QUESTIONS FOR THE OLDER GENERATIONS
Early memories & Family
Early memories & Family
Early memories & Family
WAGE
Who was the oldest person you knew when you were young?
Were birthdays a big deal when you were young?
Did people know how old they were?
How old would you like to be?
FAMILY ORIGIN
Do you know who your ancestors were?
Do you think you descend from the people who built the stone circles & dolmens?
How long have your family lived here? Where were they before?
What did your parents and grandparents do?
How did your parents / grandparents meet each other?
Where did you get married and at what age?
Where were you at school?
Were you from big families?
What became of your siblings, aunts and uncles?
Did you have other relatives living nearby?
Who was the landlord?
How did your family fare in the Famine? Land Wars? Road to Independence? Black & Tans?
Was your family involved and did anyone ever talk about them?
EARLY MEMORIES
Where were you born? Who delivered you?
Were you a big family? What number child were you?
Were you named for anyone in particular?
Did you like being from a big family?
Did you have any animals?
If you were in tenements, was it very noisy?
Do you have any standout moments that were (a) sad, (b) happy, (c) funny?
What was daily life like in your household?
HEALTH
Did you know what "exercise" meant as a kid?
Would you agree that people were much stronger then?
Was your family affected by meningitis, hooping cough, TB etc.?
Home & Relationships
Early memories & Family
Early memories & Family
EMIGRATION
Were you ever tempted to emigrate?
What is your family history of emigration?
Have you ever met an American?
Can you do an American accent?
Have you been out of Ireland?
Was there a sense of wanting to escape?
Why did people leave and where did they go?
HOME
How long has your family lived here?
Who built the house?
Did you thatch it in time's past?
How did you heat the house?
When did you get running water?
When did electricity arrive?
When did you get a telephone or television?
SCHOOL
Where were you at school?
Did you keep in touch with people in your class afterwards?
Did you learn history at school and what did you make of it?
Did you learn anything useful at school, like baking or sewing?
What were the teachers like? How did they treat you?
How did you get to school ... did you ever walk barefoot?
What games did you play outside of school?
What do you make of modern kids doing everything on their screen?
Did you learn Irish?
What did you want to be when they grew up?
Can you still learn things late in life?
MARRIAGE
How did you meet your other half? Did you dance together? Did people marry for love or was it mostly arranged?
FOR THOSE UNMARRIED
Were you ever tempted to marry? Do you enjoy the freedom of being single?
Food, Customs & Travel
Country life, Big events & the Future
Country life, Big events & the Future
FOOD
What did you eat when you were young?
How did you cook? How did you light the fire?
Was it just the women who cooked?
Was fruit a rarity?
Did you ever have ice cream?
How did you make toast?
Did you drink coffee?
Do you like cooking?
CUSTOMS
Did you know any women who smoked a pipe?
What other forgotten customs do you recall?
Who had the most popular story telling house?
What sort of stories would people tell at night – legends, ghost tales, gossip, family news?
Were these stories handed down or were there new ones being made up all the time?
Was humour a strong point? Any riddles or jokes?
Was music or sport important?
Was there dancing?
Can you sing or play an instrument and, if so, who taught them?
What did you make of Elvis Presley or The Beatles?
TOWN LIFE
Did electricity change the way people thought in the local town now that pavements were lit by night?
Did TV kill creativity?
When did people stop shopping locally for their messages?
Ddi they get involved in local music, theatre, sport etc.?
TRAVEL
How did you and your family travel in your younger years?
Did they own a bicycle? Would anyone steal your bike?
What was your first car?
Did having a car completely change your life?
Did you pick up hitchhikers?
Did you travel far in the car?
What are the downsides of the Car Age?
Can you ride a horse?
What was the whackiest vehicle they've ever seen?
Have you ever been on a boat?
Can you swim?
Did you ever go to Dublin? / Did they ever leave Ireland?
Country life, Big events & the Future
Country life, Big events & the Future
Country life, Big events & the Future
FARMERS
Would school friends come to your house to help you work on farm etc?
Where were local cattle fairs etc?
How was your relationship with animals ... did they have names or were they just beasts?
Was it good crack working in a field with so many others?
Is farming a good life?
Do you remember the first tractors coming in?
How did the Machine Age change things?
What remedies for animal sickness have we forgotten, such as poitin for colicky calves?
MASS
How has church changed?
Do you see cars as a comfort zone to flee to after mass?
Are you religious and, if so, how have you dealt with the scandals that have befallen Catholicism?
THE EMERGENCY
Did you think the Germans would win WW2?
Did you join the Local Defence Force?
What as it like for business?
Did you ever see an aerial dogfight overhead?
THE BIG FREEZE
How did you fare during the Big Snows of 1947 and 1963?
WORKING LIFE
Did you have to do an apprenticeship?
What hours did you keep?
How and when did you get paid?
Were there any job perks?
Did you feel a sense of loyalty to your employer?
What would you like to have been?
CINEMA
Did you ever act?
Do you remember silent films?
Can yon recall what a trip to the local cinema was like?
Which screen idols ruled their heart?
THE FUTURE
What tips do you have for younger people today?
How can we learn from the great spirit of survival of your generation?