Keep the stove burning for local towns and villages this Christmas

Having a father and his father before him who worked as joiners operating in Castlerea town, I grew up interacting with many different characters and trades from early childhood.

I’ve witnessed some fantastic times where they shared the big jobs and boom periods among one another while never begrudging each other success. I’ve also witnessed many, many more hard times where they lifted each other's spirits and laughed directly into the face of adversity when really there wasn’t much to even smile about. To be honest some of the most memorable moments were generated by those laughing at their own misfortunes. A problem shared is a problem halved.

I can honestly say I learned a lot from a very young age about local business, life, friendship, support and having great craic by just sitting on a chair beside a stove listening to conversations in the workshop where they met daily.

Unfortunately, as the years roll by we had to say goodbye to many great generational characters who once sat around this stove. While they may no longer walk through the door, I know their kindness, incredible craftmanship and hilarious one liner quotes will live on for eternity.

As Christmas approaches, I reminisce and recall some novel and incredibly unique gifts which arrived in our childhood sitting room on Christmas morning. Prior to toy megastores, Amazon or online shopping it was difficult to source play items like slides, see-saws, go-karts, football goals, mini hymacs, etc. They simply didn’t really exist. Sourcing these items wasn’t a problem for our house though, as an engineering genius was a regular who sat at the stove.

At over three decades old I still see some of these playground items in the back garden of our house and some, which were passed on to neighbours in the community. The football goals I got are still taking a beating 32 years after I first struck a ball against them. These were Christmas gifts, which were made to last and brought endless house of fun and entertainment to our home. It was bespoke handcrafted quality engineering before the phrase was even a thing and as children, we were lucky enough to benefit from this. There can’t be any regrets about shopping local that Christmas.

The late PJ Conway who made these items was simply a genius who went on to engineer some monumental projects throughout Europe. Not only was PJ a genius, but he was a gentleman who brought many moments and memorable stories of laughter to the stove.

Like many of the regulars who sat at the stove before him, the sad news of PJ’s passing in September leaves a vacant space which no one can fill.

As I write these words, I sit alone beside the warm stove in the workshop reflecting on the hearty laughter, which echoes from those characters of the past as Christmas approaches. I picture them and hope there is a laugh being had looking down from a Christmas stove in the clouds above the sky. I look to the door which opens to the sight of a familiar face walking in to take a seat beside me. A funny one liner from a past regular comes to mind which brings a wry smile to my face but can't be printed!!!

I now come to the realisation and am comforted by the fact that as long as the stove keeps burning and the door keeps opening, the spirits, and stories of all these incredible characters of the past will continue to live on. After all, like PJ Conway's work, some things are made to last, and life’s true characters are never forgotten.

Try to call your local businesses this Christmas, it’s not just another faceless transaction.