In Conversation with Bobbie Hanvey, Pt. 1: Talking About Growing up as a Border Girl

Susan, can you bring us all back in time now with your earliest recollections

The first I can remember of my childhood was moving in to live with my grandmother
My father's mother, in a wee place called Carrickasticken, outside the village of Forkhill
On the border road, of course the border was on the Carrickasticken Road
And I was about three at the time, and my Mom and Dad moved in with my Granny
Because she was getting too old to look after herself
I don't remember the house we lived in before I moved in with Granny

But when I grew up a bit and I realised where I did live before that
I lived about three mile off the road
You had to walk down a huge long lane
And then you had to get through two fields to get to this house
I was third youngest, there was eight of us, so she reared five children there
Can you imagine what it must have been like years ago?

Anyway we moved up the Carrickasticken Road to where my father was born
And my granny she kept chickens and hens and all
It was a farm, she had ducks as well
And I remember following the ducks over to the well
This is my earliest recollection of life
I remember following the ducks over to the well in the middle of the lane
And falling into the well
And lucky enough Mum was not far away, I mightn't be here today

So you are a good old Country Girl a heart
Absolutely, oh abso' I'm still am, really but
Where we were reared in Carrickasticken, it was like two rooms and a kitchen
No bathroom, an outside toilet
But I have great memories of being at home

My son Brendan was two and a half
Before we got the electric light in up at home
Because it was an unapproved road
And they wouldn't bring the light up from the village
And you know the usual
Dad played the accordion, and we'd have parties in the house
And the craic used to be great with gaslight

Good neighbours?
Good neighbours, I just a wonderful upbringing
You know what, when you see the way children are brought up
Now with all the mod cons that they have
I'd love to be able to take my grandchildren back just for a week
And show them the way we lived
There was always parties in our house
Both Mummy and Daddy were great singers
And we used to have sing songs
And Daddy played the button key accordion

When I was about, I'd say probably five or six
And Daddy will taught us all the old Irish songs
And you know you'd sing for everybody that came into the house
But A Mother's Love is a Blessing was the first song that I ever learned
That I could sing right through without stopping