Remembering Josie

Remembering Josie

By Frank Murphy

When BCLC first moved into Shangan it was as if Josie was already there waiting for us. She was just so much a part of the law centre keeping it ship shape for our work and also keeping us all ship shape too. Now that I think of it there was probably a message in that shaving kit she gave me in our first kris kindle!

No matter how down you’d be coming back from the Four Courts, and let me tell you you’d be down, Josie would be there to hoover you back to life and then there’d be the tea and the stories.

Oh, how we loved all her wonderful Moore Street stories. I particularly liked the one about her wedding ring. Hopefully you’ve heard it. I’m not going to tell it to you because I just could not tell it like Josie would.

She was delighted if we were having a visitor to the law centre, that’s when things really moved into top gear. Woe betide anyone who got in her way when the place had to be spic and span. Special Summonses would be relegated to second place they might even get shredded if you didn’t get them out of her way.

The coming of Mary Robinson was a high point. She was thrilled to have the former president visiting her law centre and she gave her the beautiful Ballymun welcome, as she did to all our visitors when she was first to the door to greet them.

Fundraising was always a struggle so when local artists offered us paintings to sell, we jumped at the opportunity to have an art auction in the Axis. On the night the auctioneer did a fine job extracting top prices from our distinguished guests. As the bidding soared for one painting, I was afraid to move in case he thought I was making a bid. Then noticing an abandoned refreshment tray, I saw Josie nodding to the auctioneer and across the floor our leading labour lawyer bidding against her. I feared how this might end. Josie laughed as the painting was knocked down to her for an exorbitant amount of euros.

I thought if only she had got the chance, she could have been in the Law Library herself if you overheard her on the phone advocating for family or friend in need of repairs or something you’d have pity for the official on the other end of the line.

She was pretty good at prosecutions too. Her Christmas tree that went missing in the law centre caused considerable grief. While she had no fingerprint evidence the chief suspect was left in no doubt as to who she thought was the guilty one. Thankfully in-house mediation, another tree and we all danced together again at the Christmas party, fit and ready for another new year.

It will be an honour for all of us in BCLC to keep Josie’s memory, our founding team member, burning brightly here in the Law Centre.

Of course, her absolute pride and joy were her children and grandchildren. From Jade’s beautiful eulogy for her beloved grandmother, it is clear her great legacy will live on in Ballymun:

First of all, I want to start by saying thanks so much to everyone who showed up today. It goes to show how much my granny was loved. And loved she was. She was a special woman, who experienced a lot of heartache in her life, but she approached a lot of it with humour. She never failed to make everyone laugh or sometimes cry with her honesty… but you always knew where you stood with her, and she was never shy to tell you what she thought or how she felt.

Me granny grew up in Dorset Street with her sister Grace and brother Paul. She used to be in a band, and they would perform and sing in pubs all around town. She only moved out to Ballymun when she started a family and had Lisa. She was loud and proud of the Ballymun community and loved everyone in it. She would rip anyone to shreds if they ever said anything bad about the area. 

Me granny sold on Moore Street and put her good set of lungs to use there. As soon as Lisa, Karen, Me, Ma and Lorraine could walk and talk, they all stood at the stall with a head of cabbage in their hands. 

Me granny was a strong, independent, charismatic woman, and she instilled those traits into all four of her beautiful daughters. 

She eventually had to give up the stall but poured herself into the Ballymun community and started working at the law centre. She loved that job, and how good Frank and the team were to her, so was devastated when she had to retire, but she was kept busy entertaining all her grandchildren and great grandchildren. We were talking about some of our favourite memories of our granny, and I unfortunately can’t repeat them here, but one thing was for sure: 

Whenever our mas said no, granny said yes. There was nothing that granny wouldn’t do for her grandchildren. 

One (appropriate) memory that stands out to me is when I was in school. I begged me ma to let me do a German Exchange Programme, and me ma was like “no I can’t look after another child from Germany. What do they even eat? No Jade I can’t take on that responsibility”. So then I went to granny, and granny said “ah yeah bring her over you’s can stay with me”. So we did. And me granny’s house became the hub for all the German students. Every evening after school we’d sit in the kitchen and me granny would be waffling away asking them questions, talking 90 miles an hour. They’d all sit there and say “this isn’t the English we learned in school”. But after about a week, Theresa my exchange partner, could nearly understand every word and they formed a great bond together. That’s what I loved most about me granny, she was so open, loving and welcoming to anyone who was ever brought into her home. 

The family would like to thank Bartra Care Home for looking after me granny for the last few months, and St. Martin’s ward in Beaumont Hospital for their great care of me granny in her final days. 

Lastly, it was never a party until me granny got up to sing, so I think it’s only fair that we sing for her today. I’ll sing a line and youse can repeat after me. But we’ll do a practice round first: A head of cabbage for a euro!

Right or wrong I’ll be with you 

I’ll do what you ask me to

For I believe that I belong 

By your side right or wrong 

We love you granny. Thanks everyone.