Inspirational Offaly inventor recalls Christmas in times past
When Tony Bergin was growing up he remembers Christmas as being “a simpler time” when he was sent out to gather holly and source “a big turnip” to be hollowed out for the red candle that was placed in the window on Christmas Eve.
The renowned 92-year old inventor from Cooleshall on the Offaly/Tipperary border shows no signs of slowing down any time soon and is looking forward to “taking a bit of a break” from his inventions over the festive season.
The inspirational inventor has proved time and time again that age really is no barrier having won yet another award at Tullamore Show earlier this year for his latest ingenious invention, a device to assist people with reduced mobility to dress themselves independently simply called ‘Coat Hanger Plus Helper’.
Incredibly, Tony Bergin has almost three decades of documented entries into the Tullamore Show and he even has a certificate of recognition for his “dedication and attendance” to the National Inventions competition segment of the show. The certificate was presented to him some years ago when the show committee heard he was thinking of retiring, but the recognition just seemed to put an extra pep in his step and he is adamant that he has “no intention of retiring just yet anyway.”
The certificate of recognition takes pride of place on the wall of the neat family home which Tony Bergin shares with his 87-year old wife, Mary (Mollie) who was originally Mary Dwyer from Gloster. The couple met at a dance in the Legion Hall in Roscrea and have been married for the past 57 years. Their home is over 300 years old and was originally bought by Tony’s ancestors in 1790. “I still have the bill of sale for the house from 1790,” points out Tony.
Also still in the family home is a very unique Christmas Crib which is over 70 years old and which has been modified over the years by Tony himself. “I could turn my hand to anything since I was a child,” he says, “so I suppose that’s how I ended up inventing things to try to make life a bit easier for myself and for my neighbours as well.”
Life on the small family farm in Cooleshall was “tough” for a young Tony Bergin as his father suffered from severe arthritis, and he feels this is where he got his love for inventing. “We couldn’t afford to employ labourers so we had to do everything ourselves,” he recalls, “including the ploughing, sowing, milking and everything else and I was always looking out for opportunities to make things that could make a life easier for myself first of all, and then for other people.”
Tony created his first invention while still a teenager, and he hasn’t stopped since. He even invented a golf caddy which would put some modern designs to shame such was its high level of functionality. In between times he invented an apple picker, a high-tech machine for turning turf and many other labour-saving and safety-enhancing innovations. He patented only one of his inventions, and says he never considered “the money aspect” and got his satisfaction from seeing his inventions work. “I suppose if I wasn’t inventing things all my life I would be locked up long ago,” he jokes.
The Offaly inventor is happiest when he is out working in his shed which is a treasure trove of tools, bits of machinery and organised chaos! Since retiring from dairying in his early 1970s, Tony Bergin spends a lot of time in his shed and admits that his brain is “always working on a new invention”.
Although he says his body is “burning a lot of oil at this stage” and he has amassed “a few spare parts” over the course of his long life, he feels “the finest” and is looking forward to creating at least one new invention in 2023. “I have a bit of trouble walking and my hip is giving me a bit of trouble but I won’t let that stop me,” he laughs.
Tony’s three daughters, Geraldine, Frances and Antoinette, along with his four grandchildren, are very proud of the many inventions that he has created and are looking forward to see what emerges from his shed in the coming months.
His late mother reared turkeys and geese, and he says “the biggest goose” was always earmarked for the Christmas table. “It’s still my favourite meat to this day,” he says, lamenting the fact that the lovely tradition of stringing berry-laden holly across the kitchen ceiling and hollowing out a big turnip for the red candle has “long since gone by the wayside”.