The 70's and 80's in Ireland

Hotblack Desiato

Hamsterchops wrote: »

Fiat cars with "Guaranteed Irish" badges affixed

Ooor Tee Eee, Nuacht, De Angelus, Dallas, big hair, tight jeans, platform shoes, moustaches, Big Tom & the Mainliners, massive perms, unemployment, Charlie Haughy, Priests & Nuns, Bib Geldof, the mailboat, Troubles up North, Raleigh Choppers, plimsolls, Dock Martins, Gay Byrne, Dickie Rock, Thin Lizzy, Garda Patrol, stockings, beards, polythene, peat briquettes, cigarettes, cigarette smoke (everywhere), spitting, gobbing, Disco balls, Shay Healy, Eurovision, pot noodles, Bewleys, Smithwicks, Guinness, contraception NO, divorce NO, Sex Yes, the Mini Metro, Ford Zetor tractors, Farmers journal, broken down buses, Mass, bin lids & bangers ......

Most of those things were still around well into the 1990s and many still are today.

The 70s and 80s in Ireland? Well, there was a sky above me, ground under my feet, and water was wet!

Granadino

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

What was it like in the 1980's in Ireland?

I have seen pictures, video and my god it looked like a depressing place. :eek:

Grey, delapidated, hopeless.

What was it like? How did you get by without internets, wheelie bins, toilets...?

Would you go back if you could??

*Might as well throw in the 70's too for people of that vintage.

Got by in the first half of the 90s as a young teenager just fine without the internet. Or wheelie bins. I was a child in the 80s, so it didn't really make any difference.
I also got by and still get by without bottled water. The biggest con of them all.
I'd have hated to have been a young adult in the 80s in Ireland especially if you knew what the social scene was like in other countries.

Hotblack Desiato

Strumms wrote: »

In 1982 while you also had the likes of Stapleton and Brady we were calling on the likes of...

Mickey Walsh,
Pierce O'Leary
Fran O'Brien
John Devine
Jerry Murphy

Whose mark on International football wasn’t quite as indelible as the aforementioned.

We still should've qualified though, and came close despite the dubious refereeing.

Edgware

cameramonkey wrote: »

Think that was a friendly.

It was a friendly. Italy were World Cup winners in 1984. The place was packed and you could pay at the gate. No control on numbers. Typical F.A.I. incompetence. We came in from the School End free, the big gate was pushed open and we piled up on the bank. I didnt like what I saw was happening so I told the lads I was leaving. We pushed our way out and ended up in The Hut for the evening

cameramonkey

Edgware wrote: »

It was a friendly. Italy were World Cup winners in 1984. The place was packed and you could pay at the gate. No control on numbers. Typical F.A.I. incompetence. We came in from the School End free, the big gate was pushed open and we piled up on the bank. I didnt like what I saw was happening so I told the lads I was leaving. We pushed our way out and ended up in The Hut for the evening

Going to an Ireland match in those days often was a bit of an adventure. The south terrace at Lansdowne was full of lunatics, people often didn't bother going to the toilets and pissed on the terrace and at halftime a circle was opened in the crowd and money thrown in, if you went for the money you got punched and kicked, that was the half time entertainment. If Ireland scored because of the lack of barriers you could be in the middle of the terrace (south terrace was big)and be swept down in a crush to the bottom and then back up, it was like being a bottle on the ocean. Leaving the ground could be difficult with the crush outside you would be picked up off your feet and the breath squeezed out of you. I was a kid and it was bad, I would hear other kids screaming and crying thinking they were taking their last breath, those were the days.

cameramonkey

Granadino wrote: »

Got by in the first half of the 90s as a young teenager just fine without the internet. Or wheelie bins. I was a child in the 80s, so it didn't really make any difference.
I also got by and still get by without bottled water. The biggest con of them all.
I'd have hated to have been a young adult in the 80s in Ireland especially if you knew what the social scene was like in other countries.

The 80s were pretty good in Dublin, there was a good social scene for young people. Lots of drinking and drugs if you wanted, lots of parties and clubs. Lots of sex but not much money but what you don't have you don't miss.

Imhof Tank

Hangdogroad wrote: »

Exactly, and they were nearly always voiced by the distinctive tones of Bill Golding "rabies kills, agonisingly! ". They were designed to get your attention and stood out from regular adverts.

When you hear the Air Attack Warning you and your family must take cover!! Wonderful optimistic messages from top of the pops Thursdays 730pm

I remember shopping in Dublin mid 70s my grandmother getting us to cross the road when she'd see a NI registered car parked. Similarities there with the fear of Isis in recent years.

Drifter50

beauf wrote: »

I can remember getting an overnight ferry to Liverpool and having a cabin to sleep in. Mostly went to Holyhead. Did that a lot. Haven't been on a Ferry in a very long time.

Yes, you are very right there. The ferry was a blue and white B&I boat. You got on at 9pm and off at 7am ish. Then a bus to Liverpool Lime Street and the clickety clack train to London. Off the train at Euston and onto the tube. Them were the days

saabsaab

Nothing open on Sundays. TV one channel land didn't start until about 6 in the evening and closed before 12. Kids collecting glass bottles to use as petrol bombs up north. Country pubs packed with cars outside.

branie2

Churches were packed at Mass times

fryup

Edgware wrote: »

It was a friendly. Italy were World Cup winners in 19841982. The place was packed and you could pay at the gate. No control on numbers. Typical F.A.I. incompetence. We came in from the School End free, the big gate was pushed open and we piled up on the bank. I didnt like what I saw was happening so I told the lads I was leaving. We pushed our way out and ended up in The Hut for the evening

yep it was madness could have easily been an irish Hillsborough

SharpshooterTom

I don't really get why this thread has gone 168 pages for? If so many people didn't like the 70's and 80's, then why continue to indulge in those memories?

maninasia

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

What was it like in the 1980's in Ireland?

I have seen pictures, video and my god it looked like a depressing place. :eek:

Grey, delapidated, hopeless.

What was it like? How did you get by without internets, wheelie bins, toilets...?

Would you go back if you could??

*Might as well throw in the 70's too for people of that vintage.

Imagine spending your whole childhood thinking that's normal. 😁
We still had fun though.

maninasia

denismc wrote: »

I remember the news from the 80's was pretty full on,
You had;
Shergar,
Hunger Strikes,
Kidnappings,
The Border Fox
Bombings every other day
Kerry Babies,
Moving Statues,
Charlie Haughy
Cold War shenanigans.

These days Serena Wiliams throwing strops on a tennis court is what passes for news, what dull times we live in.

Those were the days eh when we had Proper News.
Or just , The News.

Zaph

Edgware wrote: »

It was a friendly. Italy were World Cup winners in 1984. The place was packed and you could pay at the gate. No control on numbers. Typical F.A.I. incompetence. We came in from the School End free, the big gate was pushed open and we piled up on the bank. I didnt like what I saw was happening so I told the lads I was leaving. We pushed our way out and ended up in The Hut for the evening

1982

I was at that game as well, Paul McGrath's Ireland debut. My father and I came in from the North Circular, and it was madness there. We stayed until half time and decided that it was just too scary and went home. How people weren't killed that night it a mystery to me, it was a disgrace how many they let in. Even more annoying because we actually had tickets for the game.

DanielODonnell

If I was born 30 years earlier I am sure I would have died young as I would have used the troubles as an escape method to die rather than suicide. I think being born earlier would have been better as I went down the education route and ended up on the employment scrap heap anyway so if I was young in the 70s I would have done a trade like what most rural men did so I would have had a more stable life. It was probably easier to emigrate back then too, you hear of men who moved to America to be a builder, nowadays you would need to have a high tier job to emigrate.

Edgware

Zaph wrote: »

1982

I was at that game as well, Paul McGrath's Ireland debut. My father and I came in from the North Circular, and it was madness there. We stayed until half time and decided that it was just too scary and went home. How people weren't killed that night it a mystery to me, it was a disgrace how many they let in. Even more annoying because we actually had tickets for the game.

Sorry 1982 World Cup winners Italy. Who could forget Paolo Rossi and Trap's pal Tardelli?

You could buy international tickets at the little shop beside the Rovers grounds in Milltown.
And for All Ireland day just pay cash at the Hill 16 gate or Canal End.
As one lad said when the games became all ticket. "the scam starts higher up"

malinheader

Mammy the teacher gave me a slap at school today.
Whack!! And wait till your father gets home your going get worse than that. 1980s home education.

Mongfinder General

Edgware wrote: »

Sorry 1982 World Cup winners Italy. Who could forget Paolo Rossi and Trap's pal Tardelli?

You could buy international tickets at the little shop beside the Rovers grounds in Milltown.
And for All Ireland day just pay cash at the Hill 16 gate or Canal End.
As one lad said when the games became all ticket. "the scam starts higher up"

The Dublin v Galway final in 1983 put an end to the pay at the gate at finals. The GAA got a warning of what was to come at the Leinster final between Dublin and Offaly when loads broke in at the canal end. There was fighting all around Croke Park at the semi final between Dublin and Cork. Crowd control was non existent - the handful of cops on duty were expected to referee 70000 people at a match.

fryup

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

I don't really get why this thread has gone 168 pages for? If so many people didn't like the 70's and 80's, then why continue to indulge in those memories?

to paraphrase Mrs Doyle.......

"maybe we like the misery"

Dyr

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

I don't really get why this thread has gone 168 pages for? If so many people didn't like the 70's and 80's, then why continue to indulge in those memories?

TBH The 80s and 90s were a great era in comparison to now, which is like a dyfunctional dystopia.

Up until the late 2000s the advances in technology and the internet were great. Kinda feel like social media turned that its head by linking people to their online presence so they had skin in the game. We live in an era where we no longer trust in our ability to progress and innovate, it's all very fin de siecle.

the purple tin

Going in to the video shop to rent a fillum or two. There were small local shops before Xtravision came along. Browsing the shelves trying to work out if a fillum would any good by the box cover.

Way more fun than netflix etc.

L1011

the purple tin wrote: »

Going in to the video shop to rent a fillum or two. There were small local shops before Xtravision came along. Browsing the shelves trying to work out if a fillum would any good by the box cover.

Way more fun than netflix etc.

A decent movie store in a big town had more actual movies than Netflix too; at least in the VHS era - DVD and console games started eating in to the display space and despite DVD being smaller on the shelves, by the time it became dominant half the store was console games in my local one at least. And Chartbusters turned half the stores in to tanning beds.

Netflix has lots of series/shows, but actual movie numbers are lower than you'd think and dropping year on year as they focus on shows.

Locally we had a fantastic video shop (that may or may not have been subsidised by some illicit trade) that had possibly 6000 different films in the DVD era; and each staff member would have seen a decent % of them - nobody could have seen them all. Did a great trade in subtitled foreign content; also did multi rental bundle deals with the pizza place next door.

I understand why people prefer streaming services - pay once, get all you can at any time of day or night without it ever being unavailable etc.

Buford T. Justice XIX

the purple tin wrote: »

Going in to the video shop to rent a fillum or two. There were small local shops before Xtravision came along. Browsing the shelves trying to work out if a fillum would any good by the box cover.

Way more fun than netflix etc.

The white Hiace van coming around once a fortnight and 3 films for a fiver, I think. And you had 2 weeks to watch them.

And you'd be lucky to come across one good film and two absolute dogs to watch because you paid for them so you had to watch them.

malinheader

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

The white Hiace van coming around once a fortnight and 3 films for a fiver, I think. And you had 2 weeks to watch them.

And you'd be lucky to come across one good film and two absolute dogs to watch because you paid for them so you had to watch them.

Ah the white Hi ace is right. Shop man on Wednesday, clothes man on Thursday and the video man on a Friday.
Good memories though.

L1011

I've heard of (and used) the shop vans, I've heard of the video vans - clothes man? What kind of clobber did they actually sell?

malinheader

L1011 wrote: »

I've heard of (and used) the shop vans, I've heard of the video vans - clothes man? What kind of clobber did they actually sell?

The van that came to us had a very good and fairly up to date selection. Sweatshirts were a speciality. When the film rocky came out the biggest seller was the fruit of the loom sweatshirts with the rocky logo on front .only thing was everyone in a 20 or 30 mile radius was wearing the same. You could pay in by installments as well.

the purple tin

L1011 wrote: »

A decent movie store in a big town had more actual movies than Netflix too; at least in the VHS era - DVD and console games started eating in to the display space and despite DVD being smaller on the shelves, by the time it became dominant half the store was console games in my local one at least. And Chartbusters turned half the stores in to tanning beds.

Netflix has lots of series/shows, but actual movie numbers are lower than you'd think and dropping year on year as they focus on shows.

Locally we had a fantastic video shop (that may or may not have been subsidised by some illicit trade) that had possibly 6000 different films in the DVD era; and each staff member would have seen a decent % of them - nobody could have seen them all. Did a great trade in subtitled foreign content; also did multi rental bundle deals with the pizza place next door.

I understand why people prefer streaming services - pay once, get all you can at any time of day or night without it ever being unavailable etc.

Another reason the shops were better than on demand TV services: you had to actually get off your arse and walk or cycle there. You got some exercise too, less obesity

Ubbquittious

My family moved to Ireland from Netherlands back in the 70s and stayed. They never sorry they moved but we always lived in the countryside, had nothing to do with the Catholic church. At times money was a problem and my granddad had to go back for a year or 2 to work. Loads of people moved to west Cork back in the day from abroad and most of them had pretty good lives.

the beer revolu

Ubbquittious wrote: »

My family moved to Ireland from Netherlands back in the 70s and stayed. They never sorry they moved but we always lived in the countryside, had nothing to do with the Catholic church. At times money was a problem and my granddad had to go back for a year or 2 to work. Loads of people moved to west Cork back in the day from abroad and most of them had pretty good lives.

Did they start making cheese?
We owe our farmhouse cheese industry to immigrants.

the beer revolu

Anyone remember renting VCR machines from ExtraVision?
Machine and a few tapes for the weekend was just the thing between a few friends.

Also renting games consoles.

Although, I'm probably talking early 90s,here.

fryup

fryup wrote: »

ireland v world champions italy in 85

Zaph wrote: »

1982
I was at that game as well, Paul McGrath's Ireland debut. My father and I came in from the North Circular, and it was madness there. We stayed until half time and decided that it was just too scary and went home. How people weren't killed that night it a mystery to me, it was a disgrace how many they let in. Even more annoying because we actually had tickets for the game.

it was mayhem, typical of the laxed attitude at the time...health & safety?? pfft you would have been laughed at at the mere mention of it

here are so more pics from that shambolic night, you had spectators right on top of the italian bench, not to mention on side of the pitch...an absolute joke...god knows what the italians thought of us after that shambles

Edgware

the purple tin wrote: »

Going in to the video shop to rent a fillum or two. There were small local shops before Xtravision came along. Browsing the shelves trying to work out if a fillum would any good by the box cover.

Way more fun than netflix etc.

And the poor suckers who thought it a great ldea to buy life membership of the Video Shop

cj maxx

malinheader wrote: »

Mammy the teacher gave me a slap at school today.
Whack!! And wait till your father gets home your going get worse than that. 1980s home education.

Nah that's not the 80's.
That was just your house I'm afraid.
Though the cane was amply used as discipline in national school . Bamboo sticks, the square trim from a desk and a slap were all used to 'discipline' me . It completely backfired though.

Edgware

Trips to Jonesborough to buy toilet rolls, transistors. Then we had the local lad who would take orders for fireworks and trays of lager, travel to Newry and bring them back South.
He used give bars of chocolate to the police at the Newry Bridge checkpoint but fireworks and lager was the least of their problems

Edgware

cj maxx wrote: »

Nah that's not the 80's.
That was just your house I'm afraid.
Though the cane was amply used as discipline in national school . Bamboo sticks, the square trim from a desk and a slap were all used to 'discipline' me . It completely backfired though.

We had a bit of that in National School but by the time we got to secondary we had only the rare exception where a teacher would react to something with a clatter. ( Although to be fair we did fairly incite it)

malinheader

Edgware wrote: »

We had a bit of that in National School but by the time we got to secondary we had only the rare exception where a teacher would react to something with a clatter. ( Although to be fair we did fairly incite it)

Same as that. Any slap I got I deserved. Looking back now I actually feel sorry for some of the teachers we had.

malinheader

Buying condoms back then would be like trying to buy drugs nowadays.

Edgware

malinheader wrote: »

Buying condoms back then would be like trying to buy drugs nowadays.

We didnt go to Manchester and Liverpool just for the football! Playboy and Durex were also on the shopping list!

fryup

^^^^^^^^^^^

as well as "durty" mags

the beer revolu

malinheader wrote: »

Same as that. Any slap I got I deserved. Looking back now I actually feel sorry for some of the teachers we had.

I wish I could say the same.
We had a primary school teacher who thought he could beat knowledge into children.

Maths tables were tested every morning with anyone who made a mistake lined up to receive a stick, hard, across the fingers.

I would spend hours with family members learning the tables but the sheer terror of the moment meant that I mostly made mistakes and had to line up for punishment.

To this day, my mental arithmetic is terrible and I lay the blame firmly at the feet of Mr. O' Leary from St. Anthony's boys school, Ballinlough.

I never recall being beaten over disciplinary issues.

Same man was extremely religious and pious but seemed to take pleasure from beating children.

Some prick. Dead now, I assume. I often fantasised about intimidating him as an old man.

Ger Roe

D3V!L wrote: »

Curley Wurley bars were a foot long

We had proper summers where it was 45 degree's for 3 months

You could get 8 kids in an estate sitting in the boot and arm rests

House doors could be left open because no one ever got burgled



Ahh those were the days

In our 1970's housing estate, all the back doors in every house, had the same key. It was considered a great idea because if you ever got locked out, the back door could be opened with your neighbours key..... genius

Simpler and obviously more trustworthy times.

fryup

@ the beer revolu

let it go - not healthy to have such pent up anger in your system

malinheader

the beer revolu wrote: »

I wish I could say the same.
We had a primary school teacher who thought he could beat knowledge into children.

Maths tables were tested every morning with anyone who made a mistake lined up to receive a stick, hard, across the fingers.

I would spend hours with family members learning the tables but the sheer terror of the moment meant that I mostly made mistakes and had to line up for punishment.

To this day, my mental arithmetic is terrible and I lay the blame firmly at the feet of Mr. O' Leary from St. Anthony's boys school, Ballinlough.

I never recall being beaten over disciplinary issues.

Same man was extremely religious and pious but seemed to take pleasure from beating children.

Some prick. Dead now, I assume. I often fantasised about intimidating him as an old man.

That's totally horrible and an evil way to treat a child. . I was posting about my own experiences and definitely wasn't trying to justify some of the punishment that was carried out..

the beer revolu

malinheader wrote: »

That's totally horrible and an evil way to treat a child. . I was posting about my own experiences and definitely wasn't trying to justify some of the punishment that was carried out..

Oh, I wasn't suggesting that you were, at all.

Your post just reminded me of that godly cnut.

malinheader

Living close to the border always remember driving into the north every Sunday evening to fill the car up for the week. Other way around now.
Also when I was alot younger remember my mother making us hide things like jeans, coats and shoes when coming past the customs. Laughable now.

Edgware

As the song goes "the border is a way of life"

I know people in Dundalk who have online bank accounts North and South and have built up a nice sum of money just by transferring each way depending on currency rates.
Handy way to make money when you have no immediate demand on the cash.

FVP3

denismc wrote: »

I remember the news from the 80's was pretty full on,
You had;
Shergar,
Hunger Strikes,
Kidnappings,
The Border Fox
Bombings every other day
Kerry Babies,
Moving Statues,
Charlie Haughy
Cold War shenanigans.

These days Serena Wiliams throwing strops on a tennis court is what passes for news, what dull times we live in.

This post ( from 2018) didn't age well.

imme

https://brandnewretro.ie/2017/02/08/citizens-of-dublin-1985/

Here are some Dubs from 35 years ago

mikemac2

malinheader wrote: »

Buying condoms back then would be like trying to buy drugs nowadays.

I'd like to buy co...co...co....cotton wool

There was a roaring trade in cotton wool in those days