Looking back on summers past – Michael Duffy

Memories of Moorehall


Michael Duffy

Although emigration is now once again very much a part of everyday family life in Ireland, the fact remains that it is no- where nearly as prevalent as it was in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
Four of my mother’s brothers and sisters emigrated and three of my father’s did likewise so not a summer passed during the 80s and 90s that we didn’t have ‘yanks’ home for summer (my father used the term ‘yanks’ in a very broad way, regardless if our visitors were from the UK or the US!).
Being the oldest of four, I would love to have been heading overseas on memorable family holidays, but this simply was not an option back in the 80s or 90s but we were luckier than most as the Quinn homestead, where my mother was brought up, was situated in one of the most picturesque areas one could imagine, nestled deep in the Moorehall woods, on the shores of Lough Carra.
The house itself was less than a 100 metre walk from the lake shore itself. Even though my home in Killawalla was only about 10 miles away, the shores of Lough Carra felt a world away from Killawalla National School once the months of July and August arrived.
One particular memory I have of those years was Friday nights. Even though it is only 20 years ago, these were much simpler times. Mam and Dad would bring my granddad Jack and the visiting aunts and uncles down to Laurence McHugh’s Carra Lodge for a drink and a chat while my brother and sisters and visiting cousins would stay in with granny Nora. We’d watch the Late, Late Show, play some ‘25’ and then wait for the highlight of the night, at about 11.30pm, the arrival of Glynn’s travelling shop.
The excitement was palpable when we could see the lights of the big van arrive at the bottom of the driveway, and once granny had collected her messages, we were free to raid the van and gorge on Monster Munch crisps, Moro chocolate bars and cans of coke.
Moorehall, to this day, remains one of Mayo’s untapped tourism resources. Along with the obvious benefits of its proximity to Lough Carra (fishing, swimming etc), its extensive woodlands are a myriad of walkways and Moorehall House is a mysterious and inspiring  structure with a rich history. Moorehall was the perfect holiday destination.