Tom Delaney was born on a snowy day in February 1933. It was snowing on the day he was born, and he has continued to have a lot of snowy birthdays since! He grew up in Ireland in the parish of Holycross near Thurles, in County Tipperary. Tom was the second eldest of six children, and he had three sisters and two brothers. He got on well with all his siblings.
His family had no gas, electricity or running water when he was growing up. They did not usually go on holidays, but instead spent the school holidays volunteering for things like helping farmers. Tom recalls that he used to save turf in the bog and picked potatoes with the local farmers. Tom also really enjoyed hurling when he was a boy and remains a huge fan of the sport. He was delighted when Tipperary won the All-Ireland Hurling Final last year!
Tom attended primary school (or national school) in his local parish. It was around half a mile from his house and it had four classrooms, four teachers and around eighty children. He had a few close friends, but he knew everyone within the school. He left when he was 13 years old and then attended a technical school in Thurles for six months. It was only three miles away, so he cycled there and back. He learned the basics of a few trades while there. During this time, he was also farming. Then, at age fourteen, Tom went out to work for local farmers for a few years.
After that, he studied psychiatric nursing for about 18 months in Clonmel. He then moved to England at the age of nineteen, and has lived here ever since.
As a young man, Tom enjoyed going to dances, especially when it was ballroom dancing and Sequence dancing. He also liked when they occasionally did line dancing. At the dances, the men sat on one side and the women on the other, and they would join in the middle to dance. Many of these dances took place in the old St Patrick’s Club at the Cathedral in Northampton. This is where he met his wife, Eileen.
Tom and Eileen were married during a small ceremony in London, when he was just 24 years old. The couple were married for eighteen years, until they eventually chose to seperate. Together, they had four sons: Micheal, William, Thomas and John. Now adults, several of the boys have children of their own, and Tom even has four great grandchildren too!
Tom has had many jobs throughout his life including as a farmer, nurse, bus conductor and bus driver, barman, salesman, carpenter, ceramic tiler, van driver in London, shoe factory worker in Northampton, machine operator, and kitchen/ bedroom fitter. About seventeen years ago, he even worked as a dancer for three years on Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, dancing with the single ladies on board! Due to his work on the cruise ships, Tom is very well travelled. He has visited many countries in his lifetime and has even visited all seven wonders of the world!
Tom’s travel adventures first began in his fifties, and he said his these were some of the best years of life, as he got to explore the world. One of his favourite countries to visit was Vietnam, which he travelled to about twenty years ago. He explored throughout the country, finding it hectic but great, and the people very friendly. He also spent a few days in Cambodia as part of this trip. He has also been on some very long trips, including a four-week holiday to Madeira in Portugal which he remembers very fondly! Tom also said he prefers travelling to sunny destinations rather than cold ones, and that cruises are better than airport travel as “your holiday starts immediately!”.
Tom also tried to learn a little of each language in the countries he visited so he could hold a conversation. In addition to English and a little Irish, Tom speaks some Spanish and German. However, he can no longer read Irish, as he said the written language has changed quite a bit since he first learned it.
Today, Tom lives in Northampton and still regularly meets with friends at social clubs and events. He said if he could give any advice to the younger generation, it would be to “Never get yourself into debt.”. He also advises people not to be lazy, never to smoke, and not to drink. Tom himself has never smoked and only drinks occasionally.
Tom’s life has been rich with adventure and memories, and there are still many more to come!
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