A guest post by Mike Hackett
Dan Duskey was a showman with a small travelling outfit of his own – going from village to village in the earlier part of the last century. His wife, Peggy, sons and daughters made up the entire cast.
There are many stories about the hard-working Dan and his village show while touring around the South of Ireland. He arrived in Clashmore village in West Waterford before the Second-World-War with a van pulling one wagon. His theatre at the time was a one-pole all-canvas tent and it was one that had seen better days. Dan was undeterred. It was all that he could afford and he set up just below the bridge.
A few people ventured in to see the first night’s performance and to test the talent. They were the local ‘experts’ who would not miss a show of any kind. A travelling troupe could be accepted – or quickly dismissed – on the reports of the ‘critics’. Then after the show – sitting on the bridge wall – the performance would be discussed like an inquest that went on late in – to the night. After all – this was an exciting unusual happening in a small community.
Meanwhile at the show – the performers were going to bed – hoping that the reports would be good. It would mean a few weeks of regular income and some stability of life for the family. No taking down the tent – no travelling and no re-erecting in the immediate future. Then more importantly – it was a chance for the kids to attend school and make new friends with other kids. You had shops to become familiar with people to smile at – and a community to belong to – if only for a month or so.
The next-day feed-back was good and the attendances began to improve after every performance. Dan Duskey and his show was welcomed. Then the energy saved by not moving on was put into rehearsals every afternoon – to ensure the freshness of change. Survival demanded that the small population did not become bored and this was uppermost in the performers’ minds. So a different programme was given nightly. Eventually the fear of staleness led on to the local talent contests. Locals were now entertaining themselves with the means and encouragement coming from the professionals. Remarkably, the audiences at the talent shows often surpassed those of the regular performances – as mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters poured in from the surrounding country-side. Of course their Johnny or Paddy – in their eyes – was definitely the best. Talent contests would often discover real hidden ability and start singers on the road to stage musicals and plays. Then for the final – a judge would be sought from some other parish to do the honours – and if the favourite didn’t win – the harmony of the village would not be upset. But regardless of the result – it was now time to move on to another village, new faces – another school, new teachers.
During the Second-World-War – Dan, like all civilians could get little petrol for his van and had to change back to animal power. A donkey and dray were then bought to help the travelling show to move. On steep hills – the animal would be helped by Dan to pull the load. This was done by tying a rope onto the shafts of the dray and Dan would walk ahead while pulling on it.
A local postman named Tom Bagge encountered this scene on Lickey Bridge near Piltown as Dan was assisting the donkey. “That’s a great donkey that you have there” said Tom. “He’s not as good as the other donkey” replied the showman. “What other donkey” asked Tom. “The two-legged donkey walking in front of him” said Dan.
It was during a later return visit to Clashmore that the show got a great boost from Michael Kenure – a village merchant. A real considerate and charitable man was the same Michael. He had seen how hard Dan worked to keep the show going and how much it meant to the morale of the people of the area. Performances were being held during this visit in an old all-canvas marquee that was full of holes – with the rain dripping in. Michael Kenure drove to Cork City – bought a new canvas – and presented it to Dan Duskey that evening. Following that kind gesture – and to show Dan’s gratitude – the first performance under the new cover was admission free. Tears of happiness were in Dan’s eyes that night as he profoundly thanked his benefactor and the people of Clashmore for their tremendous support and friendliness over many decades.
The show then moved on to Youghal Town – where there were hundreds of soldiers in the army barracks. Even though the town had two cinemas – Dan’s live show was packed every night and so he got his share of the pay-packets. After that, it was off to nearby Ballymacoda – where more soldiers were billeted. Again it was full attendances and many enjoyable weeks were spent there.
Years later – the Duskeys managed to buy a hippodrome booth. It had timber sides and was warmer and cosier. This new ‘house’ was very secure on windy nights and it meant that the performance could be held almost regardless of the weather.
Dan’s later years were not spent in our part of the country – but no doubt his great will-power saw him survive. Maybe eventually – when his energy diminished – Dan Duskey retired to a few easy seasons. I hope so – he deserved it.
N.B. – – Sandy (Duskey) Kelly – now a famous singer on T.V. and who has appeared with Johnny Cash – is a grand-daughter of Dan. He would be proud.