Eighties Greystones Through The Square Window

Here comes the banjos…

alk about having the very best seat in town…

Sitting pretty right across the road from the mouth of the harbour, Slievemore House is one beautiful spot.

For the Parkinsons, it has served not only as a place to rest their weary heads (and those availing of their fine B&B service) but also the backroom for their Sharavogue chipper on Trafalgar Road, later turned into an electrical supply store by the sons after pops Stan hung up his apron.

Being right on the harbour, Slievemore has also been the perfect viewing spot for all those sunny arts festivals (including the traditional last-night fireworks), a handy spot for one or two nightcaps when The Beach House rang that bell, or just a fine way to laze away a hazy summer afternoon.

So, when the lady of the house, Pippins, invited us inside back in June 2016 to check out her old photo albums, we really shouldn’t have been that surprised to find so many beauties.

Not only was the harbour itself often caught in a perfect light but the Parkinsons plainly knew good times were worth remembering, and the shots of latenight partying or just getting that rugby ball across the line are just as inspired. Each has the power to trigger your sense memory of 1980s Greystones in an instant.

Jaysus, you can almost smell that harbour blowback. And that hardy Brut.

As with Harry Acheson and Luke McGuinness last month, we’ve given Pippins’ pics the Full John Hinde overhaul. You can check out the originals here, and the full gallery of enhanced shots here.

Originals here, full gallery of enhanced shots here.