Interview on the subject of folksongs, folk poetry, life history.

Interviewer: Valerie Kelly Curtin

Interviewee: Sheila Ronayne Murphy

Valerie Kelly Curtin: 'I know that your family's roots are steeped in Cork local history and Irish history. Tell me about the execution of your uncle Patrick Ronayne during the war of independence, what year would it have been?'

Sheila Ronayne Murphy: 'Twas 1921'

Valerie Kelly Curtin: 'The year of the `Troubles'

Sheila Ronayne Murphy: 'Well the 'Troubles' were more or less ending, I could be wrong there I'm not an historian, but it was 1921. And I'll tell you now, my uncle was Paddy, and I have a brother Paddy who was born in 1921. At that time Terence McSweeney had died on hunger strike, and Kevin Barry as you know was hanged in 1920, and all the boys born that time were either Terence or Kevin, according to my mother, and she said she was upstairs after having the baby, they used to have the babies at home that time (I used to have my babies at home, come to think of it), and she was upstairs, and my aunt from the country, she was there, and my uncle from Mourne Abbey was there, and my mother was saying 'Paddy, allthe children are now called either Terence or Kevin, I don't know what to call him'. 'Era call him Paddy after me, you'd never know, I might die for Ireland yet'. So she did call him Paddy, and he did'.

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