Old Greystones

Greystoned

It's stored on Flickr as Bray - but it cannot be Bray because there are three tracks there. The house behind the waiting room looks a bit like the house at the (South Beach end) corner of the Sea Front. The houses behind the signal box could be the south end of La Touche road.
Judging by the date (6.68) and the fashions, it's not the age of steam, but a steamtrain running as an attraction.

Photo belongs to a davidncooke_686 on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60790501@N04/5699103652/

Alun

There are 3 tracks going through the station at Bray, see http://goo.gl/maps/Fy899.

walkyouhome

Looks like G'stones alright. That aluminum barn in the background was a holding shed for all sorts of railway stuff - now the car park and toilets at end of Trafalgar road.

pixbyjohn

Engine 186 @ Greystones 2009 by pixbyjohn, on Flickr

Greystoned

Another one I saw on Flickr. (I apologize if already in thread).


Interestingly the kish base does not appear to have been finished off for walking on - I read in one of Derek Paine's books that it was done by the Civic Assoc around 1970. I'm wondering if my own parents with my older brother are not included towards the left!!

Taltos

Funny thing was - wonder if the folk there messing in the water realised that the kish was the straw that effectively killed off the harbour...
(Long term of course here)...

MyPerfectCousin

It looks like the same steam engine in both pictures - good ol' number 186.

pixbyjohn

Greystoned wrote: »

Interestingly the kish base does not appear to have been finished off for walking on - I read in one of Derek Paine's books that it was done by the Civic Assoc around 1970. I'm wondering if my own parents with my older brother are not included towards the left!!

Excellent photo, thanks for posting

WiCkLaMuLlA

I remember my dad found a small inflatable paddling pool in the old dump (mid to late 70's i guess) and it was not holding air due to the rubber valve stoppers being ripped off so he plugged the valves with pencils, inflated it, put me into it with a long length of clothes line tied around my waist, gave me a hurl and pushed me out from the old short slipway (near a sewerage outlet if i remember correctly !) nearest the sailing club, i was terrified as he or i could not swim and he reckoned he'd simply reel me in like a bass if i sank or fell into the uisce ! thats practically child abuse !!!

Barney Brew

The Real B-man wrote: »

The Shopping Basket & Jokers Takeaway :pac:

The shopping Bucket. And remember Basil jacksons first music shop opposite Mooneys and then the new shop beside Dannys

Zoo4m8

Many years ago...

Pat Oleary and friend sitting on the milk stand across the road from Gratten Park taking car numbers,

Pat; "there hasn't been one for ages, I'm goin' for me tea"

Friend; " wait now, I hear one coming!"

Pat; "aw bugger! We got that one yesterday!"

The Durutti Column

New Facebook group started recently with lots of old photos and videos of Greystones: https://www.facebook.com/groups/179042928914409/

charlie88

Chip shop across from Kilian's hall... where the electrical shop is now ..(or was ???)

charlie88

Banser wrote: »

Great photo can u put up any names there's a few familiar faces just can't put names on them

Hugo o' Brien.... Back row 5 from the left

charlie88

Banser wrote: »

the red headed guy at the back 2nd to the left of michael kelly looks like derek greene r.i.p. the red headed fella front left with the tashe looks familiar cant put a name on him though

.... That's Mick o' Neill.. (aka Shovel head)

charlie88

Piped television ... just lean out the window and plug it back in when that little gray haired git with the ladders on his jeep unplugged it.

FirstIn

charlie88 wrote: »

Piped television ... just lean out the window and plug it back in when that little gray haired git with the ladders on his jeep unplugged it.

Wasn't that Martini's? Some name like that.
Dad would always say I'll have to get on to Martini when we'd have tv problems.

pixbyjohn

FirstIn wrote: »

Wasn't that Martini's? Some name like that.
Dad would always say I'll have to get on to Martini when we'd have tv problems.

Martini brought piped TV to Greystones and his cables are still in use on many houses. The little grey haired guy was Noel from Boghall Road who worked for Martini.

Zoo4m8

The system appeared to be installed and run on a shoestring, cable left overground when it should have been under etc.
One landowner ,not known for his generous nature, over whose place the cable ran, got fed up waiting to be paid his wayleave so decided to take matters into his own hands and picked a bank holiday to cut the cable with his penknife...
When Martini and Noel (not sure he would be thrilled to find himself described as 'little' ) arrived they were told no money no fix, so Martini had to go to Pascal Keogh at the Shell station opposite the cinema to borrow the cash to get back on the air..
A small electric current ran through the main cable to power signal boosting amplifiers and yer mans description of sawing through the cable with sparks flying everywhere was entertaining to say the least ..:D

marcellamorris

Some characters from the 50s and 60s in Greystones:
Sister Mary Thomasina in St Bridgets NS "ca bhfuil mo bhata?..."
Sister Damien and Fr McGowan, we thought they'd make a lovely couple!
The wrath of Fr Fennelly if you were late for Mass
"Cactus" Dunne who ran the shop in what is now Donnybrook Fair and his son Aidan Dunne who brought home girlfriends from all over the world
Joe Murphy and his brother from Crowe Abbey who'd leave milk for collection at the end of Grattan Park
Mrs Summers always on her bike
Evans pony circuit opposite the Beach House
Josie Martin's barber shop (now IPBS I think)

pixbyjohn

marcellamorris wrote: »

Some characters from the 50s and 60s in Greystones:
Mrs Summers always on her bike
Evans pony circuit opposite the Beach House
Josie Martin's barber shop (now IPBS I think)

Mrs Summers is alive and well now in her 101 year, remember her in the Anchor shop.
Willie Evans sitting on the wall of that paddock field watching all the girls go by.
Josie keeping an eye on his shop from the snug in The Burnaby.

Terrysibe

Sister Malainia? And her metal ruler. Boy that used to sting. The little dress shop opposite st Bridget's, I was so chuffed when I had my first wage packet and bought my mum a blouse from there.
My dad was Bill Curtis he played on some of the local darts teams from around 1971'

pixbyjohn

Terrysibe wrote: »

Sister Malainia? And her metal ruler. Boy that used to sting. The little dress shop opposite st Bridget's, I was so chuffed when I had my first wage packet and bought my mum a blouse from there.
My dad was Bill Curtis he played on some of the local darts teams from around 1971'

I remember him well and his buses.

Zoo4m8

A young resident of the town had an uncle who was caretaker in St Michans in Dublin, he was persuaded to let the young lad into the tower one Saturday where a number of pigeons were captured and brought back to Greystones.

In time the pigeons got tired of the accommodation provided and did a runner to the tower at the Holy Rosary much to the disgust of Fr Fennelly.... He was reportedly seen on more than one occasion trying to shoot his visitors with a borrowed air rifle!

Talking of characters from back then, I'm sure one of my favorites Ally Evans has had a mention or two further back in this thread but his unique book keeping system always fascinated me, everything was written on scraps of brown paper and thrown on the counter.
I seem to remember his assistant 'Hemp' from Ennis's lane had an untimely end but can't remember the details, maybe someone out there can help...

Quite often keeping Ally company on a summers evening would be Bill Doyle sitting in a wheelbarrow outside the shop (hardware, where Latouche wines is now) with his trousers rolled up to the knees catching the last of the sunshine...

Then there was the eccentric gent who lived in Latouche close who wore a beret and coat and wellies all year even in summer, it was advisable not to stand downwind of him on a sunny day! I think his name was Thomson? He was reputed to have a large train set in his home using every room and legend has it that he had made holes in the dividing walls between rooms to allow the trains run unimpeded through the house...

pixbyjohn

Ah yes, I remember all those characters. Great memories of Greystones.

nigelradion2

sagat wrote: »

Reading this board for a number of months from the shadows, interesting to see a lot of the activity is coming from new residents but surely there must be a number of us floating around who remember the Greystones of old. Lets reminisce about the days gone. Hands up if you remember:

Buying the paper at Murphy's
Groceries at O'Donohues
Watching Pieter Muller play rugby for Greystones
The Golf Club burning
The Woodlands for that matter
Waiting for somebody to return a flick you want to see to Video World
When you could buy a record on that same block
The knitting shop before the pet store
Queueing 3 maybe 4 hours to see Batman at the Ormonde cinema.
Quinnsworth selling make your own Pizza's and the entire town eating them
Remington Steele filming Taffin at Brady's hardware
The Cherry Blossom was the height of exotic cuisine
Buying Friday's dinner from the fish factory
When the shuttle to Bray was more regular and reliable than the Dart today
When Eugenes was Eugenes
Getting nothing but petrol from the Esso station besides the complimentary check of your water and oil
The backwards clock in Jokers
Lautrex succeeding Cabannas
Evans Hardware
When the summer festival included outdoor concerts at the harbour
When you couldn't as much as fart in the town without everyone knowing about it.
Sweeneys amusements getting a fancy makeover only to look like the same old kip merely a month later
Street Fighter 2 at same amusements
Walking home from Bary after missing the last bus along the cliff walk or train tracks if you were brave(stupid) enough
The diving board and raft on the south beach
When the rocks on same beach looked like mountains
The LaTouche hotel in its glory
The LaTouch shop in its glory, toys, sweets, C64 games
Butcher Shops
Practice wall at the old tennis club
The original Copper Kettle
Pitch and Put where there is now park and Ride
Some funny American game in the park by the Burnaby
...and so much more.

So lets hear about the times, places and characters that marked the Greystones of old. Pictures would be the icing if anyone has old ones. As for you blow-ins, keep reading as you may be amazed and amused with what your new home was once like.[/QUOTE

what about the old thrift shop on la touché place or the old shopping basket shop on the main street where Xtra-Vision is now?

I also remember the old shuttle train which ran between greystones and bray until 1990. Was really annoyed when they stopped it.

gizmo555

nigelradion2 wrote: »

I also remember the old shuttle train which ran between greystones and bray until 1990. Was really annoyed when they stopped it.

If I recall correctly, CIE had borrowed it from Northern Ireland Rail and they had to give it back.

FirstIn

gizmo555 wrote: »

If I recall correctly, CIE had borrowed it from Northern Ireland Rail and they had to give it back.

That's correct. There was definitely a northern irish rail train doing the shuttling at one time.

Zoo4m8

Never mind the thrift shop, how about the school it replaced.. A lovely building demolished without a second thought... Started my 'education ' there, I can remember hiding under a desk with Ken Dey ,R I P, when sergeant Molloy came into the classroom, two days earlier we had set fire to the gorse bushes on Jones's hill above the golf clubhouse , there was hell to pay and we were convinced the sergeant was calling to collect us..
Have a great photo of the kids outside the school from those days, must learn to post it..

Remember well the clubhouse burning and no, we weren't responsible!

Never walked the line back from Bray but did do the tunnel, that was one of those things that 'had' to be done as was collecting seagulls eggs from the cliffs. All stupid and highly dangerous but sure in those days weren't we going to live forever :cool:

incidentally, as anyone who travels by train will see there are alcoves at intervals along the tunnel walls, these are to allow workers to stand in out of the way of a passing train. Unlike the linesmen we had no timetable so there would be a mad scramble in the darkness to reach an alcove when a train was heard coming.. I think I'll stop, I'm starting to feel weak!

pixbyjohn

Aww Kenneth Dey and his beautiful sister Sandra from the Church Lane:D