Contributed by Brian Greene
Brian’s great-grandfather, Bernard Greene, was born in 1848, during the Irish Potato Famine (1845–1852). The famine had a catastrophic impact on Ireland: approximately one million people died, and over one million were forced to emigrate. His birth fell within one of the darkest chapters of Irish history, a time that reshaped the country’s population and society. In the late 1860s, Bernard enlisted in the British Army, serving with the
85th Foot Regiment. Military service in the British Army provided steady employment for many Irish men; it was one of the few viable options to escape poverty. From the 1780s onwards, approximately one-third of all British Army recruits were Irish, reflecting the economic struggles faced by many Irish families. Bernard Greene married Sarah Watson in Lisburn Cathedral on 24 December 1870. Four months after he married, Bernard went on the run. It is possible that he enlisted to take advantage of the financial incentives offered during the recruitment process. The Greene family eventually settled in Keady, finding work in the local linen industry, which was a significant employer in the area.
Brian’s grandfather, John Greene, was listed as a barber in the 1901 census, later to be joined in the trade by his four sons. His daughters went on to establish a successful hairdressing business. His eldest son Barney was drowned in the River Bann outside Portadown in a swimming accident during the hot summer weather of 1924. They lived at various addresses in Keady, with Brian’s own father, John Greene continuing this tradition. John maintained the Keady business after the rest of the family moved to a larger premises in nearby Armagh City in 1936. John married Kathleen McKenna, and together they had eight children: Anne, Kathleen, Jude (who died at four months), Magdalen, Brian, Attracta, Aidan, and Dermot. Large families were not uncommon at this time.
Brian Greene was born in Keady in 1942. Their family home was located in the centre of Keady, with the house built into the perimeter walls of the graveyard. Growing up in a large, traditional Catholic family, Brian was surrounded by his aunts, uncles, and siblings. Education was very important to the family, and at the age of 12, Brian was awarded a scholarship to attend St Patrick’s College in Armagh, which was a seminary up until 1948 but continued to be administrated by the Vincentian Fathers all of whom continued with their teaching duties. Although he had no intention of becoming a priest, the school provided a rigorous education, albeit one that, like many schools at the time, included corporal punishment.
Finding work in Northern Ireland was difficult, as Protestant employers dominated the workforce, and many Catholics, like Brian, faced sectarian barriers to employment. In 1960 he applied for a position in the British Civil Service and was offered a job at GPO Headquarters in London. Brian then moved to Shepherd’s Bush, London. Life in London was in stark contrast to Keady, and though the city was still rebuilding from wartime bombings, it offered exciting new opportunities. Initially, much of Brian’s time
in London was solitary; there was little socialising at work, and he spent much of his free time exploring the city and visiting local cinemas, football grounds and dancehalls.
In 1962, Brian met his future wife, Mae McAneney, who
was also from Armagh. Sociable and energetic, Mae eventually obtained a job as a punch card operator with the GPO in their telecommunications processing centre in Kew. Although she had only intended to stay in London for a short holiday, the pair quickly became inseparable. They married in 1964 and settled in a modest apartment in Chiswick. In 1968 they transferred to Liverpool where the Post Office was setting up a new Giro banking service. As part of the transfer they settled in the Sefton area of Bootle which was then being built by the Local Authority to relieve housing wartime damage.
The move to Liverpool coincided with the start of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1969. Though Brian and his family were now in England, the conflict back home loomed large. Visits to Keady became less frequent, and the political tensions weighed heavily on the family. Despite these challenges, Brian built a life in Liverpool, where his children, Kerstie, Sinéad and Sean were born in the 1970s. Throughout much of that time, when the family were young, Mae, always the social one, worked at St Benet’s Catholic Club, where she, known as “Irish Mae”, became a well known figure in the local community. The family flourished in their new home.
Following the privatisation of the Girobank portion of the Post Office under Margaret Thatcher, Brian decided to retire at 52. He has since dedicated his time to getting his children and grandchildren established in life and to researching his family history. He still considers Keady his true home.