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Child Item

The 70's and 80's in Ireland

Kermit.de.frog

What was it like in the 1980's in Ireland?

I have seen pictures, video and my god it looked like a depressing place. :eek:

Grey, delapidated, hopeless.

What was it like? How did you get by without internets, wheelie bins, toilets...?

Would you go back if you could??

*Might as well throw in the 70's too for people of that vintage.

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Kevin Finnerty

Mam of 4 wrote: »

Am lol at the mattresses , or lack of on the stairs , we lost out on that one as we lived in a bungalow .
Although we did live near the bottom of a hill , so on a frosty night we'd go out and throw a jug of water on the road in front of the gateway *....

*
Please do not try this at home!!
We lived in the sticks , and this was in the 70-80's .

We used always put water on the road outside our farm for the frosty nights. If we did that now!!!
Never a crash cos not even 5 cars used it in the round of the day.

Sardonicat

Mam of 4 wrote: »

Am lol at the mattresses , or lack of on the stairs , we lost out on that one as we lived in a bungalow .
Although we did live near the bottom of a hill , so on a frosty night we'd go out and throw a jug of water on the road in front of the gateway *....

*
Please do not try this at home!!
We lived in the sticks , and this was in the 70-80's .

In truth, I wasn't sliding down the stairs for kicks. I have dyspraxia (not that anyone knew that, I was just a clumsy, oddball as far as everyone was concerned ) and I couldn't actually walk down the stairs til I was 6. I had to bum shuffle down so sliding was just faster. Also used to climb over the bannister and, keeping myself flush to it, just drop to the floor, or slide down the bannister, or jump from about 8 steps up. I dont know how i managed to stay out of traction. Once got my foot jammed between two bannister posts and was left hanging upside down by the foot for 15 minutes while my mother chatted to the milkman at the front door.

Oh yeah, my brain could co-ordinate my body to do all those moves but could not figure out how to walk me down the stairs. In the 70s/80s dyspraxia and dyslexia didn't exist and those if us with such challenges were treated as backwards, weird and stupid. That is not something I'd like to return to. Enjoyed sliding down the stairs though.

Mam of 4

Am lol at the mattresses , or lack of on the stairs , we lost out on that one as we lived in a bungalow .
Although we did live near the bottom of a hill , so on a frosty night we'd go out and throw a jug of water on the road in front of the gateway *....

*
Please do not try this at home!!
We lived in the sticks , and this was in the 70-80's .

Sardonicat

Purple Mountain wrote: »

Mam of 4 wrote: »

Making go carts with whatever wood and wheels you could find , with a rope for steering , often ending up in the ditch , fun times , happy memories.

***Disclaimer..do not try this at home kids!

I remember when wheelie bins where a new phenomenon in the country and putting my younger brother or sister standing up in our empty bin and giving them a little push down the road (steep hill).
Another favourite was getting a single bed mattress and putting it at the top of the stairs and going tummy first on it down the stairs praying the mattress wouldn't double back underneath on the way down.

I used to do the mattress thing but without the mattress. Covered in carpet burns I was.

Purple Mountain

Mam of 4 wrote: »

Making go carts with whatever wood and wheels you could find , with a rope for steering , often ending up in the ditch , fun times , happy memories.

***Disclaimer..do not try this at home kids!

I remember when wheelie bins where a new phenomenon in the country and putting my younger brother or sister standing up in our empty bin and giving them a little push down the road (steep hill).
Another favourite was getting a single bed mattress and putting it at the top of the stairs and going tummy first on it down the stairs praying the mattress wouldn't double back underneath on the way down.

NasserShammaz

Pebble mill at one

archer22

tabby aspreme wrote: »

Not a dog or cat in the country neutered , dogs were either Collie's ,Jack Russel's, gun dogs or mongrels, very few yappy fluff balls

Also Dogs in the rural areas who used to sit outside the gate all day waiting for cars to chase.

They were into fitness training before it ever caught on with Humans :pac:

gormdubhgorm

Rubberlegs wrote: »

The roller skates in the 70s that were adjustable metal bases with straps, you wore your shoes inside them. Then the roller boot skates in the 80s that had the big rubber stoppers on them. Except I couldn't use the stoppers and crashed into hedges, walls, gates or anything available to stop myself. Painful yet fun times

Hence the rubber legs now?

branie2

Benji, Zax and the Alien Prince, about a young prince who flees from a tyrant on a planet in outer space, and is pursued by two hunters. He befriends a dog called Benji.

Plopsu

Mam of 4 wrote: »

Making go carts with whatever wood and wheels you could find , with a rope for steering , often ending up in the ditch , fun times , happy memories.

One of the neighbour kids had one that was basically a door with wheels. You could fit about eight kids on besides the driver (needed another eight to push it).

Rubberlegs

The roller skates in the 70s that were adjustable metal bases with straps, you wore your shoes inside them. Then the roller boot skates in the 80s that had the big rubber stoppers on them. Except I couldn't use the stoppers and crashed into hedges, walls, gates or anything available to stop myself. Painful yet fun times

Heroditas

WildWater wrote: »

I think the families of the 628 road fatalities in 1978 probably did gave a damn. Road fatalities throughout the 70s were 500+ with the 80s little better. Truly shocking especially when you factor in the number of vehicles on the road then in comparison to now.

Even worse when you consider that the population was a lot less back then. We've made huge improvements to road safety.

Purple Mountain

Mam of 4 wrote: »

We'd often have the cow's from the field across the road break out through the fence and have a wander into our back yard !

For those of us still living in the sticks, this still happens from time to time

Mam of 4

We'd often have the cow's from the field across the road break out through the fence and have a wander into our back yard !
The milk man in his Midland Dairies truck , would stop and give you a lift up the road , on the left footwell of the truck,the panel was clear glass

Milk in glass bottles , the birds would pick through the foil lid if you hadn't a proper set up where your milk was to be left .

Making go carts with whatever wood and wheels you could find , with a rope for steering , often ending up in the ditch , fun times , happy memories.

Sardonicat

tabby aspreme wrote: »

No Doe, or NCT on cars or vans, floorpans rotten in most cars over 10 years old, you would want to be wearing wellies driving on a wet day

We had a Ford Escort who's floor was so rotten that my Dad used to shout "Yabba Dabba Dooooo!" when he started the engine implying we could propel the car forward with our feet, like the Flintstones. We were one bad pot holes (plenty of those around, too) from being dropped onto the tar mac.

Also, signs warning of Loose Chippings. You wouldn't be 2 miles out the road before you'd see that.

tabby aspreme

No Doe, or NCT on cars or vans, floorpans rotten in most cars over 10 years old, you would want to be wearing wellies driving on a wet day

Embossy

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

What was it like in the 1980's in Ireland?

I have seen pictures, video and my god it looked like a depressing place. :eek:

Grey, delapidated, hopeless.

What was it like? How did you get by without internets, wheelie bins, toilets...?

Would you go back if you could??

*Might as well throw in the 70's too for people of that vintage.

In the 1980s, I always had a job, got married, bought a house, drove a brand new car and enjoyed foreign holidays. And they call the 80s the bad old times!

Mailcoachinn

tara73 wrote: »

really?:eek: or is it a joke?

No. This happened

tabby aspreme

Not a dog or cat in the country neutered , dogs were either Collie's ,Jack Russel's, gun dogs or mongrels, very few yappy fluff balls

tara73

Mailcoachinn wrote: »

Trains being driven by children

really?:eek: or is it a joke?

All Seeing Eye

Mailcoachinn wrote: »

Trains being driven by children

Children operating signal boxes on the main Dublin to Belfast line. Relation of mine used to let us change signals and communicate with other stations no big deal back then.

Mailcoachinn

Trains being driven by children

branie2

Going back to the Sullivans, Mr. Sullivan, the head of the family, looked like an older version of Michael Collins with his hat on.

The Crowman

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

See my post above for the reason why.

Just saw it, that explains a lot. I was discussing the show in later years with someone else who remembered it and we came to the conclusion that RTE must have been repeating it in a loop.

[Deleted User]

The Crowman wrote: »

I have that opening sequence and the title music burned into my memory. It would be on RTE 1 before the 6 O clock news for what seemed like a lifetime.

See my post above for the reason why.

The Crowman

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxQqUhsNsGQ

The series lasted a lot longer than the war!

I have that opening sequence and the title music burned into my memory. It would be on RTE 1 before the 6 O clock news for what seemed like a lifetime.

WildWater

mikemac2 wrote: »

Six children in the back seat of a fiesta
Adults didn’t wear seatbelts
Hanging off the back of tractors for a lift
Dodging tree branches on top of trailers full of hay

Ah health and safety, nobody gave a damn

I think the families of the 628 road fatalities in 1978 probably did gave a damn. Road fatalities throughout the 70s were 500+ with the 80s little better. Truly shocking especially when you factor in the number of vehicles on the road then in comparison to now.

Heroditas

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJKRROzmuaI

I'm a biker, and this episode is very silly indeed but also very funny!

Edit: the physical comedy. press Stop at 16 minutes, the rest is just awful, I don't know how I hung on for the bad gags 40 years ago.

Ah Frank Spencer was brilliant.

Anyone remember the TV series of Heidi? I'm currently reading the book to my 6yo daughter and some of the episodes are on YouTube.
It seemed to be on forever!

Calibos

Homemade bangers made by getting a roll of caps and running a needle through every cap concertina style, remove the needle carefully and wrap the homemade banger with a match for a fuse in sellotape.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJKRROzmuaI

I'm a biker, and this episode is very silly indeed but also very funny!

Edit: the physical comedy. press Stop at 16 minutes, the rest is just awful, I don't know how I hung on for the bad gags 40 years ago.