In programme 1 in From Byway to Highway we meet Nancy Farrell (born 1926) in the kitchen of her cottage on the Hole-in-the-wall-road. Nancy is joined by her son Michael and family dogs Gracie and Rufus amid the basting of lemon chicken and some very heavy duty chores. Through historian and Author of “Green Fields Gone Forever” Douglas Appleyard we learn that we are not the first residents to inhabit the area around the Hole in the Wall road. We learn inhabitants have lived and farmed the land here for over a 1,000 years. Join us on our journey through time along the road.

About the series

From Byway to Highway is a 4 part historical radio documentary series focusing on the lives of people living in the area of the Hole in the Wall Road, North East Dublin.

Once a quiet back road that linked Raheny with Portmarnock, the Hole in the Wall Road has become an urban hub for much of the traffic accessing the vast new development of Dublin’s Northern Fringe. The stories of the residents young and old of this small community are a living archive.

The listener is transported from green fields to duplexes and apartments from steam engines and wheat thrashers to Dart trains and Bus Lanes. But most importantly these stories serve as a timely and poignant reminder of how far Irish society has come and of times long gone but (as of yet) not forgotten as we are transported through a century and into a new millennium.

From Byway to Highway is supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland through the television licence fee, is produced by Enda M. Roche and is a Pearlman Media Production for Near FM.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:01 — 38.5MB)

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