COMMENT: 'On St Joseph's Avenue, goods are exchanged, wine is drunk and favours are done'

On St Joseph’s Avenue in Boherlahan, goods are exchanged, wine is drunk and favours are done all out of kindness and goodwill.

The estate is full of good neighbours, friends and family.

It is a special place that has not changed much in decades - save for a few hedges lost here or there and the inevitable tide of people passing away or moving on.

There are other estates in the village now, but for me growing up the rival estate was Talbot Park.

It was never as good as St Joseph’s Avenue, at least that’s what we used to believe as kids.

And when the two estates’ younger cohorts would meet loitering in the hurling field, sparks could fly.

Some would even say St Joseph’s Avenue is not part of Boherlahan at all, it is more Nodstown.

READ MORE: 'At the top of St Joseph's Avenue, Betty has been a perennial presence of wit and charm'

To those people I say to hell or to Talbot Park. We’re often labelled as the posh side of the village too, and that couldn’t be true with so many Hassetts and Tynans living in the estate.

But St Joseph’s Avenue and its residents are one thing, they are the beating heart of the village.

Betty Corbett, over the years, has seen many come and go. She celebrated her 100th birthday last Sunday, with family, friends and neighbours.

Her husband Jim, who looked after the church and school grounds in the village, sadly passed away in 1993. Betty is pictured below alongside her brother Jack Browne at granddaughter Róisín’s christening in 1996.

Albert and Noreen Murphy - who lived beside her at the top of the road - were stalwarts of St Joseph’s Avenue for so many years before their passing.

Albert was caretaker of Boherlahan National School and cut the grass too in front of Bianconi Church. Pat Murphy, Albert’s son, now lives in the house beside Betty with his wife, Pauline.

Pictured above are Albert and Noreen Murphy

Nellie Tyrrell, who used to live across the road from Betty Corbett where the cluster of houses is now, also passed away many years ago and was one of her best friends.

My father worked for decades at Roadstone in Bohernacrusha, alongside a man called Bobby Gleeson, who just happens to live across the road from him.

Dad also worked on FÁS keeping the village pristine for many years.

Bobby and his wife Pauline are parents of the legendary hurler Conor Gleeson, who captained Tipperary to an All-Ireland Final in the 1990s.

My sister Jacqueline (who lives in the village and is on the newly-formed Boherlahan Bingo Committee) and their daughter Carol remain friends to this day.

You see, not just neighbours, friends.

Conor is also now managing the Boherlahan Premier Intermediate hurling team.

John and Caroline Fitzgerald are sacristans of the local church and caretakers of Boherlahan National School, my own parents for many years were also sacristans.

John and Caroline’s sons Colin and Dale are my friends and Colin was groomsman at my wedding. While their daughter Joanne and Betty’s granddaughter Róisín were great friends growing up. I lived in the Fitzgerald’s house as a child.

You see, not just neighbours, friends.

Betty and Johnny Carew are cousins of ours and they shared the afters of their wedding with my own mother and father’s big day.

Not a thing you’d see done nowadays, but it shows their closeness - which has lasted to this day. You see, not just neighbours, family.

Betty is also the only woman I’ve ever met to cook a dinner almost as good as my mother.

Jimmy Maher, a well-known and well-respected welder, and his wife Tessy live at the top of the avenue beside my brother, Jason.

Tessy used to have a dog called Brandy who only ate roast chicken.

Avril and Kevin Wilson live beside my parents’ house and are wonderful new additions to the avenue.

And before them lived Marie Ryan, sister of John Fitzgerald above and her husband Ruairi Ryan; the pair have moved now but they lived there at 3 St Joseph’s Avenue after the passing of Andy and Patty Fitzgerald, John and Marie’s mother and father.

Pictured above are Andy and Patty Fitzgerald

My brother Jason is living in my uncle Patrick Tynan’s old house after his sad passing in 2016. The same house my grandmother, Nell Tynan, also lived in.

Now that I’ve brought up my grandmother...

Pictured below is Matty Connolly, Ardmayle West and my nanny, Nell. Matty, who Nell worked with in Hunt’s, started in Ardmayle School in 1944 and Nell (née O’Dwyer) started in Ardmayle School in 1940.

The photo was taken in Dundrum House Hotel at the Ardmayle School Reunion in 1993. 

Nell was also sacristan in Boherlahan Church for many years. She used to do the Angelus peal at 8am, 12pm and 6pm every day before the bell was automated in Bianconi Church.

It’s said that when she would pull the rope to ring the bell, she’d be lifted off the ground and then come back down, and that would happen for every ring.

Nell always looked spectacular, a real lady. She always managed to cycle her High Nelly bike, no matter the rig-out. 

She was so slight, she never gained weight.

Alas, a gene that did not get passed on to me.

The image above appeared on social media in January of this year and it’s funny, when I saw her again, for the first time in years in a photo other than the one I have in the house, I thought of my niece Jorja Fogarty, and how similar they are in stature.

Nell smoked Woodbines and gave me Oxo in a mug at her house on St Joseph’s Avenue.

She loved to dance and loved the craic. 

I wish we could have her over for dinner and a Babycham in our new home. It’s been 28 years since her death. I’m 35-years-old now.

She died three years after the photo above was taken. Cancer. I miss her. 

She was a huge part of the avenue for many years.

Then at the bottom of the estate beside John and Caroline there’s Eileen and her late husband Oliver Crowe - who used to drive a big lorry.

Their son Gary taught me how to hurl, how to hook, how to block.

He taught all the young lads on the avenue.

I have so much admiration for Gary to this day, he is just an all around nice guy.

The changing landscape of a community and its people, upon reflection, can leave you a little melancholic.

But some people find themselves being a constant in a village or a town.

Every community has them in Tipperary.

That one person that seems to be there forever.

That one person you can’t imagine an area without. That one person who is a good neighbour to all residents.

They are blessed with a long life and in turn, their presence and longevity, offer you some solace, some comfort.
Betty Corbett is such a stalwart in Boherlahan and on St Joseph’s Avenue.

She has seen us all grow up. Colin Fitzgerald reminded me this week of how Betty always had a Viscount Biscuit for us whenever we met her on the avenue.

She would say: “Do you want a greenery?” Because of the biscuits iconic green foil wrapping.

She also used to feed us custard and ice-cream when we used to call in to her after primary school.

If there’s one thing Betty always had, it was custard.

She has seen her own children grow up; from her late son and well-known chef Seamus (and his late wife Anne) to Michael (wife Mary) and Sean (wife Frances).

She has seen her grandchildren grow up, Sean and Frances’ children, David and Róisín.

She has lived a life full of love, happiness, good neighbours, a few flutters on the horses with her pal Bridie O’Dwyer and whiskey!

Pictured above are Betty Corbett and Bridie O'Dwyer at Betty's 100th birthday party last Sunday 

What more could anyone ask for from a life?

Good neighbours, friends and a supportive and loving family are so important for people, they help people live longer.

Betty has all of that in spades.

And now that we know her age and her birthday date (once well kept secrets), we will all be looking forward to August 25, 2025, so we can celebrate her 101st birthday.

Darren Hassett is Regional Editor for Iconic Media Group in Tipperary and Digital Development Director for the company's digital offering across Ireland. He is also from St Joseph's Avenue, Boherlahan.