Interviews of Betty Murray

Biographical interview with Betty Murray whose parents came to Whithorn in 1934 to run a licensed grocer. Betty describes the shop, providing details of the stock, layout, staffing and suppliers. She recalls the impact of rationing and the ledgers which recorded account details. She also speaks about other local shops which included drapers, newsagents, shoemakers and sweetie shops. Other subjects covered in this interview include: schooldays; poverty; sport and recreation; church life; farming; pubs and shops; weather and World War 2. Betty married a farmer and moved to High Ursock.

She talks about her life in farming and the challenges facing her children and grandchildren who are still working farms. She also speaks about a sense of community, both on the farms and in Whithorn. As well as feeling she didn't know people in the way she had done before, she also felt that the new people moving into the area didn't know each other because there weren't local shops etc. to provide opportunities for meeting people. Towards the end of the interview, Betty talks a bit more about World War 2 and recalls Willie McMaster, who used to drive a horse and cart in Whithorn, moving goods from the railway station or coal etc. around the town.