Tag: Catholic Freeman’s Journal

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Letters – 1935

Posted on by The Burren and Beyond

Catholic Freeman’s Journal, 21st February, 1935 p.39


Headford, Co. Galway, Ireland.


Dear Gumblossom,


You were very kind to remember me after my long silence and I was very pleased on Christmas Day when I found a letter form you. Well, Gumblossom, I hope you had a happy Christmas. I enjoyed myself greatly and the holidays I thought were long when we were let home have slipped away and tomorrow is going back day. I was at parties and a card drive and my first ceidhle. I suppose you know a ceidhle (pronounced kaylee) is an Irish concert and dance combined. The one I was at was held in the Town Hall; it started at 8pm and was over at 1 am. There was a great crowd. First a dance was called, then someone sang, then another dance, and while we were resting after that an exhibition was given by a boy and girl in some fine step dancing. The dances we had were “The Seige of Ennis,” “The Walls of Limerick,” “The Bridge of Athlone,” and the “Fairy Reel.” Every man has two girls for the fairy reel.


You wanted to know what kind of a game camogie was last time I wrote. Well it is like hurling, but is played by girls and we use smaller hurleys. It is a great favourite in the winter when tennis is impossible. We play matches with the schools around us.

I must say good-bye now Gumblossom. Wishing you a very happy New Year.

Your friend, Ruby Canavan.

I need not say that I was more than delighted to hear from you once again Ruby, and though I have only room to give short answers to my Pageites because of so many lovely Christmas letters from them, I must send you a longer one as you are so far away from us. I enjoyed your letter, especially since I know what the ceidhle and the camogie are, and I know all my Little People will be interested, too. I do hope you will write again, please, Ruby, My love – Gumblossom

Posted in Posts and podcasts

Dear Gumblossom – 1934

Posted on by The Burren and Beyond

Catholic Freeman’s Journal, Sydney, 24th May, 1934 p.38

Headford, Co. Galway

Dear Gumblossom,
Thanks very much for sending on my letter to Mary Downes. I did not know her whole address. She sent me a lovely long letter full of news. Thanks, dear Gumblossom, for your kind invitation. If any of the Pageites write to me I will answer them during the holidays, as I am only allowed to write one letter home every week during the school term. I am at school in the Dominican College, Galway and I like it well. We have a fairly good time. Our games are tennis, camogie and basketball, and there are swings for the small children. We are let out to matinees at the pictures and Irish plays. We have drill and dancing too. We get a month’s holiday at Christmas, a fortnight at Easter and from the middle of June to the beginning of September in summer.
Now I must tell you about Headford. Do you like the pictures enclosed? One is of the part of the street in which our house is, and the other of Ross Abbey. Ross is about a mile from Headford and is a noted ruin. It is used as a burial ground since the seventeenth century. Before that it was a Franciscan Monastery till Cromwell sacked it. Headford is a small town. It has a population of about 500. It is about seventeen miles from Galway city and Lough Corrib is three miles away. Last summer we did a lot of bathing and boating on the Lough. I even did a little fishing, but I have no patience. I enjoy reading the letters in your Page, the Arrows write such funny ones.
Here is a storyette before I finish. When the English King was sick and had to have a transfusion of blood an Irish man offered himself. After the operation the Royal Physician asked,
“How do you feel, your Majesty?”
“Majesty be hanged,” was the reply.
“Up with the Republic.”
Wishing yourself and all the Pageites every success.
Yours sincerely,
Ruby Canavan