Family Fortunes: The day Gerry Ryan made my scissors famous

I left school the day I turned 14 and was told by my cousin that she had a job for me at sewing. It turned out that I took to sewing like a duck to water.

I am sure my cousin was sorry for getting me the job, as I had her tormented, asking her to show me the tricks of the trade.

This is where the relationship started between me and my scissors. On my next birthday, my Auntie Mary presented me with my beautiful scissors. Well, it was like gold to me.

I put it to work straight away, making small things at first, and then working up to bigger things such as my wedding dress. After that I made things for our home, including the curtains. Then, when my children came along, I started making clothes for them. I even cut their hair; it was a labour of love. When my children look back at photos of them when they were young, they see that they all had the same hairstyle and ask, “Mam, did you put a bowl on our head?”

I was listening to the late Gerry Ryan’s show on the radio one day, and he asked listeners “What treasure would you like to put into your coffin?” People were ringing up with ideas. Some said tea bags, others said an old radio or a book to read.

I did something I thought I would never do: I rang Gerry and I told him that I would like my scissors and a bit of cloth to keep me company. Even though I didn’t give my name, my voice gave me away. My daughter Martina was mortified when she heard from a friend what I had said to Gerry.

So you can see how important our working relationship has been over 60 years. My scissors have never let me down. It is still as sharp as ever. Sorry I can’t say the same for myself.

• We would love to receive your family memories, anecdotes, traditions, mishaps and triumphs. Email 350 words and a relevant photograph if you have one to familyfortunes@irishtimes.com