that night.
Last time I saw him, was in the wee bar, had a couple of pints and talked about the old times. You should be real proud of him.
By the way, I'm Emma's brother. Emma lived on Valentines Street. I could tell you much more, but it would take too long, but my Granddaughter is typing this for me!
Joe McNulty

im please 2 hear from u yes i think ur right abot my da was emma brown ur sister is we chuck ur brother

Yes Emma (RIP) is my sister and Chuck (RIP) is my brother. I live in Adelaide Australia, for over 40 years now and I live near Violet. Are there any photos of your Dad that you could put up? What was your Uncle's name? Great days working with your Dad

hi joe i will see if i can sort some photos of my da for u my dads were jimmy then peter toal kelly and john bap kelly and 2 sisters josephene and mary jimmy and josephene and john are dead but peter and mary r still going strong keep in touch joe good luck

hi joe frances long time no see how ru all keeping i go into this site from time to time so i saw ur name keep in touch and let me know how u r violet xx

Re: who do you knwo from Moffat Street

« Reply #112 on: July 14, 2010, 01:03:45 PM »

Quote


Moffat Street (according to John Ireland - 17 Moffat St)

No. 1 O’Reilly No. 2 Doherty
No. 3 McKeown No. 4 McGreavy
No. 5 Hillis No. 6 McGreavy
No. 7 O’Neill No. 8 Connelly
No. 9 Griffen No. 10 McNulty?
No. 11 Lyons No. 12 Kelly (also adopted O’Neill family)
No. 13 McMenamy No. 14
No. 15 McNamara No. 16
No. 17 Ireland No.18
No. 19 Lynch No. 20 McNulty?
No.21 McAvoy? No. 22 Osborne
No. 23 Davidson? No. 24 P Jennings
No. 25 Graham? No. 26 Cunningham
No. 27 Josie Nolan No. 28 ?
No. 29 Fogarty (Later moved to North Hill St) No. 30 Fogarty
No. 31 Fogarty (Nan’s daughter I think)


I lived in 17 Moffat St (1945-1969) then moved to Greencastle, Shore Rd after getting married.

The girl in the photo is my ex-girlfriend Florrie Griffen. She married a man from Ardoyne and moved to Australia. The car in the background was my Morris Minor (6801 CZ). The pram outside my mother’s house was my sister Bessie’s daughter Lorraine.

I know quite a few people who lived in Cleary St – McLaughlin’s, McPhillip’s, Duffy’s, Saunder’s, Curran’s, Doherty’s, Ryan’s.

Billy McMenamy – I can remember him sitting on his window sill. He liked fishing, he was very pleasant to speak to, his health was never the best – if I remember right he took about 12-13 heart attacks. I do remember his funeral.

The last 2 people to live in Moffat St was my mother (Mary Ireland) and Josie Nolan (lived 2nd house from the top, next to North Hill St). People who worked in the town parked their cars in Moffat St but parked very close to each other. One day Josie hit her knee off a car bumper and developed Gangrene and the lower part of her leg was amputated– then it spread to her whole leg (amputated), then the other leg (amputated) and eventually it spread to her whole body, tragically killing her. This left my mother the last one in Moffat St but there were still people living in Valentine St and Henry St. Economy Place and Columba St were gone.

I remember a young lad (Seamus?) but his mother was Annie, his father was nicknamed GR (they left for England).

I remember Seamus, Frances and daughter Collette (can’t remember brother’s name but I think he went on to become a priest).

Jeanette McGreavy lived at No. 6. She had sisters called Margaret and Eileen, father’s name was Ranzo. Jeanette married Jim Burns from Sailorstown. Jim (who I knew quite well) and I were in the same class in Barnageha School, Antrim Rd. I think Jeanette had a younger brother (can’t remember his name).

I Knew Gerry Millar (not very well) – he lived next door to my Aunt Kathleen Liddy. I knew Jimmy Millar a lot better – I worked with him in Hugh T Barry’s in Gt George’s St (potato and seed storage). When I last seen Jimmy he had a second hand furniture shop (Antrim Rd – facing St Malachy’s College).

I remember the pub at Isobella St/Little George’s St. I think it caught fire in the bombing during the war. The building used to be 3 storeys (we used to climb to the top for pigeon eggs). I moved to England in 1972 and returned for a holiday a year later and they had knocked the pub down to the height of a lamppost. Paddy Morgan and Family (1st house left hand side of Valentine’s St) – both he and Alex Higgins played snooker in the tin hut on North Queen St. Paddy later left for Australia (like many others from the area) – I nearly went too but got cold feet. The tin hut was beside Lancaster St School, on the other side of the hut was St Patrick’s and Hugh Burn‘s Sweet Shop, then Collins fruit shop (he had a brother Georgy Collins who owned a fruit shop facing Lt George’s St on North Queen St). I knew Johnny Jennings very well and his other brother Peter (who I went to school with).

The people who lived facing the oceanic were called the McCotters (their house used to be a shop). I went to school with Jim McCotter (never knew it as Duffy’s Shop). I knew the owners of Oceanic Bar when it was called Celtic Bar (John Scullion). I think the Celtic Bar on the Fall’s Rd is a relative of his because he bought that bar.

No 19 Moffat St – Lynch family. A very big family and very nice people. They moved to Turf Lodge when it opened for a bigger house. Seamus and I and lots of others mated about together. Seamus became a councillor, Martin became a playwrite, Eamonn became a teacher. Ann Lynch (father was called Jimmy).

No 15 Moffat St – McNamara family. Ann McNamara (her father was called Terry).

Billy Bradley – everyone knew him as a very clean-cut man, owned a fruit shop in York St and also had a side line – people used to bring clothes to a washlet on North Queen St/Brome St. Billy would have brought to your door an electric washing machine which he hired (I think) for 5 shillings a night or Half a crown. I met Frances Voy about 3 years ago at Yorkgate – she suggested I go down to the Docker’s Club as they sometimes put old photos of the people from our area.

The tar-coated blocks – that was my time! I got my share for my mother, times were very hard and we used to follow the coal man round the streets to grab any coal that fell off to bring home.

McCracken’s – I worked with him in Lt York St in a wholesale Bottling Company (Joseph Campbells). Eddie died (I heard last year). I knew the Sims, Boyces, McKeowns, Fosters and Coxs (all from Isobella St). Potter & Cowans had the building on North Hill St – they moved to Duncrue St and are still there.

York St (the the right) was Dr Calwell’s Surgery, next door the police station, and Dickson’s Builders Merchant.

I was never good at football but played on Cinder Pitch, Sussex St. I was pulling out pieces of cinder for a week. I did know John Dallas (Lt George’s St), Georgie Glen, Tom Stewart (I ran about with Tom for years). I remember the swings behind Fenton’s Butchers (Lt York St), waste ground next to post office and facing Oliver’s paper shop (he was Dock Ward Councillor before Bill Hutchen took over).

I remember shoe repair shop next to Gillispies sweet shop (bottom Lt George’s St/York St), then there was large shop sold all types of clothing from children’s to adult’s (it had a dark brown front). Next was Sunday School (up stairs), Gracie’s Chemist, then a place that made headstones, then Oliver’s shop then White Lion Bar (Proprietor: James Woods).

Childhood games – Rallio, Kick the Tin, Hopscotch, Massy & Over, being pushed inside a lorry tyre, Parie & Whip, Marbles, Piggy & Bat, Cleak & Hoop, Kick Door Run Fast, Hulla Hoop, skipping, races etc.

We used to make money breaking up wooden orange and apple boxes and made bundles of sticks and sold them around the doors (1d a bundle). Parents didn’t have much money, everything was on Ration Books with coupons – you were only allowed 3d for sweets a week.

We played cards for money at the corner of Isobella St and Henry St. Paid a couple of kids a few pennies to watch out for cops on motor bikes, that way the kids would shout cops and we all split and run and join the small kids playing in side streets and the cops couldn’t follow. Neighbours would let us run through their houses and over yard walls to disappear.

The best times was summer nights when we would walk up to Flex St Cinder Pitch, people came from all over Belfast to watch football - North Star Team was from our area. There was a club in York St (New Boys Club) – I believe it is still there on a smaller scale.

When I got married, we bought a 2 bedroom house on the Longlands. Jim McKensey made our 1st Chesterfield Suite (a wedding present from my mother).

I knew a lot of people from Valentine’s St – Irelands (not related), Emma Brown/McNulty, Jackie & Jimmy Donaghy, McAlorums, Ryans, O’Neills, Brankins, Lynches, Hugh McGuinness (loved to play guitar – would always borrow mine. He died working in sewers - he saved some lives that day, one was Mickey Kelly Snr).

Signing off for now.

Old Foggie
John Ireland

was ur mam kathleen ireland. ifso she was a good friend of my aunt wee mary ann mcdermott

Hi John i lived at 17 valentine st i rember you sitting on the window sill with florie i knocked around with Mickey &Terry Mc Namaraits funny i still rember all the people and thestreets regards Harry