Born in 1953

Ireland applied to join the United Nations and was blocked by the Soviet Union — the Cold War was affecting even neutral small nations. Life was modest but not unhappy. Bread, butter, and tea were the staples.

The wireless brought drama and music into farm kitchens on winter evenings. Local dances — céilís — were the great social occasion, where young men and women met under the watchful eye of the parish priest. Ireland was changing very slowly, and not everyone minded.