Oral Histories

A number of audio interviews were conducted as part of research into life at a confratenity. What follows are the audio recordings of these interviews and biographical pieces of the interviewees where provided. Please note that Adobe Flash player is required to listen to the interviews

Phil Tierney

Miceal O'Conlain

Michael Cummins

(Part 1)

(Part 2)

(Part 3)

(Part 4)

(Part 5)

(Part 6)

Joseph Prunty

Joe Prunty born 1926 is a native of Cloonteagh, Newtownforbes, County Longford; the third of five children. He attended the local national school (under Master Bohan) and later St. Mel's College Longford, where he completed his Leaving Certificate (in five subjects: Irish, English, French, Greek and Latin). He worked for a short while in a local solicitor's office before moving to Dublin where he worked in another office, before (aged 26) he was employed as 'time keeper' and clerk in the motor factors firm of F.J. Keogh, 42/43 Blessington Street, Dublin, which he later bought out and managed full-time until his retirement in February 2009 (aged 82). He married Agnes Flynn (from Wexford, but working in Lawrence's jewellers, Henry Street) in 1954, and they had eleven children. Since arriving in Dublin in the 1950s Joe has been continuously active in a wide range of lay Catholic groups, including the Legion of Mary (where he met Agnes), the Pioneer Association, parish fundraising committees, various councils and prayer groups (Ballygall, Castleknock, Haddington Road), and what was originally called the Rathfarnham Lay Men's Retreat Association (now the Lay Retreat Association, with its headquarters at Milltown Park). He is still heavily involved at committee level in the LRA.