By David O’Donoghue

Sean ‘Seanie’ Chamberlain is a well-known personality in Mitchelstown - known for his bakery business of high renown, his uncompromising involvement in the James Fitzgerald Memorial Brass Band and his participation in the Mitchelstown Musical Society. I met him in the Clongibbon House Hotel and asked him about his adventures and experiences growing up in Mitchelstown and also about his time in London, where he lived life to its fullest.

Tell me about your early years growing up in Mitchelstown

“During my early childhood, the ‘Emergency’ was going on. Soldiers were a common sight - often on their way to various barracks, particularly Kilworth Camps. They would call to people’s houses in search of such provisions as boiling water. There was a severe shortage of coal during the war years, so turf and timber served as the primary sources of fuel. The ration cards allowed for a ¼ lb of butter a week and Ireland could have been the healthiest nation in the world, were it not for our love of sugar and fags.

“Christmas would mean three days of non-stop baking. It was a very busy time of year for bakers. I enjoyed Christmas, firstly on account of having time off school and also because we'd eat sausages and rashers on Christmas day, foods we might not eat from one end of the year to the other”.

When did you start playing music?

“I started learning music under the instruction of James Fitzgerald. At the age of twelve, I began learning the accordion. There were about twelve members of James’s band. We would travel to various towns playing music and I might earn £1 for one night of playing music, something I truly enjoyed. To the dismay of my mother, I might be home as late as 5.30am and I would be exhausted going to school the following day”.

Did you enjoy school?

“I am grateful for the education I received from the Christian Brothers. However, they were severe. Any breach of conduct or misdemeanour would result in ‘six bonks’ of the leather strap. If you were to say you got ‘six bonks’ nowadays, people would accuse you of boasting!

“My parents had hoped I’d get honours in my Leaving Cert and secure a good pensionable job in the civil service. However, I had other intentions. Upon leaving school, I served two weeks in the FCA and raised the fare to travel to England on board the Innisfallen”.

What was life in London like?

“When I arrived in London, I was welcomed by my cousin at Paddington station. I was taken aback by the fast speed at which people were walking. Initially, I was living with my aunt and her husband, but moved numerous times and every place was worse than the one before.

“I was working as a bus driver and I can say that I was made for it. Mainly, I served the Cricklewood-Victoria route. One time I was beaten up by three Paddies when I told them not to be smoking on the bus. Since then I’ve never told anybody to stop smoking! I joined the Judo club so that I’d be more confident if I found myself again in the same situation.

“I played hurling with the Father Murphys club. The social scene was great in the transport service. There were usually at least two snooker tables at each bus depot. I took on Joe Davis, who holds the record for the most world snooker championship titles. However, needless to say, he was the easy victor”.

Did you continue to play music when you were in London?

“I certainly did. I played with many well-known musicians of the time, including the singer and boxer, Jack Doyle and Josef Locke. We played in a club owned by the notorious Kray Brothers and every man in the place was a crook ‘working on the railway’ or ‘working at the airport’.

“The group of musicians I was playing with were asked to go play in Mexico in 1968, as that year Mexico was hosting the Olympics. However, our drummer had an argument with the agent and that was the end of our Mexico plan. It is just as well that we didn't end up going, as the excessive living that would have surely awaited us would mean I'd probably be dead now!”

When did you return to Mitchelstown?

“I returned to Mitchelstown with my wife, Bríd, who I met through a colleague in the London transport service, in 1975 when my first-born daughter, Sarah was two years old. Since then another daughter, Emma, has come along. Although I never thought I’d be a baker like my father, I’m glad I did return as I've enjoyed being involved in the brass band here. I've also enjoyed my participation in the Mitchelstown Musical Society. I do look back fondly on my time in London and return every couple of years. Christmas is approaching and as usual, the brass band will be playing on Christmas Eve in Mitchelstown. I am also working with the primary schools of the town to record a song to celebrate Mitchelstown, a song that the locals can sing at sporting events”.

The above interview was conducted at Clongibbon House Hotel. I'd like to thank Sean for his time and co-operation and I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everybody a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous new year.

blog comments powered by Disqus