LAST Thursday’s paper was not long on the streets when Celia McDaid got in touch to identify the location of my old photograph showing women and children on a washing day.
I expressed the belief the properties stood on a street running down to Clarence Street, and Celia confirmed it to be Roslin Street.
Her great grandparents stayed at 6 Roslin Street from as far back as 1891 — possibly longer — until 1918, then one of their sons and his family lived there for many years.
Celia’s grandparents’ home was around the corner at 2 Clarence Street where her mother Cathy, whose maiden name was Cummings, and her siblings were born between the mid 1920s and the early 1930s.
A family member advised Celia of the existence of this picture but nobody could trace a copy. However, Celia did have a photograph of children from the area standing in front of the same Albert Harbour wall, which appears today.
She reckons it was taken in 1938-39 and it shows her late mother, who was born in 1934, when she would have been four or five. Two of her mother’s sisters are also in the photograph.
Back row, from left, are: Agnes Ewing holding Marion McVey, Agnes Cummings with unnamed child, Agnes Bradley, Ellen McCue, Ellen Rogers and Jemima Colquhoun.
Middle: Nessie Lewis with unnamed child in front of her, Ellen Doherty, Jemima McKechnie, Susie McCue, the name of the partially hidden girl with headband is unknown, Cathy Cummings and May Bresland.
Front: Jean Cleary, Rosie Colquhoun, Alice Cleary, Betty Cummings and Janet McKechnie.
The above names were given to Celia some years ago by her aunt, Annie Ashby, who lives in Galway.
Returning to my original picture, which is reproduced today, it is believed 6 Roslin Street, where Celia’s great grandparents lived, was entered through the doorway on the left, outside of which a woman is holding a baby.
It was possibly taken in the early 1930s.
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