Our parents, Noel Sydney Hickey and Elizabeth (Malet-Warden) married in 1941. Robin and Peter the twins and Eoin were born while they lived at 18. St.Stephen’s Green. The family moved to Skryne Castle, Tara in 1948 where Caroline and Netta were born. We include extracts from an hour long tape recording of our mother made before her death in 1999 where she describes the move to Skryne and the early years in Skryne Castle. She describes her mother, Agnes Malet-Warden’s tradgic death also in 1948. They ran Skryne Castle as a guest house and as well, in 1952, our mother published The Legend Of Tara. It was in the early 1950s that Rosie Griffin and her grandmother Mrs.Griffin came to stay for a year. Rosie, later Rosie Swale sailed around the world and wrote Rosie Darling as well as other books on her experiences.
During the fifties we catered for P.Gs., Hunt Balls, Wedding Breakfasts, Bellinter Golf Club (now Royal Tara) and point to point race meetings throughout Co. Meath.. We write about all these and include some very good photographs and copies of menus and recipes including some from special friends of our mother’s – Miss Lucy Franks of The Country Shop and of I.C.A note also journalist and T.V star of the sixties, Monica Sheridan.
