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George O'Connor, aged 103, shares memories of his father's service as a station officer in Dublin's Central Fire Station, recounting anecdotes from the revolutionary period, the 1921 Custom House fire, and the 1936 Pearse Street blaze.
“See this man here? ” says George O’Connor.
“He was about 7ft tall. They called him ‘the Horse’ McDonald. ” We’re poring over photos spread out on the kitchen table of George’s home near Dunshaughlin, Co Meath.
“The Horse” is one of numerous firemen whose names George – now aged 103 – can still recall from his childhood. They were comrades of his father, John O’Connor, who was station officer in the Central Fire Station on Dublin’s Tara Street. John O’Connor witnessed a lot over the course of his fire brigade service, which included the revolutionary period. George shows me a photo of him pumping water in the aftermath of the Custom House fire in 1921 .
George and his siblings grew up in the station’s family quarters.
“It just became normal,” he says of his unusual childhood home, but he concedes that “there was always a lot of activity”. There was an ambulance based out of the station, and George recalls blood having to be washed off the stretcher when the crew would return from an incident. A snapshot in George’s collection shows two firemen posing at Tara Street with a terrier named Minnie.
“She used to go to all the fires,” explains George. “When the alarm would go off she’d hop up on the vehicle. ” Until, that is, the occasion of a big fire on Bachelors Walk when someone stole Minnie, abruptly ending her career with the Dublin Fire Brigade.
Of all the fires in Dublin which occurred in George’s childhood, perhaps the one which stands out the most is the Pearse Street fire of 1936 , which took place 90 years ago this Monday, October 5th. George was 13 at the time. The fire broke out on a Monday night at the premises of Exide Batteries at 163 and 164 Pearse Street.
The Central Fire Station was just up the street, and a tender of 11 firemen under Lieutenant Howard was on the scene within two minutes of receiving the call, followed shortly afterwards by reinforcements. The first turnout included John O’Connor, Thomas Potts – better remembered now as musician Tommie Potts – and Leslie Crowe, subject of the RTÉ television documentary “Camera Tripod Bicycle” a few years ago.
Some time prior to the fire, in an attempt to remedy water shortages, Dublin Corporation had reduced night-time water pressure. This made the firemen’s task considerably more difficult from the outset, forcing them so close to the flames that their uniforms were scorched. Minutes after the first turnout arrived on the scene, there came a deafening explosion followed closely by another.
John O’Connor was thrown from the second landing of the building to the hallway by the force of the first blast. The explosions – which were apparently caused by cylinders containing coal-gas and oxygen – accelerated the fire, which engulfed the upper floors of the burning premises, trapping three of the firemen. George lists their names: “McArdle, Malone and Nugent. ” Those three never made it out of the building alive.
The fire raged for hours and destroyed all of No 164 and most of No 163. It was not until about 2.30am that the firemen could begin digging for their comrades. Their progress was impeded by falling masonry and the still-smouldering debris but they moved determinedly, and by about 7am the remains of Robert Malone and Thomas Nugent had been recovered.
The men were given a public funeral and their remains lay in state in City Hall for two days before a Requiem Mass in St Andrew’s Church on Westland Row The men were assisted by comrades on holiday who, hearing what had happened, arrived in uniform and joined in the search. The final body, that of Peter McArdle, was not recovered until the following night.
It was estimated that the men had to dig through 30 tons or more of debris to recover the remains of their comrades. The men were given a public funeral and their remains lay in state in City Hall for two days before a Requiem Mass in St Andrew’s Church on Westland Row.
It was estimated that at least 50,000 people lined the streets as the cortege made its way to Glasnevin Cemetery, where the three comrades were laid to rest alongside each other. So numerous were the floral tributes that they had to be transported on a 10-wheeled Guinness lorry. George’s father was particularly friendly with Thomas Nugent, known as Gerard to his family.
“They were great pals. ” Nugent had been engaged to be married to a young woman named May Craddock and they had already bought furniture to set up a home. Peter McArdle and Robert Malone were both married with families.
“It was a terrible tragedy,” recalls George, “really shocking. ” Ninety years on, the Pearse Street fire remains the biggest loss of life in the history of the Dublin Fire Brigade. Thanks to the efforts of historian and retired fireman Las Fallon, a new plaque is to be unveiled at the site of the fire on Pearse Street this Monday at 11am, 90 years on, inscribed with the names of the three firemen.
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