The 50 Francis Street Photographer
There were lots of characters around the Liberties when my
aunts were children – including Bang Bang, Luggs Branigan the
policeman and Jack Ass – and they all used Francis Street on a
daily basis. The men on the Guiness carts with their drey horses
would stop their carts, along with the farmers from Tallaght
who would be passing by on their way to buy the spent hops
from Guinness’s to feed to their pigs, and have a shootout with
Bang Bang, grown men playing like they were kids. Bang Bang
used his big, old hall-door key as a gun. Growing up there can
only have been a mischievous and wonderful experience.
The boys in their short trousers playing on the street weren’t
the only ones who climbed onto the roof of a parked car on
Francis Street. Ned the bread man from Boland’s Bakery often
did the same and would give his tuppence worth on de Valera’s
latest political actions. Ned and my
granny Suey often discussed politics
and what de Valera was doing – they
loved to put the world to rights.
My granny and great-granny were
great admirers of de Valera, and my
mam remembers being pushed in a
pram from place to place when word
went round that he was going to give
an impromptu speech from the back
of a lorry somewhere in the city.
‘Kids played on the streets and
everyone looked out for you.
Someone’s mammy was always
keeping an eye on you – back then
someone else’s mammy could give
out to you if you misbehaved, it
was the done thing.’ Patti
Liberties siblings with hand-knitted jumpers, circa