Teach de Broc

Jean's Journal with Jean Farrell

One summer’s day in 1960, I was playing on O’Connell Street, with my friends. I was nine years old and having great fun. Every house was full of children and we were all outside together. Some were throwing two balls against the wall. Others were playing hopscotch with a polish tin. More were spinning tops, whipping them with a shoe-lace tied to a stick. Marbles were being rolled along by some. Smaller girls were wheeling their dolls in little prams. And the boys were all shooting each other, shouting, “You’re dead!” (“No, I’m not,” was the standard reply!) Babies in prams sat outside our houses, happily observing all.

Six friends and I had bought a very long, very heavy rope in Lysters. We were playing skipping with this, out on the middle of the road. A girl held each end of the rope, turning it quickly, as four of us ran in and out chanting rhymes. We were very surprised to see adults coming out of their houses with ladders. My skipping pals and I had to move off the middle of the road. They began to hang bunting across the whole street. Puzzled, we watched and wondered what was going on.

Mr Brock hung this bunting, from an upstairs window in his house, right cross the street to Mrs Sammon’s hairdressing salon. He hung it from his house down as far as P.J. Bannon’s bar, at the end of the street. Then he hung it up as far as Nolans, at the top of our street. Mr Nolan was a vet and they had 12 children.

We were told that the bunting was being hung up because Paul Brock was coming home from America. We knew that Paul Brock was 16 and that he played the accordion. I don’t think I had ever even seen an accordion in 1960, nor had we any interest in accordion music. The songs we sang back then were ‘There’s A Hole in the Bucket’ and ‘Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Back Seat (kissing and a hugging with Fred – remember?’)

It wasn’t until many years later that I understood what all the fuss what about. By the time Paul Brock was 14 years of age he was The All-Ireland Accordion Champion. Aged 15, he had toured England, playing to packed houses there. Aged 16, he toured America. He had even appeared on television, on the very famous Ed Sullivan Show. 44 million Americans had watched him play his accordion.

He was returning home, triumphant from this tour, on that day in 1960, when the bunting was being hung up, in his honour, on our street.

When he arrived, an hour later, we children had taken our long heavy rope down to St Peter’s Hall (now The Dean Crowe Theatre.) We continued our skipping game there, totally unaware that we had a ‘superstar’ on our street.

Paul Brock, now in his late seventies, went on to have a very successful career playing traditional Irish music. He is the son of Artie Brock and Margie Keating (from out Tubberclair direction.) Her sister, Mrs Egan, was the last person to teach in the school house on Inishmore Island, on Lough Ree. Her son, Desmond Egan, is the famous poet from Connaught Street.

I want to write now about another member of the same Brock family. Whilst superstar Paul was older than us, Seamus and Meave Brock were our age. They were our friends, as children.

I had heard that Seamus Brock owned a thriving guest house in Ballybunion. He came to the launch of my book ‘The Six Marys’ at Listowel Writers’ Festival lately and he invited us to come to visit him, in Ballybunion, which we did.

Ballybunion is very near Listowel. As we entered the small town, we passed the fine statue of Bill Clinton. It was erected because the president had played golf in Ballybunion’s famous golf links.

We enjoyed a lovely walk along the beach, before visiting Seamus, in his Teach de Broc.

Well, Teach de Broc is now much more than a guest house. It is a beautiful boutique hotel, situated right at the gates of the famous Ballybunion golf links. Seamus, with his lovely wife and son, welcomed us warmly. We had a most pleasant afternoon in this hotel, catching up on news of old neighbours, from long ago.

In the past, Irish people flocked to sea side resorts like Ballybunion, Bundoran, Salthill, Bray and more, on their summer holidays. There, they sat in guesthouses, gazing out at the rain falling and wind blowing!

In the late 1960s flights became cheaper and people headed to the sun instead. ‘Package holidays’ abroad were snapped up by Irish folk, because of guaranteed sunshine.

The main tourists in Ballybunion, these days, are there for the golf. If you plan to be in the area don’t forget this fine hotel, Teach de Broc, owned by a proud Athlone man, Seamus Brock, from O’Connell St.

I wrote recently about The Travel Department and organised tours. I was interested to read that one can go on ‘A Soap Tour.’ This trip includes a guided studio tour of the external Coronation Street and Emmerdale sets. I quote, ‘Meet & Greet with a current cast member from Coronation Street.’

You can also go on an organised sun holiday with your favourite Country and Western band. You sing and dance along with similar fans all week.

A great time is had by everyone, I hear. Whatever your hobbies are, there is a tour to suit – so go NOW, before it’s too late!