IF you were born in Tralee in the mid to late 80’s then the chances are you’ll remember some of these, says Gavin O’Connor
1. You believe Quinnsworth’s carpark was and always will be, the spiritual home of the ‘Bazaar’.
2. You got Coke and Taytos after GAA juvenile training. Altogether now, “We want Coke and Taytos! We want Coke and Taytos! la la la la!”
3. You saw Neil Armstrong “Get Down” in Denny Street, oh no wait, that was James Brown.
4. You queued for hours the day McDonald’s opened, only to ditch that and have a burger on the swivel chairs in the ‘Rock City Diner’ instead.
5. Whether you were in Churchill or Connolly Park you could get collected by the Strand Road bus.
6. You could drive into The Square and that wouldn’t be a problem.
7. You were up a tree in Denny Street when Kerry ended the famine in ’97 and brought Sam back.
8. You had a go on the first escalator in town when Shaws opened.
9. Saturday nights at the Complex was the place to be to watch the Tralee Tigers.
Hitching lifts out to Banna and getting a ride on a milk trailer; The Rose of Tralee and drinking at the hole in the wall; Roller skating in Horans and going to Spailpin gigs; Sunday morning jazz sessions in the Brandon hotel; Eating Barry’s sausage rolls and mock cream slices.
The first escalator was dunnes stores when it was beside tralee shopping centre
Dancing the weekends away in spirals, before getting a snack box in L&A., or wednesdays to pick up a girl for the slow set because ladies free. Playing video games in the superbowl and having chips from the Allegro. Playing soccer in the field when the World Cup was on, running around the block when the Olympics was on and playing tennis using the lines on the road when Wimbledon was on. Going to the cinema when it was new in Tescos car park, Social Actions and Sam discos. Drinking in The Rambling House, Jacks, The Hideout and The Rooftop. Splashing water at each other by the fountains in the green. Running in St.Johns Club, boxing in the mart, soccer in the low field and basketball in the complex and not an ipad or iphone to be found.
The festival dome by the brandon and the cinema next to tesco.. jungle jims every one wore o Neill and cyberdog
Spending every waking moment down in the bowling alley aka fabric ,,, with a selection of skirt to wear over your jeans gotta love fashion
Drinking pint bottles of bulmers all day sunday in the greyhound bar and playing lives on the pool table and then trying to get past Roger and the boys at the Brandon hoping to score