Part 2
BY JOHN FITZGERALD
The Battle of the Clocks
To end the chaos occasioned by the use of both “old time” and “new time” in Callan, the Town Development Association sent a circular to all voters in 1956, urging adoption of Summer Time. It stressed the advantages of Summer Time for parents, housewives, labourers, and even farmers.
While acknowledging the concerns of farmers, it assured them there was nothing to worry about and that they would get used to it. The circular stated: “Summer Time will be of mutual advantage to all sections of the community. It will dispense with the many complaints and embarrassing moments we experience at present”.
Phil Brennan, County Secretary of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, threw his weight behind the adoption of Summer Time in Callan. He warned that the outcome of the ballot would have far-reaching effects. Kells, Windgap, Tullaroan, and Dunnamaggin were awaiting Callan’s verdict. If the town said YES to Summer Time, they “would follow suit without any bother”, he promised.
But Callan Co-operative and Dairy Society was adamant that New Time would devastate the farming community. The Co-op’s Committee Chairman, Larry Maher, cautioned that “a great deal of business on Sunday mornings and on week days too is done with people in neighbouring parishes and the majority of these go by New Time.”
He continued: “It would not be to the advantage of this society nor to the town in general if due to a switch to New Time here, these people switched to some other creamery or store which is run by Old Time. If the farmers and the farm labourers have to change to New Time, the cows in the very hot weather will not be easily found in the early evenings due to warble fly and other problems.
“The milk would be subjected to such a high temperature that the following morning when it arrived at the creamery, its quality would be very poor. Hence milk would have to be treated twice daily with cooling apparatus. This would not be very economical”.
A more colourful critique of Summer Time was quoted by Seamous O’ Brien in the Kilkenny People. The ‘Old Timer’ in question did not mince his words: “Farmers have to rise late and early, and are governed by Divine Providence. What is good enough for them is good enough for me. I am entirely opposed to putting my clock an hour fast for the summer.
“I would favour a strongly worded resolution to do away with Summer Time entirely. Are you aware that the originator of Summer Time was a Frenchman who turned out to be a lunatic? For goodness sake, instruct the undertakers in this town to have a funeral and bury this thing called Summer Time deep down in the earth so that it will never make its appearance again”.
By contrast, a corn store manager, John Clancy, felt it was “ridiculous that we have to depend on farmers to make our living, but we do no business in the first hour of opening if we observe New Time, because their clocks are an hour behind “. William Egan, proprietor of the Gaiety Cinema, also believed that Callan should be freed from its “Time Warp”. A few weeks before the ballot, he announced he was changing cinema performance times from 9 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
April 28th came and the people of Callan went to the polls. Counting of votes commenced at the Parish Hall at 8 p.m. under the supervision of Garda Superintendent Egan. Representatives from the National Farmers Association, Macra Na Feirme, Callan Co-op, and the Town Development Association were also present at the count. A huge crowd had gathered in the streets outside to hear the result.
The town held its breath as Supt. Egan prepared to announce its verdict on Summer Time: 1,195 people had voted in favour, 215 had voted against. “The ayes have it”, he confirmed. A rousing cheer went up from the YES camp, as groups of stunned farmers and No supporters shook their heads in disbelief.
More than 85% of Callan people had voted to break with tradition. In the days that followed, the Old Timers claimed it had been a hollow victory for the New Timers since most farmers had simply boycotted the referendum.
But there could be no going back for Callan. Time was marching on and would soon heal the wounds opened up by the great debate.
(Outside Kerwick’s in Green Street awaiting the big news. Included are: Mrs. P Denny, E. Nolan, P. Kerwick, J. Butler, H. Holden, Mary Fitzgerald, Angela McClean, Phil Tobin, Paddy Grace and P. Freaney.)
(More stories of those bygone times can be read in my book Callan in Words and Pictures, which is available from Amazon)
