OLD vinyl records are still in homes across Britain and Ireland – but in many cases, they are likely to be gathering dust on a shelf.
Waterford native Bridget Howard, however, has hers proudly displayed on her Shepherd’s Bush living room, for all to see.
Her collection of over 50 records hangs on her wall, from ceiling to floor, with her favourite - Big Tom - taking pride of place.
“I started the collection about two or three years ago,” Mrs Howard said. “I buy ones from the show bands that I used to go to – and they can be hard to get sometimes.”
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Mrs Howard trawls through charity shops and old music stores around London – and she also has her family on the case.
“There’s a great shop down in precinct [in Shepherd’s Bush] where I used to get really good ones and my daughter gets me some on eBay.”
Many of her family back in Ireland, as well as her children here in Britain, are constantly on the look-out for records, as the collection grows.
Mrs Howard’s love of music came from a young age, she says, as she smiles fondly at the memories from her childhood.
Her mother was a talented musician, who learned to play the melodeon from ear.
“My mother’s family was very musical, all of her brothers played an instrument,” she said. “And we used to have dances on the stage out in the field, they were great.”
Bridget in her younger years in New York CityGrowing up in Modeligo, near Dungarvan in Co. Waterford, Mrs Howard’s mother’s legacy lives on in her daughter, in the lifelong love affair with Irish music.
Mrs Howard, who was Bridget Flynn before her marriage, has had a colourful life – but music has been one thing that has stayed with her throughout the years.
Leaving Ireland at the age of 15, she first settled in New York City before moving to England ten years later.
Her life almost took a very different turn – a young man in New York was quite taken with Mrs Howard and when she returned to Ireland, he came over in a Cadillac to ask her to marry him. By then, Mrs Howard was in Britain.
“He was too late,” she laughed.
She married Ron Howard and the couple lived in Harlesden and then in Shepherd’s Bush, where they ran a successful newsagents.
Though it began as your average newsagents, it soon turned into an impromptu Irish shop – selling vinyl records of Irish favourites like Margo O’Donnell and Joe Dolan.
Throughout the years, the Howards would go to the Galtymore dance hall in Cricklewood, London. Mr Howard eventually became an honorary Irishman through his wife’s deep connection with her native land.
Now, Mrs Howard frames every record she buys and proudly displays them for all of her visitors to see.
With an ever-growing collection, Mrs Howard’s next challenge is to find the vinyl album of Mick Delahunty and his band.
“I’m going back to Ireland in August and I’m going to have some time to go through the shops and hopefully find some more of the records,” she added.
With no signs of stopping, it will soon be time for Mrs Howard’s collection to spread on to another wall as more and more vinyl’s keep coming in.
If you have any records to donate to Mrs Howard’s collection, get in touch james.mulhall@http://http://irishpost.co.uk or on 020 8900 4354.
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