Foxford in Co Mayo is the birthplace of William Browne, the founder of the Argentinean navy. It is a small rural town in the west of Ireland. Back in 2004 the Argentinean navy presented the town with an anchor in honour of their founder, which is a very artistic piece of work.

Tom Hennigan’s Heritage Centre is just outside of Foxford on the road to Swinford. The purpose of the Heritage Centre is to preserve and showcase the agricultural and social history of the Mayo area.

At the heart of the centre is the thatched cottage built in the 1870’s where the Hennigan family lived until 1970. Tom Hennigan was born and grew up in this house.

“In 1990 I realized I no longer had a future in farming ten acres of land,” says Tom. “So I decided to open this small plot of land to the public and tell the story of how my family survived here. I decided to maintain the farm and complex as a way of preserving and showing the rich heritage of Mayo and Ireland it represents.”

I spoke with Tom for about two hours as he took me for a journey down memory lane. Entering the cottage where he was born was like going back in time to an age long since gone. What he has done is to create an atmosphere where one can go on the journey with him as he revisits his own childhood and reminisces about the people and traditions of times long gone.

The main room of the cottage is centered on the old fireplace; this is the room where Tom was reared. He fondly recalled that when he was a child they did their homework by the light of the fire; one child on either side.

Directly behind the fireplace is another room where his grandmother lived with his family until she passed away in 1964 at the ripe old age of 93.

At the far end of the cottage was a room used to house animals; a donkey, a cow and some hens. The dung from these animals was removed daily then placed outside the front door to deter landlords coming to collect rent that these people did not have.

Money was tight, and evictions were very common during this period. As Tom says: “When our clothes became worn, mother cut out the good pieces and made blankets for our beds. Sheets, pillow cases and much of our clothes (shorts and underwear) were made from flour bags, many boys and girls sporting the brand name ‘Purity’ or ‘Cock of the North’ on their behinds.”

The family survived mainly on a diet of potatoes. On special occasions they ate bacon and cabbage. Milk was drunk fresh from the cow and leftover milk was made into butter which was salted and buried in the bog– this was their fridge. Their farm was just ten acres, ten acres of very poor land at that.

There are some very interesting craft workshops in the centre. For instance, Tom has recreated a cobbler’s shop. In the shop he has a piece of timber the local cobbler, Willie Higgins, who had only one leg, used to use. This man was able to repair shoes & boots just using this piece of timber. He used one end to do the heels, then the other end to do the soles. I thought it was wonderful that a man could make a living with such a simple piece of equipment. Tom said he would often give him a hand to polish the finished products.

There is also a reconstructed forge on the farm. Tom gives a talk to visitors about the folklore of horses and their equipment. Tom explained that in the old days, the blacksmith was one of the most respected men in the community. As money was scarce in rural Mayo in those days, a lot of trade was done through barter and it was common for the blacksmith to be paid with butter, eggs or bacon. The community used the old Irish system of meitheal. The practice was, and is, for a group of neighbours to come together to help each other in tasks such as preparing the hay, or gathering the harvest. Each person would help their neighbour who would in turn reciprocate.

So next time you are in Mayo, make some time to visit Tom’s place. You won’t be disappointed.