The Nenagh Guardian, 20 & 27 January; 3 February 1945

The notes from Toomevara parish in the run up to Lent, the traditional time for matchmaking in rural Ireland. The author of this column appears to have been heavily influenced by Éamon de Valera’s famous “The Ireland That We Dreamed Of” speech of St. Patrick’s Day, 1943, the one with all of the frugal comfort, cosy homesteads, sturdy children romping and happy maidens laughing. This was the time when the ancient tradition of matchmaking was still observed in rural Ireland, though, as evidenced in these columns, the custom appeared to be experiencing decline. “There are plenty of young people that would not be averse to a change”: and what a “change” it was!