In 1978 we moved to Bray and bought a small terraced house in Ardee Street.  The original house had 3 rooms and a scullery with a back yard the size of the house itself.  Ardee Street was bleak in some ways, with no trees to offset the greyness .  Opposite our house was a coal yard and further down, standing back from the road, was Burna Fireplaces, which is still there.  They were mostly single storey terraced houses, with a few two storey houses at the top and bottom of the road.

Its saving grace was the People’s Park, stretching the length of the Dargle Road, from the Bridge at Castle Street (the town end) to Murphy’s Pub at far other.  It had been left to the people of Little Bray by the Brabazon family. The plaque still remains in the park. It is lined with beautiful old trees including Oak and Horse Chestnut, with an amazing view of the Sugar Loaf Mountains at the Murphy Pub end.

Its beauty is dazzling on a bright Spring day, and also in the Autumn, as the leaves turn every shade of brown and orange, leaving a carpet of multicoloured leaves on the path.  It has a children’s playground, changing rooms to facilitate the football matches played at weekends, along with various activities during the summer, like the dog show. Two of the local residents planted daffodil bulbs the length of the park, which spring up every year.  Years ago there were a multitude of flowers in the park, attended by a Park Keeper who lived in a large Tudor-style house on the grounds. It was demolished about 20 years ago when it fell into disrepair. Young and old alike enjoy this treasure in Little Bray.

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