Hallo everyone,
just back from shopping and bicycle riding. The wife asked me to bring some special sugar for making straberry jam and memories came back of plucking fruit at Gracerys ,Hillhall and at Tam Marleys, Blaris. Anyone else out there who worked at either place during the school holidays? I enjoyed it better than " purdy hokin!", wasn,t quite as back breaking. At Tam Marleys the food was much better also.
ps , on my bicycle tour this morning I did something very "Ungerman ", I stole peas from a field going past, not only to eat there and then but also took some home with me.
Donald

Donald
You devil! Sounds like fun.

hi Donald I remember picking strawberry's at Marleys and working with some guy's called Mallon,do you remember them,there was 21 brothers and one sister. The food was really good out there.We also had a place out the Ballynahinch road called Watson's were fruit was picked I think sometimes we used to eat as much as we turned in,at the start anyway.

Ken
Those Mallons you mentioned, I think they were related to the Blaneys,and once lived in Tullynacross and kept livestock. They moved eventually to Ravarnett, buying a farm there. Old Mrs Blaney was their Grandmother. They mostly went to Hilden school, twins were in my class and older brothers were a few classes higher.
Donald

Donald/Ken
Here I go again. I remember the name Seamus Mallon from early schooldays. Same family?

Dabbler
not sure, the Mallons I knew were Steve and Hugh, now about my age 61. They had elder brothers who used to go around Lisburn collecting " skins" with a donkey and cart, very tough boys ,I never saw it, but apparently they used to wrestle with Paddy Rowan, a teacher in Hilden school when he tried to cane them. Lowroader may know more.
Donald