The Phone Box

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Christmas 2013

The Phone Box

Nearly everyone from the 60/70/80 generation will have some personal memory or story about a phone box.

Monday, 23 December 2013
10:00 AM GMT



An old wooden phone box, similar to what would have been seen in Mitchelstown in the days before mobile phones.

An old wooden phone box, similar to what would have been seen in Mitchelstown in the days before mobile phones. Photo: 123RF

By John Sheehan

In today’s world, we live with lots of technology, mobile phones, e-mail, face book and gmail. But we must not forget the humble phone box that stood in every city, town and village in Ireland. For years the phone box was at the centre of Irish life – people used it for everything; for reporting and birth or a death, or even sheltering in it a wet night.

The phone box was always there in emergency. The great thing about the phone box was that, no matter how great the crisis, people knew that if the phone was working, there was always somebody at the other end.

Phone boxes were a lifeline in emergencies, they also played their part in the light-hearted side of life, and for example when you wanted to make a date, because not every home had a landline. The phone box played a crucial part in romance, which led to long and happy marriages for many couples.

There was four of the old wood phone boxes in Mitchelstown, one in Lower Cork Street, one in Upper Cork Street and two in Robert Street. Nearly everyone from the 60/70/80 generation will have some personal memory or story about a phone box.



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