64 years wed

Kilkelly couple 64 years wed 

PEOPLE & PLACES
Michael Commins

DOWN Kilkelly way, Mary and Bill Hunt recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. The popular couple from Derrynalecka were married in Swinford Church on Shrove Tuesday, 1944, two months after meeting at a dance in Campbell’s dance hall (now Julian’s) in Midfield. There were no weddings during Lent in those days, so they said to themselves ‘why wait?’ You could say they were never a pair for the slow lane!
Mary was formerly Lavin from Woods near Midfield. Her family was one of seven that moved to Kildare on March 16, 1956, as part of the Land Commission resettlement programme. Two years ago, members of those families held a nostalgic reunion back home in Midfield.
It was an especially sad time for Mary, as she watched all her family up and leave for Kildare and a new life in that part of the east midlands. She still has family in Kilcullen and Blackhall today.
In their young years together, they went to Birmingham, where Mary worked as a barmaid and Bill on several different jobs. They returned to Derrynalecka where they raised a family of four. William is now in Manchester, Eileen is down in Tralee, Josephine is up in Dublin and Michael is next door to them in Derrynalecka.
Bill went back to England to earn money to send home and rear the family. This was a very familiar pattern for many families in the west of Ireland in those times. Mary raised the children and took care of the land. She milked the cows and ran the farm. Things were not easy in the economic landscape of rural Ireland in the 1950s.
Looking back on their whirlwind romance in 1944, they recall that they had their wedding party in Bill’s parents’ home in Derrynalecka (where they still live today). They had a roasted pig and an 18 gallon barrel of Guinness, and the house was packed for the special occasion!
Today, Mary and Bill are taking life at an easy pace. They have ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Bill is still driving, and while he no longer has any ambition to race in the Circuit of Ireland rally, he treasures the independence he has when he takes his Toyota out on the road. He’d be lost without his car. And he still doesn’t need to wear glasses while driving!
Himself and Mary head off for trips to Claremorris, Swinford, Kiltimagh, Kilkelly, Castlebar and Ballina. He will turn 90 in September and Mary is four years’ younger than him.
Sixty four years after meeting in Campbell’s hall in Midfield, they are still motoring along nicely … in every sense of the word. Let’s raise a glass to Bill and Mary Hunt!

The Virginian Countdown
THREE weeks to go….

CLAREMORRIS is preparing to welcome James Drury, the famous actor who played the role of The Virginian in the legendary TV Western of the same name. The famous cowboy actor was born in New York on April 18, 1934. His family’s strong Roscommon connection was both emphasised and valued during his upbringing.

• The Virginian series has always been regarded as one of the leading ‘adult Westerns’. Throughout its long run, it attracted some of the biggest screen names of the era. There was no place for gimmicks in the series. It relied entirely on good story lines, superbly delivered by a top cast. Among the guest actors who appeared in some episodes during the series were George C Scott, Bette Davis, Ryan O’Neal, Robert Redford, Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson.

• Filming was tough, and the schedule was extremely demanding back then. A number of shows were often in various stages of filming at the same time. This meant that James Drury and others had to move from one set to another and back again. Such pressure took its toll on many of the actors.

• Sometimes two full 90 minutes shows were ‘canned’ in the one week. Lee J Cobb left the series when his contract was up in 1966, after complaining about the grind of doing the show. Pippa Scott (Molly Wood) left after the first season, Gary Clarke (Steve Hill) left after the second. Roberta Shore (Betsy Garth, Judge Garth’s adopted daughter) left after the third. Cobb, who left after the fourth, was replaced by Charles Bickford, who died after the fifth. Bickford was replaced by John McIntire for seasons six through eight. Stewart Granger headed the Shiloh ranch for The Men from Shiloh. Only James Drury and Doug McClure were there from the start to the finish.

• ‘The Virginian’ was among the most popular shows screened by RTÉ during the 1960s. It had a massive following. TG4 is currently rerunning the series in the early afternoon, thereby introducing the show to a whole new generation as well as rekindling fond memories for many who remember the series with such affection.