JOAN DEMPSEY, ATHBOY, BORN 1927

Joan Dempsey lives in the original family home where her mother ran a boarding house in former days, and which Joan continued to run for some time. She recalls her father who drove a hackney car and the struggle to make ends meet. Her mother worked long hours at her boarding house, and Joan recalls some of the people who stayed at the house, amongst them the writer John McGahern. In the 1950s Joan became involved in the local theatre group, and remembers the cast members and the producers. She was to win a national gold medal and also a national silver medal for her outstanding performances in Shadow and Substance. In addition to the boarding house, Joan also ran a restaurant successfully in the family home for many years.