Growing up in the 1980's Ireland

so growing up in 80-90 is history.

Growing up in 40's and 50's - now that is history.

In Dublin, pirate radio stations were all the rage then. The early 80's saw the likes of Radio Dublin & Big D Radio. Late 80's saw Radio Nova, KissFM & Sunshine Radio.

The Dandelion Market was on St Stephens Green and you bought your bikes in the Penny Fathing there.

McDonalds opened their doors on Grafton Street in the early 80's and queues were out the door.

If you wanted a phone in your house, you ordered & then waited for almost 2 years (if my memory is correct).

There were lots of postal strikes which was a bummer on Valentine's Day.

I remember petrol strikes too and people making mad dashes to the North with loads of 5 gallon drums in the back of the cars.

I remember people bought butter in the North, and hid it all around the car in case they were stopped. TV's too brought people to the North.

Summer holidays were a 2 week visit to some relations farm in the back of beyond - but they were great. You learned to drive a Massey Ferguson when you were 11 or 12.

You & your brothers would have to hightail it by train, bus or by thumbing it down the country to help uncles save the hay. And they were made into haystacks - none of these circular bales you see now. And to quench your thirst, you were given very cold buttermilk.

After playing a big hurling or football match, you got a glass of Miwadi and a marieta biscuit.

Most cars did not have radios, so you sang all the way on a long car journey. "one day at a time sweet Jesus ......." Or "we're all off to Dublin in the green, in the green .....".

Some parts of the country still used the telephone exchange - you picked up the phone and an operator would answer and you would ask for Dublin 123456.

For free phone calls on a public phone, some people would tap the phone with their finger.

There was always a traffic jam (with cars) on Grafton Street.

There were no contraception machines in the toilets in pubs. In fact you could not buy contraceptives anywhere. In fact you never knew what they were or what they were used for.

You always went to mass on Sunday. In fact you would travel to the other end of the county to get a 6 o'clock mass there. And you listened to the priest very carefully.

You'd have to dance with girls at weddings otherwise you'd be a wallflower.

You had to always get up & sing at weddings.

Some people could be heard asking "what's your 20" down the microphone of their illegal CB radios. (as a result of movies like Convoy and Smokey & the Bandit which were big hits).

These are some of my memories. I'd love to go back - the 80's were great.

Ten ten till we do it again. (CB jingo for bye for now).

Peregrinus wrote: »

You changed your undies, of course, and you would change your shirt more frequently than once a week (but probably not daily). And - I'm a boy - girls might perhaps have changed clothes more frequently than boys. But this "wear it for a day and then wash it" lark was completely unknown.

Second that. Undercrackers used to be reversible, a la 'Lord Anthony' jackets! Who remembers those?

Seriously though, things used to be more tribal. If you were a metalhead, you liked metal. And nothing else (at least openly...). Likewise if you were a curehead, a punk, or any other of the various crews. Your music had to match your hair, and to a lesser extent, your smell. You really had to commit back then! If you were in UCD studying arts you had to wear 501's (rolled up of course), 10-hole docs, and a baggy jumper down to your knees...



Oh, and we didn't have Oxygen. We had Self-Aid. Youtube it, kids. You've no idea what ye missed.

Ah wallpaper on books also you got your phone in quicker of you knew someone that worked in telecom eireann.
Swapping fancy paper
Joining fan clubs of your favorite band through the post.
Getting phone calls on the neighbours phone or a the pay phone on the street.
Going to the video shop to rent a video and trying to get a peep into the back room where they kept the dirty movies.
Wearing summer dresses in march.
Buying comics on Saturdays.
Spending time with your family because everyone sat in the sitting room.
And of course taping songs off the radio.

upncmnhistori wrote: »

...I know one girl who grew up in the 1980s and she was telling me that because of recession time they had to were the same clothes nearly everyday...

What age are you? I'm 21, that was the 90's to me, and about half the 00's, come to think of it the only reason I don't continue as such now, and wear clothes constantly until they actually need to be changed, is because for some unknown reason it's not very socially acceptable to.

At 21 I remember a lot of what people are earmarking as from the 80's.

You didn't grow up round my way anyway!

Dummy wrote: »

In Dublin, pirate radio stations were all the rage then. The early 80's saw the likes of Radio Dublin & Big D Radio. Late 80's saw Radio Nova, KissFM & Sunshine Radio.

The Dandelion Market was on St Stephens Green and you bought your bikes in the Penny Fathing there.

Those were the days. The radio stations were insane, there were new ones starting every week. And there was a pretty vibrant music scene in Dublin.
And you could buy a lot of interesting things at the dandelion market...

upncmnhistori wrote: »

Didn't dunnes stores refuse to trade with South Africa goods because of a sweat shop in this decade?

No,staff in Dunnes on Moore street refused to handle South African products , they got locked out

strike went on and on.