‘LIMERICK — A Stroll Down Memory Lane’ by Sean Curtin is as essential to Christmas as roast turkey, gaudy sweaters and ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ on the television. It just wouldn’t be the same without it! Alan Jacques takes a sneak peek.
by Alan Jacques
‘LIMERICK – A Stroll Down Memory Lane’ has become part of the staple diet of the festive season since its inception in the noughties.
Now on its fifteenth issue, this perfect stocking filler’s arrival in the shops is always a clear indicator that Christmas is upon us yet again as it brings wonderful memories back to life of Limerick in bygone days.
Sean Curtin, who worked happily as a compositor at the Limerick Leader for 43 years, explains that he only ever planned for the book to be a “one-off” when it first hit the shelves a decade and a half ago. Passionate about the collection and the evocative images it always contains, Sean has already started work on next year’s issue.
“After the first one, I decided to make it a series of ten. Now I’m heading towards 20, so we’ll see. By then I’ll be 72, so it might be time to give it up,” he tells me with no great conviction.
It is clear from listening to Sean speak devotedly about the photos in this year’s book, how much he loves working on the project. Personally, I can’t see him pulling the plug on it anytime soon, simply because he lights up like a schoolboy when he’s talking about it.
His favourite images from this year’s book include two panoramic shots taken in Limerick during the 1920s. Taken by photographer George Imbusch, the captivating pictures depict the burning of Sarsfield Barracks in July 1922, and families out for a Sunday stroll along Thomond Bridge and Clancy Strand.
“They are the best photos I’ve ever seen,” says Sean, almost getting up out of his seat with excitement.
The amiable Lynwood Park man has played an important role in keeping old Limerick alive. He magically conjures up fond memories of great city shop-fronts and the characters of long ago so we can sit with them for a while and reminisce about the girls we kissed, the girls we shouldn’t have kissed, and maybe even the ones we wished we had!
‘Limerick – A Stroll Down Memory Lane’ is a nostalgic and heartwarming read that will bring tears to your eyes, a smile to your face and leave you all a glow.
My own personal favourites in this year’s collection include an image of the Christmas lights outside Woolworth’s on O’Connell Street in 1962 and buoyant shots of Limerick FC’s legendary clash with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu Stadium in 1980.
As they used to say on hit TV show ‘The Wonder Years’: “Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.”
Sean Curtin has once again captured the very essence of this beautiful sentiment.
‘Limerick – A Stroll Down Memory Lane’ is priced at €15 and now available in bookshops and from Sean at the Milk Market every Friday and Saturday.
