John Bradley No. 1

John Bradley begins this recording by recalling his own people. His father worked in Smithwick`s Brewery in Kilkenny, and John grew up in Friar`s Place, and attended the local schools. He had a passion for stamp collecting during his childhood and this generated a huge interest in geography and in history, which he feels led him to the career in which he now excels. He studied history and archaeology at UCD, and was very impressed with his mentor Harold Clark of the History Department who inspired him to pursue a career in teaching. John now lectures in the History Department at NUI Maynooth. For thirty years he has been involved in surveying the medieval towns and villages of Ireland, and has written extensively on the subject.