My New Bicycle

The Bicycle Funding and my biking days    

Mo rothar nua agus mo laethanta ag rothaíocht

As I sit here at home in Gorey on this October 2^nd, 2026, morning, I hear status yellow rain warnings. Tá sé ag stealladh báistí amuigh, it’s pouring rain outside, and there is no chance of going for a walk.

My thoughts turn back to my last blog about haymaking and being recompensed for my labours, when I received my first ten-shilling note as wages, quickly followed by another.

In 1960 I was in seventh class in CBS Primary School, Clonalour, Tralee. We attended school six days a week and yes, we had school on Saturday mornings. This was the scholarship class, where twenty scholarships were awarded by Kerry County Council to cover the fees for second-level school. We were in the pre free education era. I was lucky enough to win one of these scholarships, but getting this involved a lot of study hard work. We had two brilliant teachers, Brother Casey and Mr Foley, who had the epistemic humility to recognise that there was always more to learn. When the results of the scholarship examinations were announced, happiness abounded. My parents, grandparents on both sides, and some other relations rewarded me handsomely with welcome monetary additions to my bicycle fund.

My old Raleigh bicycle was a hand-me-down from my uncle. It was in good condition and reliable, but as I was heading for second-level school in “The Green” Tralee, I wanted a more modern model, something that would help me keep up with the Joneses of the cycling world. My father, who was a very practical man, saw nothing wrong with my existing bicycle. He thought it was perfectly good and said it would do me fine.

My mother, however, saw things from my point of view. She told me to have a look around the bicycle shops and find out what type of bicycle I wanted and how much it would cost. She also told me that my Confirmation money was safe in my savings account, but if I wanted to spend some of it, I could do so. This was music to my ears, and I could now start planning to buy my dream bicycle but being an independent individual, I wasn’t going to rely on my savings and the generosity of my family to purchase my rothar nua. This was my project and I was determined to fund it separately myself.

Firstly, I had a little gardening project. My father was an enthusiastic gardener, and he encouraged me to plant a small patch of lettuce and scallions for myself. These grew well, helped along by lots of seaweed from the nearby Cockle Shell Road Strand, so my next effort was to see if I could sell my organic produce. Galvin’s vegetable shop on Rock Street was looking for freshly picked lettuce, so I contacted them. I struck a deal to supply a box of freshly cut organic lettuce every morning, which I delivered on my way to school. And so, my little business venture was underway, and it was adding considerably to my bicycle purchasing fund.

There was another opportunity to add to the fund during the summer holidays because a neighbour of ours, Dan Bowler, had a field of onions which thrived and had to be topped and tailed to get them ready for sale. He asked a few of us locals to help him get the crop ready. Naturally, we were to be paid for our endeavours. It was back-breaking work, cutting off the tops and bottoms with shears, but the cash made it all worthwhile.

At the end of those summer holidays, my bicycle fund was substantially above my target of having enough money to buy the new Raleigh bicycle, I had set my heart on buying. I had already viewed the models on display in Cabal’s bike shop in Ashe Street in Tralee. Now I could pay the deposit to Mrs Caball on my chosen bicycle, complete with a dynamo light, pump, chain guard and a carrier for my schoolbag as added extras. This was valued at £20, if my memory serves me right, which in today’s currency would be 25.39 euros approx. In those days, you had to pay the deposit money up front and then wait about six weeks until your chosen two-wheeler arrived at the bicycle shop. I suppose it is mostly the same today.

I was very proud of my early success and independence in purchasing my first bike all by myself, and I took really good care of it, giving it a weekly clean and keeping it oiled up with my own personal three in one oilcan.

My daily return trip to school on The Canal Road became part of my life. That big single-gear bicycle carried me to school and home again. Little did I think then that such an ordinary journey, so long ago, 66 years in fact, would one day become such a precious memory for me as I advance along the chronological ladder. My Raleigh bicycle represented the world for me with fewer cars on our roads than we have today.

As young people we all had a strong sense of independence drilled into us at home and in school. We learned to manage with what we had without redress to lockers, laptops or mobile phones, to look after our belongings and to make our own way in life. It gave us a great sense of independence which I still value today.

When I think back to 1962, I can still picture that bicycle, the carrier loaded with my army provision bag and raincoat, my cap on my head, and the Canal Road stretching ahead. It was a different Ireland — and that daily cycle to school was a small but important part of growing up in it, in rain, wind or sunshine, that big single-gear bicycle carried me to school and home again.

None of us in our wildest imaginations could have dreamed of what the future held in store for us who were born in such straightened times at the end of World War 2. It certainly was a different Ireland.

My Raleigh bicycle became much more than a means of getting me to school. We cycled everywhere we could. We visited my granny’s house in Barrow at weekends, went fishing in Fenit, swimming in Derrymore, and farming in Farmers Bridge.

Puck Fair was quite accessible in Killorglin in August, and so a group of us used pedal power to cycle there from Tralee to see King Puck reigning supreme for three days over Killorglin town. We parked the bikes safely in Foley’s yard and spent some mighty exciting time in town, watching all the wheeling and dealing, with horses being galloped up the road and around the fair field, making them look good for potential buyers. Horse manure abounded but who cared. This was Puck Fair.

There were stalls de gach sort, on the streets of Killorglin. Mobile chip vans did a roaring trade while pints of porter flowed freely night and day for three solid days. Boiled crubeens or pigs’ trotters were in abundant supply and were very tasty with their inbuilt greasiness and fatty bacon.

Bird’s amusements were in full swing, creating a great festive atmosphere. I remember Dean Reidy in Tralee many years ago giving a sermon about the noise on the street at the Rose of Tralee Festival and saying that you might as well have been at Puck Fair in Killorglin.

On other occasions, a group of us cycled over the Connor Pass, or an chonair meaning the way or path. When we got near the top of the Pass, we parked our bikes and climbed up to Pedlar’s Lake, that beautiful ice age corrie lake, which locals say was named after a pedlar who was murdered in the region ach sin scéal eile. After this little rest we then coasted down into Dingle town past the beautiful 12^th century Kilmalkedar Church site which was on the saint’s path to Mount Brandon. This was such a picturesque area and was paradise supreme on a fine sunny day.

That bicycle represented the world we lived in with fewer cars, fewer conveniences and much less technology, but also gave us a strong sense of independence. Those were the days of freedom on the roads, with much less traffic, and you were reasonably safe while cycling around. Freisin, bhíomar i bhfad níos óige agus níos aclaí. We were much younger and fitter. Nothing was a problem to us.

I’ve enjoyed my little cycle trip here going down memory lane nó i nGaeilge Bhain mé taitneamh as mo thuras ar bhóithrín na smaointe. I hope it evokes some nice memories for all who read it.

Slán go fóill agus bainigí úsáid as cúpla focal Gaeilge gach lá.

Mick O Callaghan          October 10^th 2026