It is always a pleasure to chat to Richard (Ricky) Gerrard, unfortunately it doesn’t happen often enough but we managed a few minutes together this morning.
You could say that Ricky is well known in the Drogheda area which is not surprising considering he grew up at “The Mount”, went to school at Congress Avenue and then spent his whole career teaching there.
After 40 years teaching generations of young boys Ricky retired some 15 or so years ago and busied himself by researching and writing about different aspects of his home town.
This labour of love for Ricky has resulted in many fine volumes on topics such as “The annals of St. Mary’s Boys School”, a history of Usher’s Linen Mill and, his personal favourite, “The Marsh Road/ Scotch Hall Story” which extended to two volumes which he published in 2009.
Ricky has just published his 14th book and it’s a cracker. It’s called “Amateur Drama from Drogheda and District” and it does exactly what the title states – and a lot more besides.
As with all his other works Ricky has done far more than just dip his toes into the subject matter, that’s not his style. He has dived right in and covered the topic in depth and in this endeavour he received the willing assistance of actors, producers and members of the numerous drama groups in the region going back many years.
The Covid -19 pandemic had both a good and bad impact on the research process for this book. Bad because the library and their newspaper archive was closed to him but good in that, because he is so well known, he received wiling support from a myriad different individuals.
“Ah yes, you’re a Gerrard from the Mount” was a typical response from people he approached “you taught me and my brothers, how can I help you?”
This beautiful photograph from Ricky Gerrard’s book, “Amateur Drama from Drogheda and District” shows Joan O’Donoghue nee Gallagher who was a prominent member of the St. Mary’s Drama Group in the 1950’s. Joan worked at the Drogheda Independent before emigrating to the UK and she now lives in Manchester.
If you are an amateur drama enthusiast you will find this book enthralling, it’s packed with details of productions going back to the early 20th Century but, quite apart from the fascinating detail of dramatic productions, actors, producers and directors mentioned, there are hundreds of photographs which are totally engrossing.
Not all of the photos are concerned with amateur dramatics though. Ricky has included several sections under the title of “Incidentally, did you know that…?” which include some really quirky but little known tit-bits and facts about Drogheda.
Facts such as the Drogheda Mills were badly hit by the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918, or a ship called the “Jacus” which ran aground near Beaulieu in 1904. There’s also a whole section of old photographs which anyone with any link to Drogheda will find quite absorbing.
One of this writer’s favourites from the “Incidentally, did you know that…?” section is a poem about the siting of the Fair Green which was a contentious issue because one merchant might gain an advantage over the others. Here’s a few lines of it:
The greatest diversion in Drogheda was seen
When the “Boys” started out to select a Fair Green
Some wanted it here and some wanted it there
And meanwhile the cattle got lost at the fair.
But electors of Drogheda you’ll notice the rub
No fair should be held unless close to a pub.
“Amateur Drama from Drogheda and District” is available directly from the author, priced at €25 – you can call him on 087 976 3689 or email ricky_gerrard@yahoo.co.uk
Alternatively you can get your copy at Waterstones bookshop in Scotch Hall Shopping Centre, The Forge Field in Termonfeckin, Riverside Home and Gifts, Coast Road, Mornington, Mahers Chemist in West Street or Seamus McCabes shop in Duleek Street.
