Treasure hunting

[Rat Catcher]

Most of us are dysfunctional at best.

[silverbullet]

They look down their nose  at us while they rot away in call centres.
Soon they'll be done away with by a FAQ section on a website, given statutory redundancy wondering where it all went wrong.

[dalymount]

Particularly D4 students who think we are the scum of the earth.they are fukking glad of us. on a  busy saturday night. I hate when the lazy cunts stand on the wrong side of the road on camden st,and then say  rathmines.you have to try doing a u turn.youd walk the fukkin thing in less then 10 mins

[Belker]

I think I got my best ever sober compliment from a lady last night on a MyTaxi job, she was coming off the Aer coach just after midnight and after her destination and pleasantaries were all exchanged, she said to me; "Isin't it great to see the new footbridge open ?".
To which I reply; "Hmm.. I'm not so sure that at 4.5 Million Euro and situated 50 meters from another bridge on either side that it was actually needed but at least it got a lovely name".
Her; "What's it called ?",
Me; "Mary Elmes bridge",
Her; "Who is Mary Elmes ?"
Fortunately or unfortunately she had got me on my pet subject, fer a massively shortened Forum version Mary Elmes was a Cork woman who as an ambulance worker had managed to smuggle over 400 Jewish children out of various nazi concentration camps during the Second world war and after the war she refused point blank to take any credit or acclaim fer what she had done, it was only after she died about 15 years ago that her story began to be told.

Fer me Mary Elmes is my Heroine of all Heroine's and my lady/customer got it all chapter and verse along her 15 minute route home asking fer more details frequently, when we got to her home (account job) I apologized fer boring the life outta her along the way, she sez to me; "That was the most intriguing and interesting Taxi journey that I have ever taken in my life, I'm going in now to check out Mary Elmes and her book (biography) that you mentioned, Thank you so much fer sharing your knowledge with me !".

[dalymount]

We have a bridge in Dublin that was opened about 2 years ago called after a lady named Rosie Hackett.she was a biscuit factory who done a lot of good in 1913 during the lockout,and again in 1916. just like your lady in cork,Rosie did not want to be acknowledged for what she did.they called the new LUAS bridge after her

[Belker]

There were some proper tough women back in those days.

Fer anyone interested Mary Elmes was born in Cork to a rich pharmacist's family, his premises was Number 4 Winthrop street which was later burnt out by the black 'n tans, today McDonalds hold the lease.

Mary's first experience of tragedy as a child was when she accompanied her father to Cobh harbour to render assistance to those who had been rescued off or from the water after the Lusitania cruise ship had been torpedoed by a German Submarine. A moment she later recounted as being a Turning point in her life.

Mary had a good education both in Trinity and abroad and her academic prospects seemed very well fer her but she turned her back on her chosen profession to join the ambulance brigade during the Spanish Civil war. Her mission was to save the children and she did a very fine and difficult job of that, unbeknowst to herself at the time she was setting up schools and 'Safe houses' fer the children of that war and not knowing that in the future she would again need them same 'Safe houses'.

[Belker]

When the Spanish civil war ended the Second World War started and Mary held her place as an Ambulance worker in nazi occupied France managing over the war years to smuggle over 400 Jewish children out of nazi concentration camps in the boot of her car and place them in the schools and Safe houses that she had established in France and Spain during the previous years.
Eventually the nazis did catch up with her and she spent 6 months in one of France's most notorious prisons, on release she quoted to the press; "Sur' every path has a Bump in it", before continuing her quest to free more children again using her Ambulance cover.

[Belker]

After the war was over Mary married a French-man and had Two kids and resided in France.
She refused all credit or acclaim fer her outstanding brave work, in the one rare interview that she gave she said that; "She had some very hard choices to make", so you can quess fer yourselves what Choices they were ?
Fer example and I'm guessing here; If ya see a kid in a concentration camp with a dodgy leg, do ya bring him/her knowing that they have a 20km hike over the mountains to their 'Safe house' or do you leave them behind to face the gas chamber and save the others ?

[Belker]

Mary Elmes died about 15 years ago, only then did one of those she rescued come forward because they had all been sworn to secrecy.
The man who came forward was now a professor and with his testimony Mary Elmes from Cork was awarded the highest civilian honour that France could give and many other accolades have followed gratefully accepted by her children.

Clodagh Finn formerly a journalist with the Cork Examiner followed up on the story and researched her in detail, of course all the survivors that Mary has risked her life to rescue were only too delighted to now be telling her story and singing her praises and her biography called "A Time to Risk All" is available on Amazon fer about 18 Euro.