Early Years - 1933 to 1957
John
Joe went to secondary school in Roscommon for a couple of years.
He rembered it as being the longest two years of his life!
When he left school he decided that he was going to be a
"Dealer". He bought and sold a few sheep, calves and cows.
He also cut turf and mowed meadows with a scythe.
When he
was nineteen he joined with a neighbour and took a wagon load of cows
to Dublin market. His mother gave him £60 for the price of
three cows and he lost £15 on the deal. However, a
little while later he took another load of cows to Dublin and made back
most of what he had lost previously.
In January, 1941 John Joe bought four bullocks.
However, in February the "Foot and Mouth"
disease broke out in Ireland and all animal fairs and
markets were banned. It wasn't until November that he could
sell
them. Neighbours gradually began to hear that John Joe was
dealing and they would ask him to buy their cattle. He began
to
rent holdings from all around the locality to graze cattle and drove
them to Roscommon market. Often as many as forty cattle by
himself.
In 1941 he opened up a bank account with £50 and in 1949
he bid £2,000, at action, on a 95 acre farm at Keelogues,
but it was withdrawn. However, over a year later the farm was
still unsold and he offered £2,400 and this time it was accepted.
He had a hundred blue heifers which would pay for the farm,
but
he needed a further loan of £1,000 to stock it. His bank
turned him down, but another bank provided the loan and his farm began
to take off.
In 1956, John Joe met Annie Naughton. Annie was born in nearby Sonagh. She decided to become a nun at 17 and started her training in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinsloe. She spent two months there before going to Noviciate House in Guildford. She was there for two years before making her first profession. She spent a year on a Seminary in Wonersh, Surrey, England. After that she spent three years in London training and taking her examinations to become a nurse.
In January she was sent to Southern Rhodesia.
Although she loved the country and nursing she wasn't sure if
she
could commit herself to the religious life, particularly as her final
profession was coming up in August. She decided to leave.
She went back to England to take her midwifery exams.
Afterwards she returned to
Ireland.
John Joe and Annie were married in September 1957.