“The St Joseph’s Catholic Boys Brigade Band returning from St Audeon’s, High St to their base at Church St -Via O’Connell Bridge, after mass on a Sunday Morning. The time would be approx 12.00. That’s me ( Tom Mc Manus )playing Trombone (nearest footpath). At the time it compromised of 30 boys. There were three bands, there was this one brass and reed, bugle and a fife and drum band. It was a lovely combination with all the instruments. Every Sunday we went mass parade to high street. And once a month, we did a route march which took us over OConnell Street just for the hell of it. The man walking on the side is Tommy Saul. He lived in The Ivy hostel and you used to see him wheeling a hand cart around. Every Sunday he turned up in his best suit and strangely he marched the band. You’d meet him during the week though and he’d be in tatters. The fellow with trilby hat, he was known the Bugler Daly (Bill Daly) and at the time he was the secretary of St James Brass & Reed band and he recruited several of the guys in that picture for the St James Band, including me. Today I’m still a member of the band and I’m still playing French Horn. In the photo, we are celebrating our new uniform that day, it was the postman’s uniform converted and we raised money for them playing Christmas carols around dublin.
Included in the picture from left to right are John tidal, Jim Nolan, Myself, Frankie Byrne, the younger kids I don’t know their names, behind me is Peter Byrne, the guy in the middle behind the drummer is John Kelly, the fellow in front of him is Shane Nolan, the little boy in the front with the staff is Philip Barnes, the man out the front was known as the Colonel Davis.”
(1954)
Submitted by Tom Mc Manus