"We're here in Berrings for four generations. My great grandfather was Pat Ring from Codrum and Tierbeg near Macroom. They also had property in Manchester and Liverpool. The name changed from Ring to Reen through a family dispute. Pat became secretary to Richard Barter at the world renowned Turkish Baths at St. Ann's Hill in Blarney. He became a merchant after that and had the Byrne's Mills in Blarney where he manufactured meal and flour. He was known as a general merchant and served the farming community.

Students of Berrings NS 1954-1955; Pat Reen is the young boy on the far right (Reen Family Collection).

In the year of the Famine, things went against him and he was evicted. His wife Margaret though had property in Berrings, where the O'Mahony family owned 400 acres on the Berrings Estate. The Reens moved to Berrings. Pat Ring ran the pub, the post office and was the land agent. Local people paid him the rent, which was sent to Dublin Castle. The pub- store catered for the local farming community. We sold products such as bottles of stout, coal, oil, tobacco and cigarettes. All kind of dealers would call in on route to Coachford Fair and Dripsey Woollen Mills. I remember the Youngs of Young's Mills in Clonmoyle who also had premises in Crosses Green in the City calling in for a drink on route or travelling home from the city.

People would send potatoes, turnips, agricultural produce to the city via Reens. The horse and cart was the king of transport. Pigs were sold in the Farmer's Union in Ballincollig. To help with the sales, weighing scales were on the premises. One could get the paper, which would have information such as births and deaths.

The post office was the focus of attention. Old age pensions could be got and dog and bull licences could be bought. The Post Office had a phone and switchboard that serviced the community. The post office provided a day and night service if people wanted a doctor or vet, whatever the case may be. Telegrams were a big part of the Post Office - there were two postmen in the post office - mail would come at 6a.m. and be delivered by pushbike after it was sorted. Mail for sending would be sent to Cork every evening.

Electricity came to Berrings on the early 1950s. It was one of the first areas in the county to get it. Lighting for the most part prior to that was by gas light. There were also 'tilly' lamps on the counter. You would fill it with oil. You would pump it with a small pump and the mantle would light up. We also had oil lamps with a globe. We sold parafin oil. We had a primace to boil a kettle. We got them from Wickhams in Cork on Merchant's Quay. They supplied rural people with household items such as kettles and lamps.

John Daly's on Kyrl's Quay supplied us with porter, bottled beer. Murphy's Brewery supplied us with kegs for years. We did alot of business as well with Ormond's Distillery in Bandon and John Reardon's on Washington Street. Reardons supplied us with tea, coffee and sugar. They brought out chests of tea. We got cigarettes from T.J. O'Leary on Washington Street. Woodford and Bourne were, I suppose, the cash and carry of their day for publicans. They were based on Sheare Street but had their main shop for general customers on Daunt's Square at the top of St. Patrick's Street.

There were seven children in my grandfather's family. Due to the social and economic conditions over a hundred years ago all of them emigrated. The five boys went to the United States. William went to Chicago and became an architect and sculptor. Johnny went to New Hampshire and was in the property business. Jim went to New York and had a liquor store. My grandfather Patsy had a pub business in Jersey City but returned to Berrings Pub on his father's death. He married Kate Forrest from the nearby townland of Gurteen. Of the two girls, Julia had a hotel business in India with her husband O'Hurley from Kilmurray, Berrings who served in the British army in India. Mini married into the Hawkes family from Bandon and went to New York, where her family were involved in the liquor store trade.