Thanks for the memories

By Breda Nathan

I was invited to a ‘get together’ in the National Print Museum this week and gifted a copy of XPRESS 30yrs, ‘Thanks for the memories’.

This is a four-page pamphlet with the story of the Irish Press/Evening Press/Sunday Press newspapers.

The front cover of the last edition of The Irish Press from 25 May 1995

Four days later, I am still reading and remembering, crying and laughing, thinking and wondering and hoping… It is thirty years since the closure of the Press and my worry is will the remaining newspapers and magazines disappear too.

The man who produced this amazing pamphlet is Harry Havelin. He is a genius.

Managing in four pages to bring together a history of events from 1931 to 1995.

A photograph of Mrs Margaret Pearse, mother of Padraig Pearse pressing the button to start the first edition is included.

Headlines from the top stories are remembered such as the Eucharistic Congress in 1932 to the first private meeting between President Mary Robinson and the late Queen Elizabeth in 1993.

The Irish Press front page from the day Ireland joined the EEC, January 1 1973

My early memory, coming from a very Fine Gael house, was having the Irish Independent and Evening Herald delivered daily.

The Press was Fianna Fail and never allowed until one amazing sports writer appeared.

Con Houlihan ended the civil war thinking… we ordered the Evening Press.

When he described a match, you were there.

His writing about sport and indeed the arts column he did was brilliant.

I remember meeting him and sitting beside him on a bus tour in Iceland and he chatted away for an hour, but sadly I heard nothing, he covered his mouth with his hand and the strong Kerry accent finished it.

I waited until Tuesday for him to describe the trip and agreed with everything he wrote.

The gathering of mostly compositors this week also reminded me of my first writing attempts and one of the Evening Press published a couple of my pieces.

Then a member of the NUJ, which was part of the group of print unions objected because I was involved in a row over women not being allowed into the Union group.

He rang me to explain and I was devastated. But again the editor got back to me and offered to publish my articles, if I changed my name.

I agreed instantly and continued to write in the Evening Press.

All of the mad and sad and great memories were triggered with this lovely pamphlet.

Harry, how did you do it? you and Michael Morris who edited I know managed to get stories into a few words, triggered a million memories in my lapsing brain.

In the earlier days many big names who later became Presidents and a Taoiseach worked there, including Erskine Childers and Cearbhall O’Dalaigh in the 70s and Sean Lemass in the 50s and 60s.

Maire Comerford, a prominent republican in the war of independence was a journalist from the 1930s to 1964.

It’s so nice to see the friendships from the Press days still going so well, and the work they do at the museum to keep it going.

I really enjoyed my visit and the tour, which I have done several times always discovering something different.

The pamphlet is so informative and interesting too.

I had a lovely day there and everyone so friendly.

My own difference with the Unions was never the members, it was the system of the time.

Thankfully all forgotten and forgiven now.