Máiread Fernane (b. 1944)

Track 1: Rock Street, Tralee, where Máiread Fernane grew up in the 1950s is recalled, and she mentions her father, who was Production Supervisor in CWS, and her childhood fascination with the early telephone system there. She also has a clear memory of the long back gardens behind the houses on Rock Street during her childhood. Track 2: Her working life began in the telephone exchange in Tralee, and she describes her memories of the operating system and the staff there in great detail. The staff consisted of fourteen women and two men, Jack McCarthy and Paddy Redmond. Track 3: Her work in administration at AnCO and the boarding house she also operated are recalled, as are the various voluntary groups with which she worked. In 2005, Mairead founded Victim Assistance, a voluntary organisation which helps victims of crime. Track 4: In 2009, she was elected to Tralee Town Council for Fine Gael. She explains that her main purpose for running for election was to get a community hospital built for Tralee’s older citizens, and she became spokesperson for this successful initiative for fifteen years. She mentions the people who assisted her by canvassing for her at election time. Track 5: Her tenure as Deputy Mayor and Acting Mayor and the work she undertook at this time is recalled. The demands on a Councillor, Tralee Tidy Towns, Tralee Chamber Alliance, local infrastructure, the IDA are all discussed, as is her disappointment at learning that the Council was to be disbanded and her decision not to stand for re-election.