Who Was Patrick O'Connor? Down the Bath Rocks

[Hughie]

Started to re-read "Down the Bath Rocks" for the umpteeth time since the 1970s. Page 33 revealed the following address from Patrick's first day at St. Marys School in Saltcoats.



So with the 1921 Census just released to the public this year I had a look. Sure enough there at 9 Harbour Place was the O'Connor family and all the names as stated in the book matched - Patrick was just 10 months old during this 1921 Census.

[George Ardrossan]

Patrick O’Connor was born at 9 Harbour Place, Ardrossan on 24 August 1920. His parents were Daniel O’Connor and his wife Margaret Daly who were both born and married in Belfast. Patrick joined the Merchant Navy and wrote several short stories and plays for stage and radio. These have been performed and published in Australia and the United States as well as in the United Kingdom. Given that Patrick was born over 100 years ago, he is likely to be deceased but I have never seen any mention of his death. Does anyone know?

George

[hahaya2004]

Hi George,
I had a look some time ago and found that he was living in London in 1960.
His mother had taken ill and died a few days later. He appears to have come back to see her. He signed her death certificate and gave his address as Gaisford Street London N.W. 5. That was all I could find out.
Irene

[George Ardrossan]

That's very interesting, Irene. Thanks for posting. I came across a newspaper article on Patrick. It was marked as being written in April 1975 but the name of the paper is not known. The article was:

A WARM WELCOME HOME FOR WRITER

Novelist and playwright Patrick O’Connor made a memorable return to his home town of Ardrossan when he came up from London to be filmed for Scope, the BBC 1 Scotland programme being screened on Tuesday. The programme, produced by W Gordon Smith, is set against extracts from Patrick’s autobiographical novel In A Marmalade Saloon.

The book tells the story of his boyhood in the Ayrshire town and on his visit, he met many of the townspeople he had included as characters in the novel. Gordon said “As soon as we arrived at the entrance to Ardrossan Docks, one of the gatemen called out to him – I recognise myself in your book. It was great fun. Patrick spent part of an evening with many of his boyhood friends and other townspeople in the book and they were all delighted to meet him again.”

As a 15-year-old, Patrick ran away to sea, sailed all over the world and served in the Merchant Navy in the Second World War.

His first novel is full of early boyhood friends from Ardrossan and the main character is called Patrick. Playing the part of Patrick in the Scope programme is 15-year-old Paul Kelly, a pupil at Cranhill School. Paul had a part in the BBC 1 play Let’s See Hallowe’en and played in The Camerons, a film made by the Children’s Film Foundation. He also had a part in a commercial film made for the South of Scotland Electricity Board.

George

[George Ardrossan]

Hi George,
I had a look some time ago and found that he was living in London in 1960.
His mother had taken ill and died a few days later. He appears to have come back to see her. He signed her death certificate and gave his address as Gaisford Street London N.W. 5. That was all I could find out.
Irene

Irene

Do you know if Patrick's mother died in Ardrossan? Is she buried in Ardrossan Cemetery?

George

[hahaya2004]

Mrs O'Connor died at Ardrossan, George. I presume she was buried in Ardrossan cemetery, but that information isn't on the death certificate.
This is the entry:
Margaret Jane O'Connor, widow of Daniel O'Connor, Burgh Labourer.
Died on November 11th, 1960 at 2A Broadway, Ardrossan, of a cerebral haemmorrhage - 7 days.
Parents James Dooley (not Daly), merchant seaman, and Rebecca, née. Reid.

Irene

[George Ardrossan]

Thanks for that information, Irene. I guess that both of Patrick’s parents are buried in Ardrossan Cemetery.

George

[Hughie]

Margaret Jane O'Connor, widow of Daniel O'Connor, Burgh Labourer.
Died on November 11th, 1960 at 2A Broadway, Ardrossan,

I put the address into Google and it took me to the corner of Whitlees Crescent and Broadway. This granny house was built in the 1950s on the site of the old Co-operative grocery shop before it was moved to Central Avenue.

[George Ardrossan]

Patrick O'Connor's parents are indeed buried in Ardrossan as can be seen by clicking on the link below.
http://www.ArdrossanPhotographs.net/Ima ... estone.jpg

The gravestone inscription is
In Loving Memory of our dear father DANIEL O'CONNOR died 28th April 1940 aged 63 years, our dear mother MARGARET DOOLEY died 11th November 1960 aged 80 years and our dear sister MARY died 9 October 1924 aged 7 years.

North Ayrshire Council has details of burial places on its website at https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/birth ... shire.aspx. From this page, there are links to each of the Council's cemeteries. Having chosen a cemetery, you can scroll down and enter a surname in the search box. A list will appear and making a choice shows the location of a grave and, if there is a gravestone, a photo.

George

[Mitchy]

At Hunterston in the 1980's there was an amazing character called Michael (Mick) O'connor, AKA 'Nick Nick'. I believe Patrick O'Connor was his Uncle.

[unicornheart]

i have read 2 of his books i also heard he had another is it across the waves or something like that

[George Ardrossan]

Patrick's other two other books were Across The Western written in 1976 and Into The Strong City in 1979.

George