The Grandmother Thread (3 Viewers)

[Jim Daniels]

A nod to I Is John's Grandfather thread.

I didn't really know either of my Grandfathers and my Dad's Mam died before I was born. But our Gran lived with us for about 17 years. She had a tough time, practically raising my Mam and 3 sons alone - one of whom was knocked off his bike and killed when he was just a young fella, and another who died of alcoholism in his forties. She was amazing though and despite all her hardship, she was great fun to have around. She could rhyme off practically any poem, Shakespeare play and old movie scenes, and introduced me to lots of music like Sean O'Se and Sean O'Riada. And she loved tea! She died in 1994, aged 82, at home in bed, with the local priest singing Molly Malone to her, during her last few hours. Amazin' woman. Here she is, getting her hair cut at home about 25 years ago.

 

[Lili Marlene]

My grandmother is a religious lunatic. My other one died when I was 12.

I'll think of a better post later today.

 

[egg_]

My Da's Ma's favourite joke was "Did you ever see half a pig's head with two eyes?"









(answer is "yes, these two eyes" (points to her own eyes))

 

[David Kronenbourg]

paternal gran died when i was little. maternal gran is housebound after a series of strokes and gone in the head

 

[mark]

Mothers mother died in her sleep in August 1986. It was my first experience of death. She was a farmers wife who made awesome tarts and kept a neat parlour. She lost twin boys within a year of their birth but went on to have 5 kids, my mum being the second youngest. She used to make me and my brother 'goodie' before bed. Goodie was white bread, sugar and warm milk. She always looked older then her years.

Fathers mother died in her sleep in January of 2004. She lived with us for years in a granny flat upstairs. Born in Carlow and moved to Dublin to work in the civil service which she gave up when she got married, though she did help my grandfather in hs business. My dad was an only child so she was very reliant on him after he moved out as my grandfather died in suddenly in 1962 and my nana never really got over it. Later life she used to do volenteer work in a charity shop on Parnell street a few days a week, getting the bus in from Dunshaughlin and I was always sending her down the Sound Cellar to buy me metal. She spoiled me, my brother and my sister rotten. In the late nineties she had a bad fall on O'Connell street and that was the start of a long process that saw her end up in a home just down the road form where we lived. Someone visited her everyday but she went from being an abled bodied independant eighty something, to a bed ridden old lady very quickly.

 

[rettucs]

this thread is not heading in a happy direction

 

[Moods For Mallards]

Both of my grandmothers died in the 1950s, both of cancer. Don't know a lot about either, other than that my maternal grandmother lived on Lord Edward St. growing up and her brother was Bob Thomas who who played for Bohs. Looks more or less the same as my ma in photos. She used to clean some of the big houses in Rathgar in between having children.

Paternal grandmother... I believe she was from around the Drogheda area but I'm not sure.

Must ask more about them.

 

[rettucs]

She had a tough time

My grandmother is a religious lunatic

paternal gran died when i was little. maternal gran is housebound after a series of strokes and gone in the head

Mothers mother died in her sleep...... Fathers mother died in her sleep

Both of my grandmothers died in the 1950s, both of cancer.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Tell us about your grandmother(s) Scutter

 

[David Kronenbourg]

oh christ i just typed 'granny' into google image search and safe search was off. need to wash eyes

 

[rettucs]

Tell us about your grandmother(s) Scutter

I wouldn't be bucking the trend of misery

one dead before I was born.

the other the only grandparent I really knew. I didn't really like being around her because she lacked tact in a kind of way that made it seem like she had turrets (but it was just a lack of tact). She just said really offensive things. Then she had a stroke and went steadily downhill and eventually died.

 

[ratmonkey]

Anyone shown Stephen Ireland this thread yet?

 

[Jill Hives]

My maternal grandmother died when I was 15 years old. I really didn't know her other than her last few years. My mother moved out of her home and into my father's house when she was 16 years old and then married him at 18. My mother hated her stepfather and refused to live in a house with him when she was old enough to do something about it. The only time I saw my grandmother before about the age of 12 was in Sunday mass. She always sat a row up from my mother and gave me a dollar every week. They never spoke. After my step grandfather died they slowly started to talk again, mainly because she was sick. During the summers my dad always took us camping during the weekends and I started to hate it because I was grumpy teen. My mom let me stay with my gran instead of camping and that's when I got to know her. She always dressed up (even just to go out for milk) and (looking back) oddly seemed lost without her husband. I think attention from men took prescient over most things, like her children. I remember during the funeral my uncle (born of the step grandfather) laughing when the priest was calling her a good woman. Then my mother and her older brother started in. It was very weird.

My paternal grandmother smoked a lot. That's what I remember most. After Sunday mass we always visited her without fail. My mother would cut out coupons in the paper with her and my dad would sit and watch sports. She always had candy on the table but it always tasted of smoke so I never wanted it. I think this is why I was never a smoker. She started to lose her mind quite early and often forgot me. I was the youngest (my next sibling is 9 years older) so at Christmas everyone would get an envelope of money but I'd always get a present. It was because my siblings were older and wanted money and she'd always forget me. So my mom would have a present ready to compensate and lie saying it was from her. I didn't catch on until later in life when I noticed all my siblings had the same card and mine was different and always ...'misplaced for a minute or two' because my mother would see how much my siblings got in the card then add the same amount to one she bought me. She died when I was in college but and I didn't go home for the funeral. I know that sounds harsh but I never really knew her and she had no clue who I was. She had a pretty tough life and children from three different men. My surname is that of my father's father even though they were never married and was only around a few years.

 

[Scientician 0.8]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Jim Daniels again.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Right, i'm on break so here's a longer post.

My ultra-religious grandmother (maternal side) met my grandfather when they were young enough (teens I think) and they decided to get married...... in four years..... after she went and worked in America. As you do. She ended up working as a maid for some ridiculously wealthy family in the Boston or New York area, can't remember which, the type of family who would be all over the society pages back in the 30's. She came back with all kinds of high-fashion clothes that made her the talk of her town in Kerry, the hoor. My mother actually has a story of how when they were kids they cut all the buttons off one of the dresses thinking they were 'treasure', and running into the house to show my grandmother, who had something of a minor-breakdown at this. aaaaanyway, since then she's lived the quiet life, raising children and generally turning my grandfather away from the drink, which took a long time (he, eh, retired in disgrace) but seems to have been successful. She's also become more and more religious to the point of absolute intolerance. My mother has to lie about going to things like Yoga as this is an unholy, 'earth-based' practice that isn't praising god. Despite this she's a very nice woman, even if she goes to mass 2-3 times a day. Oh yeah, and she's terrible and giving presents, she once gave me a camera with 4 pictures already taken on it. Another time she wrapped up her own handbag and gave it to my aunt.

I don't know enough about my paternal grandmother except that she was absolutely lovely, tolerant and always kept up to date with modern pop-music and general youth stuff. Always had biscuits in the house. My parents think she died fairly young from the stress of hiding my other grandfather's drinking so well for so many years. I think she was the very first dead person I ever saw, she didn't really look at peace to be honest.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Oh yeah, and she's terrible AT giving presents, she once gave me a camera with 4 pictures already taken on it.

FFS

 

[nooleen]

i only realised when i got into the habit of smoking inside that that was what my granny's house always smelled like.
ehhh....she had a series of debilitating strokes
so lay off the smokes
fiddle de dye de dee dee

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

My dads mother died in the december following the february i was born. my mother says that before dying she taught me to walk and talk but i dont remember this (or believe it).

 

[shower another shower]

My mothers mother was an incredible woman. Born into a wealthy family on Market St., SF. Had her pilots license ar 16, classical pianist, diabetic. She spent her time meditating/astral projecting, playing piano, drinking Ernest Julio Gallo White and giving back rubs to who ever asked for one. She died about 25 years ago, but still visits from time to time.

My dads mum had a difficult life. Baked the the best apple pie even though she had lost her sense of smell and taste after being beat up by home invaders 20 years before. She died too, but not before losing both of her legs to gangrene from years of smoking.

 

[mark]

this thread is gold. nice one jim daniels.