Tramore Of Our Times • Aspects Of Twentieth Century Social History

The book, Tramore of our Times – Aspects of twentieth century social history is written by historian and Tramore native, Maxine Keoghan.

Tramore is primarily associated with tourism and a visit to the beach, the races or with having fun at the amusements. The more noted landmarks include the Metal Man and the Sea Horse Commemorative Cairn. For some, Tramore is a wonderful place to visit, but for others, Tramore is where we call home. It became apparent that the knowledge and way of life of the people of past generations was gradually being lost. With this in mind, Maxine interviewed over 40 Tramore people in a five year period to produce a multi-layered depiction of the sea-side resort.

Tramore of our Times carefully crafts an account of life in Tramore from the 1920s to the 1960s. The social histories include education, emigration, health and welfare, the traditions of how people lived and worked along with the influence of the Catholic Church. Further emphasis was placed on the people of Tramore from Peter Street to Priest Road to the Tank Field.

Accounts of businesses include Lodges grocery and hardware stores, the Murray family who were blacksmiths, Molloy’s butchers and Halligan’s bike sales and radio repairs. The story of Gerard Stubbs, his boot-making business, his service with the coast guard and his local tours is wonderful to read. The story of the Brennan brothers was placed in the context of World War One and Irish Independence and outlines the complex nature of Irish history.