School Boy Memories The following are the personal memories of William Dent who also was in the class of St. Patrick's School picture. See article by Tom Sheridan on Page 20 in this issue of "News Four" From the ages of seven and fourteen I worked in turf and logs in a Bellman's yard. At fourteen I went to Johnston Mooney & O'Brien for a 5 am start and finished at 7.30 pm. My "half day" was 5 am to 6 pm. Pay was £1-10s-0d for the week. After a month I left and started in Burton's as a messenger boy and my pay was 12s-0d which is about 60p today. The hours were 9 am to 5.30 pm and the cashier would give me 6d for getting her shopping. Out of the 12s-0d my mother would give me 5s-0d for myself, which was normal for a messenger boy. My mother had high hopes I might become a top salesman but I was not interested. I had "higher" ambitions. I wanted to work in the Irish Glass Bottle Company. I started at 16 in the Irish Glass Bottle Company. After 10 years I became a trainee fork lift driver. At 25 I married Alice O'Hara from Turner's Cottages Ballsbridge, and over the years we had four children, Alan (38), Sharon (34), Cyril (26) and Liam (25).

Around 1969 Jem Cleary and myself ran the U-12 IGB Football Team. This team was very successful, winning the league for five years and the odd cup. The club was also successful over the years and the committee rewarded the boys with a trip away to England every year.

A few years later I was asked to represent IGB in an All-Ireland Fork Lift competition. There were three grades and an overall prize. I went on to win my grade. During the prize-giving the organiser spent half an hour praising the winner about his driving. In all the years of the competition no one has ever achieved so few mistakes. I was surprised when he called out my name. I was delighted. The winner was to represent Ireland at another competition in England. I never got the chance to go, as the sponsor pulled out.

At the age of 48 I lost the sight in my left eye. I thought it was bad luck. The doctor restored my sight. And the good luck was that they found a tumour which would have caused full blindness. I then had it removed in the Richmond Hospital.

I had routine scans over the years, and in 1996 the tumor had returned. I went into hospital for a second operation in January 1997 in Beaumont Hospital. I was then sent to St. Luke's for treatment.
After working 47 years in the IGB I am now unable to continue working. But with four grand children, Christopher (11), Claire (8), Jessica (7) and Ian (2), Alice and I are looking forward to a happy retirement.