Toys

Peter in 1963, aged 9 I was born in England in 1953. Both my parents were from County Cork but had emigrated to Sidcup in the south of England after the war. My dad was a GP and my mother acted as his secretary answering the phone and arranging appointments. So both of my parents were pretty busy and I spent a fair amount … Read more

Máire-Anne as young girl growing up in 1950s/60s Mount Merrion, Co Dublin, was gifted by family friend Roberta Post ( USA and Ireland) her original Shirley Temple doll and steamer trunk, purchased in New York City in 1936. Máire-Anne , born 1956 and her sister Susan played very carefully with this toy, enjoying years of play, as had Roberta had before them. 20″ (51 … Read more

The Fort ( and toy soldiers) was handmade by Tom Kelly, Glasnevin, Co Dublin in the early 1960s for his sons John and Michael Kelly, and played with until the 1990s by their nephew Mark O’Connor pictured below. Tom Kelly, the fort maker, with his daughter Lorraine The fort all set up for play at Tom’s house The instruction booklet is dated 1958

Jonathan Kelly. From January 2023, Star Wars on display at Bloomfields Shopping Centre, Dúnlaoghaire, Co Dublin.  “I first saw the Star Wars film ‘A new Hope” on TV at home in Drimnagh in 1982. I thought it was like nothing I had ever seen before.  In or around September 1981 or 1982, I was on my way to school* early one morning, and noticed … Read more

Karol O’Connor. From late December 2022 see Action Force pop-up exhibitions at Bloomfields Shopping Centre and Bank of Ireland, Dúnlaoghaire.  “I have a childhood collection of toys made by the British company Palitoy. Action Man was made by the same company but they decided to shrink Action Man down from 12″ scale to the new industry standard scale of 3.75″ at the time in … Read more