The memories from our childhood can be powerful and events from this time can linger long – happy or unhappy as they may be. They can also provide a glimpse not just into the past of the person who is recalling them but into the places they are recalling. Each person who kindly agreed to share their memories is contributing a picture of Waterford through time.
These memories of childhood and school days in Waterford stretch back in some cases to the 1930s and 1940s and move forward into current childcare practices and policy. They document times when corporal punishment was widely accepted and practiced; when poverty was widespread; when there was no television; when childhood games were not computer generated and the changes in the times that brought new excitements like television and telephones.
These memories tell stories of different people with different childhood and school experiences over different times. Some will spark a memory for the listener and others will take a listener to a new experience. We will continue to add more recordings to expand the opportunities for listeners to listen, learn and explore.