Growing up in Ireland

eviltimeban

Sorry that this is all text, this was from an email that I remember going around about 10 - 12 years ago (I didn't write it), so it in itself is sort of nostalgic!

Its worth a read as this will stir up memories of anyone who grew up in the 70s / 80s:

"Cast your mind back…way back…

I'm talking about Hide and Seek in the park, The shop down the road, Hopscotch, Donkey, skipping, handstands, stuck in the mud, football with an old can, Dandy, Beano, Twinkle and Roly Poly, Hula Hoops, Jumping the stream, building a swing from a tyre and a piece of rope tied to a tree, (If you live in Dublin the lampost), building tree-houses, climbing up onto roofs. Tennis on the street, the smell of the sun and fresh cut grass.

Keep going…Hubba Bubba bubble gum and 2p Flogs, macaroon bars and woppas, 3p Refreshers and wham bars, superhero chewing gum, golf ball chewing gums and liquorice whips, desperate dan and roy of the rovers, sherbit dips and Mr. freezes, marathon bars and everlasting gobstoppers.
An ice cream cone on a warm summer night from the van that plays a tune chocolate or vanilla or strawberry or maybe neopolitan

Wait ... Watching Saturday Morning cartoons ... short commercials, Battle of the Planets, Road Runner, He-Man, Swapshop, and Why Don't You?, Transformers, How do you do?, Bosco(SANDY), Forty-coats, the Littlest Hobo and Lassie, Chucklevision, The Muppet Show, MacGyver, Scarecrow and Mrs King, Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven, or staying up for Knight Rider and Magnum PI.

When around the corner seemed far away and going into town seemed like going somewhere.

A million midget bites, sticky fingers and mud all over you, knee-pads on your jeans, Cops and Robbers, Rounders, tip the Can, Queenie-I-O, climbing trees, spin the bottle, building igloos out of snow banks, walking to school, no matter what the weather, running till you were out of breath. Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt, Jumping on the bed. Pillow fights, Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles, Being tired from playing... Remember that?

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.

Water balloons were the ultimate weapon

Football cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.

And don't forget the Marietta sandwiches we'd make by buttering a cupla Marietta biscuits and stickin' them together. And that quare oul mixture made in a tall glass with HB ice cream and Taylor Keith Red Lemonade.

I'm not finished just yet...

Eating raw jelly, orange squash ice pops

Remember when ... There were two types of sneakers - girls and boys and Dunlop Green Flash and the only time you wore them at school, was for "P.E.", Gola football boots.

It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends, when nobody owned a pure bred dog, when 25p was decent pocket money, when you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny, when nearly everyone's mum was at home when the kids got there, when it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents

When any parent could discipline any kid or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.

When being sent to the head's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home. Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of muggings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! and some of us are still afraid of them!!!

Remember when....

Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo."

"Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly", the game of life and connect four, atari 2600's and commadore 64's. The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was germs. It was unbelievable that Red rover wasn't an Olympic event...

Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a biro barrel pea shooter or an elastic band.
Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better, Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable vitamins, Ice cream was considered a basic food group.

Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true..
Abilities were discovered because of a "double dare"
Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors

If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!!
Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their "grown up" life...

I DOUBLE DARE YA!!!
Bagsy it, no returns and no magical changes"

LordSutch

Add . . . .

Doctor Who, Star Trek, World of Sport (with Dickie Davis), Banana Slpits, The Timetunnel,
Voyage to the bottom of the sea, Captain Scarlet, Stingray, Bonanza . . . . . . .

We had a roof aerial pointed to Wales, hence BBC & HTV / long before Channel 4 or RTE2 arrived on the scene

not yet

I take offence....I'm 4ft 2 and never grew.

C.K Dexter Haven

eviltimeban wrote: »

building igloos out of snow banks,

"

The snows of 81/ 82 I think. We built 2 with an interconnecting tunnel- damn cool it was

eviltimeban wrote: »

Tennis on the street,

"

Does this happen anymore? Back in the day there were very few cars and those that had them used their driveway or were out at work all day- no 2 car families back then: D

Concrete roads with tar lines made a great "court" - we didn't bother with a net- probably why my tennis skills never really improved.

oldyouth

Football on the street with a tennis ball
The Youth club, where girls went too
Not knowing what Christian Brothers did to your classmates was inappropriate
Very rare to have live footie on television
Buying broken biscuits and chocolate in the local shop
2 pictures shown in the cinema at the Saturday Matinee
Your mother chose and bought all your clothes, no exception
Hanging out with your friends at The Rocks
Collecting 'milk money' door to door at the weekends for tips
Finding empties to bring back to the shop to get the deposits
Buying a single smoke and a match
Holidays in Bray and then (much later on) a caravan in Wexford
Teachers trying to decide which career suited you best, civil service or bank
Robinson Crusoe & Banana Splits on the telly, Saturday mornings
The new bike
Putting a microphone from your tape recorder to the radio speaker to tape the Top 20 on a Sunday. Giving out shlte if someone came in to the room and made a noise.
Christmas where all the shops closed for most of the week
The hapes of egg, onion and tomato sandwiches my Dad made for Sunday tea, to be eaten in front of the telly as a family.

But mostly, my childhood will be remembered for the companion who shared every high, every low and every adventure. My dog, Jack. Miss you buddy, 35 years on

cuana

I have memories of crazy hair! crazy outfits, hand me downs were the norm

We were never if ever rarely indoors we spent hours spent in the field playing football with all the kids until you'd hear the mammies yelling at us when it was time to go home

Board Games! Card games!

Memories of squeezing as many of us into the car as humanly possible

penny sweets! 20p got you loads

Gloomtastic!

Your big brother's hand-me-downs 10 years after he wore them. The worst was having to wear his old string vests. I'm still cringing now!!!

delw

What a great e-mail in OP,i remember the lot,jeez good simple times,pity kids now a days can't appreciate being a kid & want to grow up so quick

Edit : really loved playing "relive-e-o"

Bearhunter

Some great memories on this thread.Some more:Wearing the same clothes all week.Considering bread and jam to be a perfectly acceptable meal.Having to have your breakfast half an hour before mass.Picking strawberries in the summer.Taking the dog out rabbitting.Lamping bats.Dream Topping and Angel Delight were for special occasions and the height of culinary excellence.Having to bring an empty milk bottle to the shop if you needed another bottle.Thinkinhg that being beaten to a pulp by teachers was normal and when you told your Ma she said "Well you must have deserved it."

Ruu

A-Team crisps for 5p, Fun house with those go carts and Timmy Mallet on telly.