NANNY CARROLL 1970

It;s a Saturday afternoon and Bem ,Rick ,Ger and a few lads and lasses head into Camden St to the De-Luxe Cinema.(now the Palace nightclub)
They wanted a change of scenery as They normally would go to the Star Cinema in Crumlin.
They jump off the 22 Bus in Camden st.
"Lets go and say hello to Nanny Carroll ",says Rick to Bem and Ger Junior.                                             They tell the others to go ahead while they crossed over to the other side of the road.
Lined up along side each other were numerous stalls selling different types of food.
In among them was a small Stall with all types of Fish.
It was their Nanny's fish Stall,Her name was Elizabeth Carroll( nee Hayden/Doyle).
She was Ger senior's mother. She had been a widow since 1932 when she was pregnant
with Gerard senior,Her husband,Patrick had died suddenly (He had been a soldier in the Army).
Elizabeth was left to bring up 9 children(5 boys and 4 girls) on her own.
Back then there was no social welfare or any kind of help.
So she had no choice but to go and work the stalls.
Every morning She got up out of bed at 5 a.m. to go to the Smithfield fish market with her Pram
which she used to transport her fish.
She would then come back and get the kids ready for school .
Then it was off to Camden St to sell the Fish.
She worked there way past her pensionable age.


"Hi,Nanny", the 3 boys greet their Nanny.
"Hello boys ",says Nanny to the Boys.
"Does your Mammy know you's are down here ?", she says.
"Yes ,We are just going to the De-Luxe Cinema ",says Rick.
"What film is on ?", she says.
"A John Wayne Cowboy film ",says Bem.
"Yous will need a few shillings for sweets and ice-cream",says Nanny to the Boys.
"Ger,Why are you pinching your nose ?", laughs Nanny.
"I don't like the smell of fish",says Ger Junior.
Nanny opens her overcoat to reveal her money belt.
She gives the boys a few shillings.
"Thanks ,Nanny",they say almost in unison.
"Rose , will you mind my stall for a few minutes ?", she says to the Lady in the Vegetable stall
beside her.
"Yeah,Liz, you go ahead", says Rose.
"Come on ,Boys , I'll leave yous across the road ",says Elizabeth.
She leaves them across to the Cinema and the lads are delighted with the few shillings.
"Goodbye,Nanny",says the Boys .
The Nanny says Goodbye and waves as She crosses the road back to her stall.
The boys join their friends and buy a load of goodies and go in to see their Cowboy film.
Later when they came out to get their bus ,Their Nanny had finished her days work and
her stall was packed up and gone.
She died a few years later in 1979 .