Hiring fairs: Recalling the children sent to work for £2 a month

Michael J Murphy’s work collected the experiences of those hired and the recent winter school continued in that spirit, collating as many photographs and testimonies from those who had been hired as possible.

It was those testimonies that formed the basis The Hiring Fair, a drama written by Pauline Lynch and featuring local young people.

“There were letters from the children to their parents and they were very honest,” she said.

“I devised scenes around the information in the letters and it was lovely to involve the young people.”

Some of those young people who took part in the play didn’t just learn their lines, they also learned of family members who had been hired out.

Éabha, a Year 8 pupil at St Paul’s High School in Bessbrook, was one of those involved.

“The play was about a man called Michael J Murphy and he was from Dromintee and that’s where we are from,” she said.

“So my Daddy was telling me his Granda Michael went to the hiring fair.

“It was very interesting learning about it. I’d be really scared if it was me.”

Liam said his great grandfather was also hired out.

“His name was Pat Shelvin,” he said.

“I only found out when I started this and my Nanny and Granda told me about it.

“I didn’t know it was a thing – but it seems very cruel that they were sent out.

“I’d be very homesick and it would take time for me to acclimatise to the new area.”

The team behind the project now hope to preserve their work in a book.