Dublin Newsboy illutration: Luke Fallon.
Last night I read a piece on The History Show on RTE Radio One looking at childhood in Dublin in 1913. Interestingly, the piece focused on life in the city for children before the lockout. It was great fun to put it together, I particularly enjoyed the story of the young chancer who talked his way into an expenses paid trip abroad!
You can listen to the piece by clicking on the link above. It’s interesting to contrast the plight of working class and upper class children at the time. My thanks to the people at The History Show for the invitation to contribute something.
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
The Herald Boot Fund was set up to provide boots for barefooted children. I am told that it was Gordon Brewster’s father, William Theodore Brewster, who set it up after seeing that the newsboys outside the Independent Office had no shoes. But, in spite of the activities of the Fund, he subsequently noticed that the newsboys still had no shoes and on making enquiries found that the boots were being pawned by the families.
I gather the boots were then marked to identify their source and some sort of regulation was brought in to prohibit their pawning. I don’t know the details of this last bit but would be very interested to have it fleshed out.
I am chasing up Gordon Brewster at present. He was the chief cartoonist and art editor of Independent Newspapers, and his father was the General Manager. He died in 1946. His father died in 1924. The National Library of Ireland have a great collection of his cartoons from between 1922 and 1932.
This is one of his cartoons appealing for donations to the Fund and this is a link to Bill Cullen’s book which refers to the pawning of the boots.
Excellent comment as ever!
Love the CHTM pieces on the History Show. Long may they continue.
Long live the CHTM!:::It´s refreshing!
Also, great illustration. Luke’s is not my style normally but I really liked that one.
I`m a History Show fan. Loved the item about the Century Ireland website-an excellent idea. Newtalk`s Talking History is another gem. I don`t think either radio show gets enough publicity though.