John McKenna

John McKenna farms his land on the outskirts of Castlegregory. He explains that in the early 1800s his ancestors travelled over the Conor Pass from Ventry, where they had worked for Lord Ventry, to the Lord’s property at Castlegregory. John explains that he farmed in the old style for many years, and he describes the butter-making, the crops grown and killing of the pig. He recalls the village of Castlegregory during the 1940s and 50s, and names the merchants and publicans of that time. The local townlands and field names are discussed, and mention is made of the Tralee Dingle Narrow Gauge Railway.
Seventeen years after the initial recording compiled in 2001, John McKenna was again recorded, and he expanded on his earlier description of farming during the Emergency Period, beet growing for Mallow Sugar beet Factory, the rearing of pigs on a large scale, and the local shop run his grandparents which supplied everything from a needle to an anchor.