23

Mary Zurko interviewed by Denis Mercier -16- 8/21/72
Tape 12-1

MZ: Oh, home-made...Mother baked good bread, she baked good bread, too. But she said, I could never beat Mom's bread, she said, Mom always made such good bread. It always had a taste of bread!
DM: Did the priest go around and visit a lot of people like that? I mean, did he have a lot of favorite...
MZ: Oh, yes. He used to come down and see my mother, he used to come down and see my mother. And now, Father Kelly - there was another curate came, Father Kelly - came then, and he came down to see me and my mother. And he had to come down to see "that black-eyed little girl"! I was the oldest.
DM: So they did mix well with the people, they didn't just stay up there in the rectory...
MZ: Oh, yes. They mixed with the Protestant people, too. Oh, yes. He used to make his visit to all the - he'd go down to see the, Reverand Ireland and all, you know, way down the street and all, they'd mingle.
DM: If there would be a church picnic or something, would be play, too, sometimes, or was he very old and very dignified, or what? Would he get out and play with the kids and stuff, in the town?
MZ: They'd play baseball and whatnot, sure.
DM: He wasn't old and stuff, and...
MZ: No.
DM: ...nasty, kind of grouchy guy?
MZ: Hm-umm. Mother used to say, when Father, uh, Doctor O'Neill would come, if there was a maternity case in town, you know, years ago you never went to hospital, and if there was a maternity case, and maybe it would have to be down in the valley, in Sandy Valley, and the doctor would have to go down the hill, you, to get to this maternity case? Well, when he got down there, he would examine her, the woman, you know, and he always knew the hour that it would come, you know how doctors are? You dilate, you know, and they know just when it's gonna come! Sometimes they really don't be there! So, he come up, Doctor O'Neill would come up over the hill with the horse and buggy, and would stop at the priests, if it was one o'clock or two o'clock in the morning - at Father Brethany's. And he'd ring the doorbell, and Father Brethany would get up and say, "Who's There?" Mom said he had a very long voice, and Doctor O'Neill said, "If there was ten dollars here, you'd get up!" He'd say to Father Brethany!
DM: He would always attend a child first, around the area? You mean, he would be there?
MZ: Doctor O'Neill?
DM: Or no, no, I mean the priest.
MZ: Oh, no, no. I'm talking about Dr. O'Neill.
DM: Oh, oh. Okay.
MZ: I'm talking about the doctor that would come into visit him at that hour of the morning. Mom would tell me that, you know. And he'd open the dorr and let him in, and he'd have I guess a wine, or whatever he would have, and go back down and deliver the baby! Ha! Ha! And then he'd come back up, and maybe he'd stay there all night.
DM: Did the priest run around and give last rites, let's say, to the dying?
MZ: Oh, yes.
DM: Did the priest ever go in the mines? That you know of? Let's say there was a man trapped and he was dying, let's say, would he give the late rites right in the mine?
MZ: I think so, yes. Oh yes, sure.
DM: Did they bury people fromt his church at all? I mean they didn't...that's another thing that I wish I could take you right up there. I wish we could