Cork City Echo Boys Documentary 1977

[@adamohalloran6823]

My grandfather Jimmy O Sullivan was one of if not the longest serving echo seller in Cork. He started at 7 years old and passed away doing the job he loved while collecting the papers down Echo Lane in 2001 at 78 years old.

[@damienqueen]

I remember then well. I would be around the same age of not older. They were all characters and we had our favourite one's that we bought our echos from. Those were The days the chocolate crumb the banana boats and the Echo boys...

[@maryodriscoll5378]

Hard working kids, 💕 would love to see them today,please God there all well.

[@normanwong6129]

Lovely video it was buzzing back then specially around xmas time 1977 was the year i came to ireland from hongkong happy days

[@markduncan3806]

Reporter is very good. Her interaction with the lads was very friendly and unpatronising. Very brave and positive kids risking their safety out punting newspapers in the street. Wouldn't see it happen nowadays. Great time capsule from a different time. As the man said he was selling it at 7 yrs of age. Hope robot and his mates lived safely and had a future amongst the troubles. I'm an only child who envies all the kids with alot of brothers and sisters. Family is everything and they look after eachother. And learnt alot from being an echo boy. It was a street education. What are the songs they sing. I'd love to know the lyrics I can't make out some of it being a Scots highland lad. Thankyou for the fascinating post

[@liamcronin8110]

Bring back child labour I say

[@billybyrne523]

The Boys of Fairhill... A well known Cork street ballad. There are a lot of local references in it.

[@deeppurple883]

I did the same on the Dublin streets when I was 10 . I loved it for the money the danger and mitching of school to sell the Herald and Press. Church Street was my selling road .

[@GleeSmee]

I did it in Glasgow.

[@phoenixrising6245]

Enjoyed every minute of this interesting documentary. Listening to those respectful, polite and unassuming boys almost reduced me to tears! Bless them!!

[@edmondscott7444]

Marvellous documentary. Boys very good. Musician outstanding.

[@Del-yv1qy]

Good lads they were ,unlike the brats we have today.

[@littlebrayutd]

Some young good grafters today to, The graft has just changed 👈💥👀

[@kwc1138]

I went shopping with my parents once a month in Cork all through 70s ... drove from Drimoleague. We all had that style, clothes and hair, even in school.

[@liamcronin8110]

Ye did in me arse down from the bogs (only joking of course )

[@redfire20003]

We have lost all this..... 😢😢😢😢

[@liamcronin8110]

What child labour ?

[@seamusburke9101]

@@liamcronin8110 like the man in charge of giving out the papers said"it done me no harm" and I can vouch for that. I didnt sell papers but I worked on the docks at 15. Someone like you wouldnt believe me if I told you what job I was doing.

[@declantwomey7525]

I have family in this great too see thanks for sharing and I was a Echo boy in the 80 ts when it was 40p 👍🏻☘️☘️☘️

[@georgel74]

Very dignified young men..

[@kevinhorgan2770]

George Lambert RIP dad

[@kniallym6682]

My mother would bring me into town every Saturday in the 1980s. I remember the Echo Boys well. Watching this made me think about how much the city has changed over the years. It's mad to think about all the people in Cork now that wouldn't even know what an Echo Boy was! God be with those days.

[@JackNapier420]

I had the pleasure of giving this great video its 420th like 😁😎

[@maryodriscoll5378]

Omg I love this video ,so innocent boys ,

[@EoinFC]

These boys are now all retired me, if they're still with us. This is an incredible snapshot.

[@michaeltulridge4802]

I'm sure they're still with us. Most of them would be around 57/58 now. Hardly an age where people die off frequently from natural causes. I hope anyway.

[@markduncan3806]

@@michaeltulridge4802 aye good lads who you could tell were gentlemen. Brought up, not dragged up as my granny would say. And devoted too

[@markduncan3806]

@@michaeltulridge4802 not old enough for a pension yet but no far off. The bus pass years. Getting there maself lol

[@WhoKnowsWho]

Wow thanks for this makes me feel alive again 🤗✌❤👍

[@Yaketyyak21]

They should do a follow up of this documentary..

[@dhss333]

A gracious, elegant, spirited , mature People.

[@ozzie-sk9dh]

Robot is so sweet.

[@michaelarnold417]

I wonder if Cahal Dunne (the keyboard player) is still going strong? He went to the States I think. Very talented man.

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

Apparently he lives in Pittsburgh PA with his wife and son and still performs regularly. Good on him.

[@liamcronin8110]

My mother said her dad fixed his car She said she used be weak as in the 60s 70s not many famous faces round her

[@graceobrien3171]

Ahh, those were the days my friend

[@13infbatt]

Are they still being sold, it’s one of the things that makes cork so unique, Shandon bells and the shouts of “echo, evening,evening echo....

[@johnnoonan4775]

They are, there's one man left outside the GPO, once he's gone, looks like the tradition will go with him.

[@daniellong8674]

Still being sold yes.. Not by kids tho

[@johnkennethwiseman682]

Is that the big man with the wooly hat and unshaven? I will be' gutted if he is gone

[@liamcronin8110]

@@johnkennethwiseman682 I won't always roaring

[@bunty878]

He passed the last echo man sadly rip

[@daniellong8674]

I was a generation after these guys. My mother wouldn't allow me she was far to protective lol 😂

[@markduncan3806]

She was just looking out for you bro sounds like she cared. Bless her

[@daniellong8674]

@@markduncan3806 very true

[@markduncan3806]

@@daniellong8674 cannae blame her. My ma would ve done the same

[@macconchradha5324]

There is an old man who went around selling them and shouting i never knew it had that long of a history

[@liamcronin8110]

Drives me mad roaring but shut Wonder is he here

[@davidhegarty7971]

On the boys

[@cadwellconstruction6802]

anyone know anything about these fine young men ,,,in their late 50's now

[@winningbigly6666]

“Mechanical man” 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@markduncan3806]

Robot in later life became the Cork terminator but not with an Austrian accent but a proper Cork accent. Instead of "I ll be back" it's "what's the craic. Bless ye robot wherever you are you remind me of an old friend from high school. He wasn't Irish but his manner. Pauses in speech and the way he presented himself not to mention he was a spitting image of an old pal. Mischievous and innocent at the same time.

[@lynieshagaule6668]

@@markduncan3806 it’s so interesting to hear

[@jamiehinch9239]

Couldn't see a ten year old out on the streets now selling newspapers, very surprised at how young they were..

[@littlebrayutd]

Yeah parents don't make there kids go out on the street to earn a meal anymore,, Thank god, don't mind Rose tinted glasses stuff, Abolute poverty had them on the street,

[@liamcronin8110]

@@littlebrayutd well said Child labour is a great thing sure Fuckin ejjits

[@seamusburke9101]

@@liamcronin8110 youre a Langer!

[@williamsteele1409]

its great to listen to the lads all around my age if you cant understand them your not a cork man

[@KCrail23]

Little 🤖 breakin my 💔

[@michaelarnold417]

Isn't he adorable?

[@RedClayFH]

I went to school with John Kellehers son.

[@fozziebumble8361]

Down with this sort of thing

[@lynieshagaule6668]

I’d like to talk to them now and see how different they are

[@boldhylandpaddy5288]

Thank Christ for shops..😂. I remember I couldn't walk down a street in cork. With out getting the ears blowing off me by them. Still one left out side GPO in city.you could heard in Kinsale. 😂

[@liamcronin8110]

Id love ti give him a belt with a rolled up newspaper on the nose Drives me mad

[@bigtalk7490]

Poor lads

[@littlebrayutd]

@Daniel stevens alcoholics, gamblers with 10 kids each, say it was great alri

[@palecap]

Jarlath Daly, Kevin Lynch, Jimmy Mack and Finbar O'Connell. Starting at 7:27 when she starts asking about the good stands, what are the places the boys mention? The Fords? Where is that in Cork? 7:54 what place does Kevin mention? And again at 8:07?

[@jamesd4764]

White privileged Irish children certain folks would have you believe today....and poverty is all they knew...

[@themaster-jp6sp]

had the privilege of 4 years work experience selling echos at the age of 14

[@gavinw3277]

@@AwRighttttt Learn to spell, comrade.

[@simoncollins6529]

I bet they've all done alright for themselves. You'd learn more about life and business as a kid selling paper's on the streets than you ever learn in university doing gender studies

[@Dwight511]

@J P What the hell are you saying? Learn to type coherently.

[@gavinw3277]

There's a lot of ignorance about what you learn in university. You can tell who made it there.

[@cm93431]

I say that piano fella gave robot a few jelly babies

[@liamcronin8110]

Funny I said the same But as a joke the man was never linked to such things Anyway. Robot would kill him stone dead

[@johnkennethwiseman682]

These Kids must be in their 60s now?

[@jamiemeskell8229]

anyone know the song their singing ?

[@craigosullivan1836]

Course they did! Back up to Dublin with ya! Our history our life Corcaigh Abu

[@kp9952]

I'm confused by John Kelleher saying that his customers 'settled up' at the end of the week ~ I thought they paid him thru the window of the car :/ Anyone here know what he meant? Thanks!!

[@michaelarnold417]

'Settled up' means paid what they owed. So some were avoiding the daily nuisance with small change, and paying weekly or monthly

[@kp9952]

@@michaelarnold417 Thanks. Do you know where the 'settling up' happened?

[@kp9952]

@@michaelarnold417 Plus, do you know how long after this John Kelleher worked, or if he is still alive? He comes across as so likeable in this video.....

[@michaelarnold417]

@@kp9952 I imagine it happened through the window of the car, as with most of the other customers. There is no space to park on Col corner, it's heavy with one way traffic in the late afternoons. I don't know what became of the man himself!

[@kp9952]

@@orosedobheathaabhaile The mind boggles about what?

[@plokijmkjnmk7825]

Exploitation of the underprivileged. A terrible shame.

[@padraigsisk4057]

Jesus u can get the echo before the examiner 😆😆😆😆

[@thenorthbysouth]

What song are they singing at the end?

[@jamescasey4643]

The boys of fairhill

[@dorothyflanagan9535]

L 0:08

[@jonnybuttsleo3947]

And although we lost all this, Cork is still the best of 32

[@eddyfitzgerald2518]

I'm from Waterford just over the border by conna,I used to drink in Fred Zeppelins alot,I live in Arizona now nothing like it here

[@ozzie-sk9dh]

UP THE DUBS!

[@littlebrayutd]

Mullahs

[@deadsouls72]

Before Afro-Islamic conquest.

[@gavinw3277]

Yeah, the city is a damn sight better now, we don't have to take young kids from poor families out of school to sell newspapers.