Your Ballymurphy piece certainly brought back many memories. I lived in Ballymurphy from about 1952-1957 and I remember the brickworks and the nearby city dump. Also, the big house wasn't derelict - it was my primary school until we left the area. I have many happy memories especially summer when some lessons were outside - though the smell from the dump could be powerful at times. I passed the dump every day on my way to school(we went in the shorter back way instead of the Springfield Road entrance most days) and remember seeing men carrying bags of stuff (mainly alluminium and copper I think) they had salvaged. Also, there was a pool in the dump where we used to fish for spricks.
Glad you enjoyed the post Tom... but I am afraid you are wrong the 'Haunted House' lay empty for quite a while before it became a wee junior school, then it had a care taken a Mr Haskins, we called him 'Hasky' who wouldn't let a child light anywhere near it, probably for the good
No dates in your last post so I was a bit confused. I wasn't saying that the 'Haunted House' was never derelict just, that it was not derelict in 1955-58 when I went to the state (non-denominational) primary school there. On a separate (historical not sectarian) point I remember 11 July bonfires in Ballymurphy - can you believe it?
I remember the bon fires too, and like you, without wanting to sound sectarian, there were also ones for the 15th of August (Our Ladies Day). The Murph was very mixed back in those days.