Bob devitt? travelled the roads with a sack on his back?

Question

he sold needle thread matches.in the 50s around donegal,lietrim and all around the north,he was the bogey man to me.most of you will be to young to know,if you are and are from these places would you ask any older rellatives do they remember this man and anything they know about his history,cheers

Answer 1

Yes he was likely one of hundreds of men who tramped the roads and byways of Ireland in the 50s and later,They would call by farms looking for any kind of work or a bite to eat, There was high unemployment at the time and there was no welfare state, There was no way to get money When I was young I spent a lot of time in the summer at my grand parents farm and these poor men with there shoes dropping off would call by they were in a terrible state and were half starved My grandmother always kept a crib as she called it for the traveller where they could clean up get a bite to eat and sleep and some new clothes and footwear used of course or repaired. People do not realise how well off they are today.Another type of tramp would sell Needle books as a way of raising money or sharpen scythes knives saws etc others could set broken bones in animals or fix horse ailments

And one of the strangest things i ever witnessed was a thing called settling a horse where a large shire horse who was very rambuncious was made permenently quiet amazing really that mans name was Quiggs,But there really was so many and but for the welfare state I could have been there myself how different the world is today

Answer 2

i remember the chap called the dummy and he wrote everything and bang bang in Dublin city

Answer 3

I am Beccy Devitt, this is my married name but there are family connections with Ireland. My sister and mother in law went over to Ireland to find out about our relations last year...I will ask them......