ann-mar.ie
Eily Buckley
My name is Eily Buckley (christened Ellen Corkery), at the time of writing I am 77 years of age, in good health and have a healthy outlook for the future. I am a devout Roman Catholic.In April 1933 I was born into a my parents farm at Liscahane ,one mile from Millstreet Town. I was the youngest of seven children, five boys and two girls, My sister Mary and I were the youngest. When I was three and a half, our Mother died in childsbirth.The life that followed was hard and for us all but the rigours of it shaped us for what we are to-day.
I went to the local Presentation Convent School ,both for my Primery and Secondry education. Because of circumstances at home I left school two months before the Intermediate Cert. So I never sat an exam. My Father never allowed us to read books. So whatever knowledge I had was gained from my own experiences of family, neighbours, nature, prayer. I am blessed with a great ability to learn from others, not book learning , and very often they may not even be aware of my presence, but if I see something that interests me, or that I find challenging, then I can’t wait to get stuck in and master it.
For 31 ears I ran a dairy farm of 45 acres with my husband dan, and when our three children got strong they always helped. When our small industries such as pigs and fowl were no longer paying and when the EEC put on some strict regulations we had to drop them. Leaving us with just the creamery cheques to live on.
To supplement our income I took on a job of driving a school bus for 23 years. My first pay was .£9. 12s a week. The work was hard and the conditions both dangerous and stressful. My route was mountainous, the buses were in very bad condition and with 83 passengers in a 45seater bus ,the story tells itself.
I always maintained a wonderful relationship with all of my passengers and every one of them are my friends today.
I was a founder member of the ICA in Millstreet in 1956, the first committee that I ever joined, and it was my first real learning period. In time the Community Council was formed and I was elected on to it in 1977 and am still an elected member to this day. I was a founder member of the Equestrian Committees which brought so many World-wide events to the Green Glens Arena. In 197 I co-founded a booklet, most designed at the time with our emigrants in mind ,because of the desolation and insecurity that they felt at having to leave home without a job of education. This publication which we called Clara News is still going strong to-day. It comes out nine times a year , a thousand copies are printed and we have a mailing list of 90. I still write an article in every issue.For over 20 years I’ve been broadcasting the weekly news from Millstreet on local Radio. And fve years ago I was part of a group of five who started up our own Local TV Station. I partake fully in all the shows and we transmit a 90 minute program about rural people and rural affairs ,every week in the Winter months. Fundraising is always a problem, or should I say funds. So two years ago when I was 75 , we struck on a very novel idea, which resulted in me reversing a 50 seater automatic Mercedes Coach through 12 towns in North Cork. And we collected €7,500 that day, and without one hitch.TG.
For the past five years I’ve been part of an intergenerational project , in our local secondary school, Under the auspices of UCG ,it involves people of about my age going into class with Transition yr students for one afternoon a week and engage in Creative writing , art and games with them for their entire term.
The idea being, to break down the barriers that have arisen between the age groups over the years. It is a very worthwhile and rewarding idea.
I sing in the church choir, am a ember of the newly formed Knitting Club, I help run the parish lott every week in aid of voluntary groups. And a member of the local tourism Group. Everything that I do for the parish is entirely voluntary.
I live alone Since my beloved Dan passed away six years ago. And I still run the B ‘n B that we started up together. I keep people for short or long periods and already two different parties who stayed long term because of working in the locality have invited me and family members to their countries for holidays, Some to Finland and others to Nebraska. In Nebraska I made some very good friends and now there are plans to form an association between the two countries.
Workshop:
Eily will host a conversational workshop with topics that will be finallised with the participants on the day.
Some of the suggested topics could be the following:
- The changes in my relationship with God with the passage of time
- Sex: then and now
- Looking at life from above down (from old age to young age)
- Life, the great teacher
- Open discussion